Vulnerable People and Places Blog

Society has rapidly progressed into a new era of technology. Billions of people use the internet, search engines, and artificial intelligence every single day. Yet most people are only concerned with the digital input and output, unaware that every click, scroll, and AI prompt also carries a physical cost. The systems powering our online world do not exist in some invisible space. They exist in massive physical facilities known as data centers, consuming enormous amounts of land, water, and energy. While the benefits of these technologies are experienced globally, their impacts are often felt most heavily at the local level. Although data centers existed long before the rise of artificial intelligence, the rapid expansion of AI and large language models has significantly accelerated their growth. Data centers have become the backbone of modern technology, powering everything from cloud storage and social media platforms to search engines and AI systems. Without them, many of the techno...

Photo by Sean Foster on Unsplash Drive through Northeast Portland after dark and you will pass them. Old motorhomes pulled up against the curb. Minivans with the back windows covered in cardboard. Sedans with a sleeping bag bunched against the rear window. They look abandoned. They are not. Someone lives there. Vehicle residency is the fastest-growing form of homelessness in Oregon. The state's 2025 Point-in-Time count found 4,850 people living in cars, RVs, and trucks , a 15.3 percent jump in a single year. National researchers have called it the fastest-growing homeless subpopulation in the country. And the stereotype most people carry about who those residents are turns out to be wrong. Many vehicle residents are working. Some are seniors. A surprising number have been doing this for years, holding down jobs while waiting on a housing market that will not take them back. Last September, OPB profiled Rachelle Lacy-Powell, a 59-year-old who had spent five years living ...

Every single time a message is sent, a video is watched, a Google search is done or even just submitting a simple school assignment online, we are all relying on something that a lot of people never see or have ever heard of: Data centers. These are huge facilities that are the backbone of the modern internet. They are responsible for storing and processing information that keeps a digital world going. According to the International Energy Agency, data centers are essential for networks and even increasing artificial intelligence that shape every everyday life.  Data centers are a facility that is filled with a lot of powerful computer systems. The servers store lots of data including social media content, emails etc.. Even when someone just opens an app or clicks a link these requests are all sent to a data center, they are processed and then returned. This happens billions of times every day all over the world. Without these data centers, the convenience of digital lif...

  All, or most, Oregonians are used to that point in the summer where the rivers are a little quieter. When it hasn’t rained a substantial amount in weeks, the riverbeds recede and begin to crack. The kind of mid-summer quiet that feels normal. This is different. This quiet lingers longer than it should. The quiet that stretches beyond the seasons we recognize. It’s the kind of quiet that is deafening like something is off, but we can’t quiet explain why. This lack of water isn’t just about missing the rain; it is something much deeper than that. Something more substantial is shaping the world around us right before our eyes. Rivers don’t just carry water, they shape the landscape, they cool the air, they feed the trees and plants. The rivers play part of the cycle that will replenish the water. But this is different. The landscape isn’t bouncing back the way we are used to. This doesn’t feel temporary anymore. The forests don’t recover like they used to. The ...

    Mt. Hood from the KATU Stacker Butte Camera After record   low   snowfall in Oregon this past winter, the outlook is looking dire. Across the map, the United States is experiencing drought and abnormally dry conditions. Taking a closer look at Oregon, as you can see on the map below, it is at 70.6% drought as of April 28, 2026. If you visit this  link , you can zoom out to see the rest of the country.  Meteorologists expect drought to expand across the country as the season heads into summer.  As more and more data centers are being planned and built in the United States, we   must   take into consideration their immediate and perpetual drain on already strained resources. You can visit this site featuring an interactive map which has compiled data center locations:  Data Center Map USA >>>  https://usdatamap.com/ You can visit this site and view or report any data centers in your area:  https://brockovichdata...

Data centers in Oregon are rapidly expanding into rural and agricultural areas, increasing pressure on land, water, and energy resources. Source: The Oregonian (via Reynolds Center), 2023 We use the internet every day without thinking about what makes it work. Streaming videos, storing files, and using AI all feel instant and invisible. But behind all of this are data centers, which are massive buildings filled with servers that require huge amounts of energy and water to operate. In Oregon, data centers are growing rapidly, often in rural areas where land is cheaper and resources are easier to access. While these facilities support global technology, the impact is felt locally. They consume large amounts of electricity, which can contribute to rising energy costs for residents. They also use millions of gallons of water each day, putting pressure on local water supplies, especially in areas already facing environmental challenges. What makes this issue more complicated is that the be...

Behind every click, stream, and message - Oregon’s data centers keep us connected. For over a century, this land has been defined by the axe, the plow, and the sheer, stubborn will of pioneers. Across the state, in continuing that pioneering spirit, expanding construction sites are turning into sleek, humming facilities that power everything from streaming to banking to emergency services. These are data centers, and whether we notice them or not, they’re shaping the way Oregon connects to the world. At first glance, they might seem out of place. Concrete, steel, and fiber optics replacing open fields and barns, it’s easy to wonder what that means for rural communities. But upon closer inspection, those same communities are seeing new infrastructure, steady tax revenue, and partnerships that fund schools and pave roads. What looks like a tech takeover is often a long‑term investment in stability. Energy is another part of the conversation. Data centers demand power, but they also dri...