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In large organizations, HR usually has a process for documenting concerns about employees’ effectiveness that can be used either to help fix those problems—or to provide a basis for later termination. One of the central records used for this purpose is the dreaded performance improvement plan, or PIP. If you get called in to see your supervisor and get hit with a PIP, you’re likely to experience a range of emotions. Understanding your emotional reaction and how to cope with it is an important part of moving forward successfully. Let’s consider a range of emotions you might be experiencing and what you should do: Feeling Grief One possibility is that the PIP comes out of the blue. You may be thinking that work is going fine and you suddenly find out that there are concerns. Because work is often an important part of both your identity and your ability to maintain your life and lifestyle, it represents a tear in the fabric of your life story. And that will trigger a grief process. The five stages of grief described by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) don’t necessarily have to happen in that order, but you should recognize that they may accompany the news that you are struggling in your job. You have to resist the urge to act on the basis of these emotions. If you get angry, you should not lash out at your bosses or the organization in email or on social media. If you feel like bargaining, take a beat, and avoid making promises that you will regret later. Instead, give yourself a few days to reflect on the situation. Were you dismissing warning signs about your performance? Are there elements of your job that you have been ignoring? Do you think the organization is looking for a way to show you the exit? After that reflection, schedule a meeting with your supervisor to talk over the situation. In preparation for that session, make a realistic plan for how you will address issues discussed in your PIP. Develop a list of questions you have about the path forward. Wait to schedule that meeting for a time when you feel that you can really hear the answers to your questions. Feeling Relief Perhaps surprisingly, you may find that the PIP brings with it a feeling of relief. You may have been struggling to complete your job responsibilities. Perhaps you feel that you’re in over your head. You might even hate your job, but were soldiering on by inertia. If the PIP brings a feeling of relief, it’s probably time to look for a new job. The feelings you’re having are helping you see that you can have a more fulfilling work life by changing paths. Make a list of the things you really like about your job, as well as those you don’t. Think about the characteristics of a job that would be appealing. Consider talking with your supervisor or someone in HR about alternative paths. Often, your supervisor wants you to be successful—even if that success means that you should be working elsewhere. They may have great suggestions about a role that would best suit your talents. Feeling Clarity Sometimes—particularly early in your career—you have a nagging sense that there is something wrong at work. You’re doing your work as well as you can, but feel like you’re missing something. You may have the sense that everyone else is working from a different version of the script than you are. In this case, the PIP may actually help to clarify what is going wrong. This can happen when you have a supervisor who is not good at providing regular feedback and coaching. In this situation, you can really dive into the PIP (after taking a day or two to see this as an opportunity, rather than a punishment). Sit down with your supervisor and other team members and talk about the elements of your performance that have raised concern. Ask about training and classes you can take to improve your performance. Find a peer who is good at these tasks and ask for some mentorship. The people who emerge most strongly from a PIP are those who embrace the opportunity for growth and lean into the chance to improve skills. As this process moves forward, talk with your supervisor about how to get more timely feedback on your performance. This conversation is likely to help you improve, and may also provide some feedback to your supervisor that can lead to their growth as well. View the full article

Amid the ongoing evolution of digital privacy laws, one California proposal is drawing heightened attention from legal scholars, technologists, and privacy advocates. Assembly Bill 1355, while narrower in scope than landmark legislation like 2018’s California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)—which established sweeping rights for consumers to know, delete, and opt out of the sale of their personal information—could become a pivotal effort to rein in the unchecked collection and use of personal geolocation data. The premise of the bill (which is currently undergoing analysis within the appropriations committee) is straightforward yet bold in the American legal landscape: Companies must obtain clear, opt-in consent before collecting or sharing users’ precise location data. They must also disclose exactly what data they gather, why they gather it, and who receives it. At a glance, this seems like a logical privacy upgrade. But beneath the surface, it questions the very structure of an industry built on the quiet extraction and monetization of personal information. “We’re really trying to help regulate the use of your geolocation data,” says the bill’s author, Democratic Assemblymember Chris Ward, who represents California’s 78th district, which covers parts of San Diego and surrounding areas. “You should not be able to sell, rent, trade, or lease anybody’s location information to third parties, because nobody signed up for that.” Among types of personal information, location data is especially sensitive. It reveals where people live, work, worship, protest, and seek medical care. It can expose routines, relationships, and vulnerabilities. As stories continue to surface about apps selling location data to brokers, government workers, and even bounty hunters, the conversation has expanded. What was once a debate about privacy has increasingly become a concern over how the exposure of this data infringes upon fundamental civil liberties. “Geolocation is very revealing,” says Justin Brookman, the director of technology policy at Consumer Reports, which supported the legislation. “It tells a lot about you, and it also can be a public safety issue if it gets into the wrong person’s hands.” For advocates of the new legislation, the concern goes beyond permission screens. It’s about control. When location data is collected silently and traded without oversight, people lose agency over how they move through the world—and who’s watching. A power imbalance at the heart of