Russell Baker on Technological Sustainability and Doing Good-er
Offering solutions while your house is on fire
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TW Creative Director John Vogel interviews Russell Baker, the creator of the sustainability platform A Modern Remedy (AMR), a company helping purpose-led organizations deliver value for people and the planet. On his website, Russell writes long-form essays about various topics and their role in sustainability, including artificial intelligence (AI), social media, fashion, and weather, among other subjects.
In addition to his think pieces, within the past year, Russell started New Ways, a podcast pillar of AMR that features interviews with changemakers whom he believes are striving for a better tomorrow. At the end of 2023, John and Russell interviewed each other for their respective podcasts. John’s New Ways podcast episode was released a month ago. In this episode, John asks Russell about his motivations for creating AMR.
AMR is a strategic design agency that helps organizations deliver value for people and the planet through innovative solutions. The agency’s core values are empathy, fairness, honesty, and sustainability—all of which shine through in Russell’s interviews and writing. As he states in the final episode of his first podcast season, AMR and New Ways aren’t just joining the chorus of digital noise—they’re a reprieve from doom scrolling and claim to be solution-focused media.
Russell explores innovative strategies for pressing environmental and social challenges through his studio and show. Whether through writing, sharing conversations with changemakers, or helping businesses create a positive impact, he’ll forever remain a solution-focused optimist with an insatiable drive to make the world just that little bit good-er each day.
In this week’s episode, John and Russell discuss the hidden cost of “free” technological energy consumption—which is usually consumers’ data. These data represent the upfront cost that individuals pay to enter these spaces. Meanwhile, the price of keeping these services running is taking a toll on the energy grid. Companies such as Microsoft and Google are rapidly integrating the use of AI in their services, and the energy consumption created solely through AI queries could total that of a small European country. According to this New York Times article, “In a middle-ground scenario, by 2027 A.I. servers could use between 85 to 134 terawatt hours (Twh) annually. That’s similar to what Argentina, the Netherlands and Sweden each use in a year, and is about 0.5 percent of the world's current electricity use.” You can read Russell’s article on this subject here.
When asked about the balance between the individual and institutional responsibilities for sustainability, Russell added a third party: the government. Everyone has an important role and an obligation to make sure our home planet is livable, but government has the power to make lasting changes. Government compels industries and businesses to do the right thing through regulation, and these actions will do more than one single person can on their own.
Although it’s easy to discuss sustainability with like-minded individuals, what about converting the other side? How can we speak with people who don’t understand or don’t want to believe that sustainability is important? According to Russell, the answer lies in empathy and compromise. Since people are generally uncomfortable with change, he suggests trying to find common ground and presenting smaller transformations rather than large, in-your-face changes. For example, switching out one’s laundry detergent is more palatable and helpful than shaming someone else for using the wrong laundry detergent.
Check out Russell’s episode to hear more about his thoughts on sustainability in the tech industry and how everyone can do a little bit good-er every single day.
Listen to the companion New Ways podcast episode “Finding Purpose Through Creativity | Talking Writing Creative Director John Vogel”
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Really enjoyed being part of this - John asked some deep questions on some very pressing challenges!