• When: Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m.
• Where: Reuter Center of UNCA, 300 Campus View Dr, Asheville, Room 102 or online via Zoom.

Join us April 1 as we host members of the National Coalition Against Cryptomining for a timely presentation on the accelerating expansion of cryptomining and AI data centers and their real-world impacts — including rising greenhouse gas emissions, increased air pollution, heavy water use, persistent noise, and growing costs for residential ratepayers.

Cryptocurrency mines and AI data centers are rapidly multiplying across North Carolina and the Southeast, reshaping the region’s energy landscape and raising serious questions about long-term community impacts. As utilities and policymakers make decisions that could shape the region for decades, informed public engagement has never been more important.

As energy demand surges and large-scale infrastructure investments move forward, critical questions are emerging: Who benefits from this growth? Who bears the risks and costs? And how can communities ensure their voices are heard? This discussion will provide critical insight into what’s at stake, and why engagement now will shape North Carolina’s energy future for decades to come.

This free program is open to the public.

Ben Murray
Ben is an economist and Senior Researcher at Food & Water Watch. His research covers issues such as water and energy use and financial and economic issues surrounding climate change and agriculture. Ben’s research on energy and water use and data centers has been cited extensively and subject of numerous media reports. He also has experience organizing data center opposition in the Ohio River Valley.

Yvonne Taylor
Yvonne is the co-founder of Seneca Lake Guardian and the president of the National Coalition Against Cryptomining. Her work led to New York’s moratorium on the use of fossil fuel plants to power crypto, and the denial of the cryptomining operation Greenwich  Title V Air Permit along Seneca Lake. Last year she was named to the Grist 50 which recognizes innovative leaders across the U.S. tackling pressing climate and sustainability issues.

Cyndie Roberson
Cyndie has experienced first-hand the negative community impacts of cryptomining in North Carolina and Georgia. She is now supporting communities across the country to defeat AI data centers and cryptomining. She is on the Board of the National Coalition Against Cryptomining and serves with multiple organizations in Georgia fighting the incursion of hyperscale AI data centers and cryptomining. 

The WNC Sierra Club meets monthly in Room 102 at UNCA’s Reuter Center on Campus Drive and simultaneously on Zoom. For more information, contact WNC Sierra Club Chair Judy Mattox at judymattox15@gmail.com.

Parking at UNC Asheville: If you do not have a parking sticker from OLLI, you'll need to register for parking either ahead of time at unca.aimsparking.com or at the Reuter Center on the night of the meeting. The latest information about fees and requirements can be found at that link. There are no visitor fees after 5 p.m.