Data center construction is accelerating. As the industry focuses on energy use, water consumption, concrete, and steel, another part of the environmental picture deserves attention: the equipment inside these facilities.
What changes when we look beyond the building itself to understand the carbon impact of everything that goes into it?
Stacy Smedley, Vice President at ERG, joins Ryan Ware to explore embodied carbon in data center construction and how better environmental data can support more informed decisions.
Stacy's journey began in architecture, continued through sustainability leadership at Skanska, and led to co-founding Building Transparency and developing the EC3 tool. Her work now extends beyond traditional building materials to the servers, generators, and equipment that power our digital infrastructure.
Ryan and Stacy explore why manufacturing emissions matter, how equipment replacement adds another layer to the equation, and why the speed of data center development makes reliable information increasingly important.
They also discuss how lessons from construction can inform other industries, why collaboration matters when challenges feel too large, and how asking questions outside our areas of expertise can reveal opportunities we might otherwise overlook.
What could change if we brought better information and different perspectives into the decisions we're making today?
In This Episode
- Why data center sustainability goes beyond energy and water use
- How embodied carbon applies to equipment and building materials
- What servers, generators, and equipment add to the carbon picture
- How EC3 made environmental product data more accessible
- Why equipment replacement, reuse, and recycling matter
- The challenge of making informed decisions as construction accelerates
- How proven sustainability solutions can be applied at greater scale
- What construction can learn from other industries
Chapters
00:00 – The Environmental Impact of Data Center Equipment
01:16 – Why Data Center Sustainability Matters Now
04:47 – Introducing Stacy's Sustainability Journey
06:55 – From Architecture to Embodied Carbon
09:32 – Why Better Material Data Was Needed
12:25 – How EC3 Changed Access to Environmental Data
15:03 – Looking Beyond Concrete and Steel
19:18 – Why Data Centers Were Often Overlooked
23:34 – The Carbon Impact of Servers and Equipment
29:19 – Measuring What Goes Inside a Data Center
32:59 – Equipment Replacement, Reuse, and Recycling
38:20 – Scaling Proven Sustainability Solutions
45:34 – Applying Environmental Data Across Industries
52:50 – Closing Reflections on Curiosity
Guest
Stacy Smedley is Vice President at ERG (Eastern Research Group), where she leads the Product Impact Group, developing tools and data systems that help organizations understand and reduce the environmental impacts of products.
With more than 20 years of experience in sustainability, architecture, and construction, Stacy co-founded Building Transparency, the nonprofit behind the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (EC3). She previously served as Director of Sustainability at Skanska USA Building.
Register for the tool and explore the electronics/ICT data for yourself here:
https://productimpact.info/
Connect with Stacy and ERG
https://www.erg.com/
Explore Building Transparency and EC3
https://buildingtransparency.org/
Overcast Innovations
Helping project teams coordinate building systems earlier for more predictable outcomes.
New Lyfe Accounting
Free Diagnostic ($500 value) for Activating Curiosity Listeners by NLA, to help your financial goals
Connective Consulting Group
Helping construction leaders simplify change, strengthen trust, and move forward with clarity.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Support the show
Have feedback or stories to share? Drop us a note or leave a VM—we’re listening!
Follow Ryan at the following:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryankware/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/connective-consulting-group-llc
https://connectiveconsultinggrp.com/
https://connective-coaching.com/
https://ryanware.me/
Don't miss out on future episodes! Follow & subscribe now to our newsletter and stay informed about the latest trends and insights in the construction industry.
If this show helps you, please consider supporting it. Just $3/month helps cover production and keeps the conversations going.
⭐ “Love the show? Toss some stars my way, it’s the easiest applause ever.
