A green forest of selfies?
Listen to the full podcast episode and subscribe on
Listen on
Spotify
Listen on
Apple Podcasts
Listen on
RSS
Can we store data in plants? Sending an email, streaming a video, uploading photos to the cloud, or simply just listening to this podcast. All these apparently trivial everyday actions have one thing in common: They come with a hidden environmental cost. The greenhouse gas emissions from the data centers that make all these things possible now equal those of the air industry and are spiraling rapidly. In this episode, we take a closer look at ways of storing data more sustainably, including in what is perhaps the greenest way of all – in plants!
“There is something poetic about the idea that a beautiful forest can store our pictures”
Ben Kepes, Cloudways
This podcast episode features the following speakers
Ben Kepes (New Zealand)
Ben Kepes is a member of the board of Cloudways, a cloud-hosting platform. Over the past decade and a half, he has become a globally recognized expert on cloud computing and digital transformation. Ben’s work has been widely published in such outlets as Forbes, Wired and The Guardian, and he has spoken at a large range of technology and business conferences.
Cyrus Clarke (UK)
Cyrus Clarke is an artist and futurist with a background in economics and digital technologies, and is also a visiting faculty member at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID). His work aims to trigger discussions about the ethical, environmental, political and socio-economic implications of our technology-filled world. Along with fellow guest, Monika Seyfried, he created the Grow Your Own Cloud project which is exploring ways to store data organically without consuming electricity in the DNA of plants.
Monika Seyfried (Poland)
Monika Seyfried is an interaction designer engaging at the intersection of emerging technologies, digital media and the natural environment. She teaches at various different institutions including Hyper Island, The Danish National School of Performing Arts in Copenhagen and Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID). Along with fellow guest Cyrus Clarke, she created the Grow Your Own Cloud project, which is exploring ways of storing data organically without consuming electricity in the DNA of plants.