Great Lakes Responsible Digital Infrastructure
Unprecedented data center growth and public concern in the Great Lakes region have created a need to bring diverse stakeholders together to build trust, new relationships, and long-term solutions.
A Pioneering Consortium
Fresh Coast Climate Solutions and Cascade Energy are building the country’s first forum where industry, public leaders, utilities, nonprofits, and academics can engage directly on data centers to achieve greater collective benefits for the Great Lakes region.
Not a lobby. Not a conference. A collaborative, expert network to understand data center impacts and opportunities and advance real-world solutions to improve community and business outcomes.
Founding Members and expert participants gain a seat at the table, real world insights, action-oriented tools, and new trusted relationships. Position your organization as a leader in sustainable and community-focused decision making on data centers.
12%
of U.S. electricity could be used by data centers by 2030
3x
increase in direct water consumption by data centers from 2014 to 2023
2x
increase in indirect water consumption for data centers anticipated from 2025 to 2030
875%
increase in local moratoria on data centers over the past year (May 2025 - May 2026)
5x
increase in U.S. state data center regulations since 2021
<50%
of data center industry developers and investors have sustainability plans in place
Collaboration on Key Issues that Matter
Community Focus
Develop shared understanding and address economic, environmental, land use, health and other concerns of neighbors and local officials in the spirit of productive partnership.
Economic Opportunity
Discover innovative solutions that maximize shared local, state, regional, and private stakeholder benefits.
Environmental Stewardship
Demonstrate responsible stewardship of valued natural resources including land, air, water, biodiversity, landscapes, and ecosystems.
Climate
Ensure corporate, state, regional and local climate goals remain in focus.
Energy & Water Demand
Maximize energy and water efficient technologies and renewable energy to minimize impacts on the grid, water resources, and climate goals.
Grid Load, Cost, & Reliability
Manage massive power demand and cost to ensure, and even enhance, grid stability and ratepayer protection.
Systems Design
Design and operate sustainable systems with a short-to-long term life-cycle approach.
Responsible Regulations
Navigate a patchwork of state and local rules, ground decisions in facts and research, and harmonize policy for collective benefits.
What's In It For You
Private
- Access to community and policy decision-makers
- Learn and apply responsible development practices
- Respond better to state and local needs
- Reduce time to operations and costs
- Build productive relationships and discover new thinking to improve environmental and social outcomes
- Strengthen your reputation as a trusted partner, and distinguish yourself as an industry thought leader
Public
- Understand industry capabilities
- Advance Great Lakes regional, state, and local priorities
- Access playbooks, frameworks, and tools tailored to your community’s needs
- Build new connections and new solutions to respond to constituent needs
- Enhance economic benefits for the people you serve
- Mitigate negative social and environmental impacts
Why Fresh Coast & Cascade Energy
We Speak Both Languages.
Network
Network spans 100s of Fortune 100, SMB, clean-tech, utility, government, and NGO clients
Trusted Source
Trusted, independent source for comprehensive data center trends, risks, and better practice
Expertise
Deep expertise in climate, industrial energy, water, and sustainability strategy and implementation all under one roof
Proven Record
Proven track record managing and growing public-private consortia that produce real outcomes