Episode 65: WATERLOGGED – The Hidden Cost of Tech

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For World Ocean Week, we are diving into the truth behind the cost of tech and everyday life on our waters.  From AI queries to doom scrolling to a single cup of coffee – today we spill the tea on the hidden cost of water for our modern-day lives.    

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Admin. (2023, June 8). WATER FOOTPRINT OF DENIM INDUSTRY. Denim Focus. https://denimfocus.net/water-footprint-of-denim-industry/

Microsoft finds underwater datacenters are reliable, practical and use energy sustainably – Source. (2023, July 24). Source. https://news.microsoft.com/source/features/sustainability/project-natick-underwater-datacenter/

China deploys 1,400-ton commercial underwater data center. (2023, November 27). DCD. https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/china-deploys-1400-ton-commercial-underwater-data-center/

United Nations Environment Programme. (n.d.). Cleaning up couture: what’s in your jeans? UNEP. https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/cleaning-couture-whats-your-jeans

Water Impact of Your T-shirt: 2700 litres! | Engineering | University of Waterloo. (n.d.). https://uwaterloo.ca/engineering/events/water-impact-your-t-shirt-2700-litres

Howlings, R. (2020, December 9). Water consumption in Canadian homes. Danamark. https://danamark.com/resources/water-consumption-canadian-homes/

Danelski, D. (2025, March 5). Professor’s TED Talk warns of AI’s hidden water costs. News. https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/03/05/professors-ted-talk-warns-ais-hidden-water-costs

Houser, K. (2021, July 7). Underwater data center could lead to a more reliable internet. Freethink. https://www.freethink.com/hard-tech/underwater-data-center

CWR. (2025, February 12). Tis the season to be worried: Our Online Habits – CWR. https://cwrrr.org/resources/analysis-reviews/tis-the-season-to-be-worried-our-online-habits/

How much water does a washing machine use | Whirlpool. (n.d.). Whirlpool. https://www.whirlpool.ca/en_ca/blog/washers-and-dryers/he-washing-machine-water-usage.html

Muller, N., & King, N. (2022, March 22). How big is your water footprint? dw.com. https://www.dw.com/en/how-big-is-your-water-footprint/a-61171792

Smith, B. (2020, September 22). Microsoft will replenish more water than it consumes by 2030 – The Official Microsoft Blog. The Official Microsoft Blog. https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2020/09/21/microsoft-will-replenish-more-water-than-it-consumes-by-2030/

Google gives Artificial Intelligence full control over cooling its data centers. (n.d.). Packt. https://www.packtpub.com/de-si/learning/tech-news/google-gives-artificial-intelligence-full-control-over-cooling-its-data-centers