location tracking To understand the urgency behind proposals like AB 1355, look at how current data practices operate. The core issue isn’t merely that companies collect information—it’s how relentlessly and opaquely they do so, often without real accountability. Consent, when obtained, is typically buried in lengthy and confusing policies. Meanwhile, data brokers operate with minimal regulation, assembling detailed behavioral profiles that may influence credit decisions, hiring, and insurance rates. Most people have little knowledge of who holds their data or how it’s used. For example, a fitness app might collect location data to track your exercise routes, but then sell that information to a data broker who assembles a profile for targeted advertising. This same information, in the wrong hands, could also be used to stalk an individual, track their movements, or even determine their political affiliations. “A lot of people don’t have the luxury to know that they should opt out or that they need to know how to find out how to opt out,” Ward says. Equally troubling, Ward argues, is who benefits. The companies collecting and selling this data are driven by profit, not transparency. As scholar Shoshana Zuboff has argued, surveillance capitalism doesn’t thrive because users want personalized ads. It thrives because opting out is hard, if people even realize they’ve been opted in. AB 1355 proposes a shift: Consent to collect and share data must be given proactively, not retracted reactively. Rather than requiring users to hunt through settings, the burden would fall on companies to ask first. That rebalances the relationship between individuals and data collectors in a way that could set new norms beyond California. “It’s designed to take a lot of the burden off of consumers, so they don’t have to worry about micromanaging their privacy,” Brookman says. “Instead, they can just trust that when geolocation is shared, it’s being used for the reason they gave—if they agreed to it in the first place.” Industry groups, unsurprisingly, have raised concerns about operational impacts and innovation costs. In particular, critics warn that the burden on businesses could stifle innovation, particularly in sectors reliant on data-driven services. The California Chamber of Commerce wrote in an opposition letter that was shared with Fast Company that AB 1355 would create “confusion in operability for businesses” and impose costly new compliance burdens. “Changing the rules has real economic cost to businesses and consumers,” the letter states. “Constantly doing so without adequate justification or need is irresponsible at best.” A state bill with national stakes The bill is part of a larger trend among states moving to fill the federal vacuum on privacy regulation. Since the CCPA’s passage, several states—including Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Texas—have enacted their own data privacy laws. These measures vary in scope and strength, forming a state-by-state patchwork that complicates compliance but signals widespread concern. While most of these laws are general-purpose, a handful—such as recent efforts in Maryland and Massachusetts—have begun to zero in on specific risks like geolocation tracking, mirroring some of AB 1355’s core protections. Broadly speaking, California’s evolving legal framework, from the CCPA to its 2020 update via the California Privacy Rights Act (which expanded privacy protections in part by establishing the California Privacy Protection Agency) and now AB 1355, often sets informal national standards. Many companies adopt California’s rules across the board simply to streamline operations. That precedent-setting role isn’t lost on Ward. “I would hope that this could be model language that others could be able to adopt as well,” he says. But location data adds urgency. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in 2022, digital trails have taken on new weight. GPS data near abortion clinics or health apps tracking reproductive health are no longer abstract risks—they’re flashpoints in the national conversation about privacy, autonomy, and the role of technology in our most personal decisions. View the full article

Only one in four U.S. employees strongly agree that their organization cares about their overall well-being, with stark implications. Gallup reports that high employee well-being leads to improved performance, fewer sick days, and lower rates of burnout and turnover. “When your employees’ well-being suffers, so does your organization’s bottom line,” the group noted. At one time we may have thought that workplace well-being was separate from personal well-being. But now with digital overload, remote work, and a blurring of lines between work and home, it is a critical area for addressing how we feel about life in general. So how can organizations make mental health a real, lasting priority in the workplace? Here, experts offer eight strategies. 1. Speak up from the top and lead with experience “As leaders, the most important role you can play in creating a mentally healthy workforce is to tackle stigma by having conversations in the workplace around mental well-being,” says Zoe Sinclair, founder of the workplace mental well-being consultancy This Can Happen. Sinclair suggests leaders share their own lived experiences—like periods of stress or burnout—through internal company blogs, panels, or team meetings, to normalize mental health conversations. “Leaders have the power to create change directly from the top down. Ensure that you’re consistent in your approach and that mental health is regularly a part of your conversations in the workplace,” she adds. “This will truly help to tackle the taboo.” 2. Call out toxicity and don’t let it fester Reinvention coach and Uncaged author Katia Vlachos argues that one of the most overlooked contributors to mental distress at work is unchecked toxic behavior. “One of the most powerful things a leader can do to support mental health at work is to name the dysfunction, and actively protect their people from it,” she says. Vlachos has seen firsthand how unspoken dysfunction, from subtle gaslighting to exclusion, can erode trust and well-being. To foster a mentally healthy workplace, she says, leaders must “have the awareness and courage to say, ‘This [toxic behavior] is not okay. And I won’t allow it on my watch.’ ” “Protecting mental health means protecting people’s dignity,” she adds. To do that, she says, it’s important to create “clear, safe channels for employees to speak up—without fear of facing retaliation or of being dismissed as ‘difficult.’ ” “When people feel safe to be themselves at work, they don’t just survive; they thrive. And so do their organizations.” 3. Rewire workplace conversations Most workplace conversations start with problems (for example: We’ve missed our targets for the second quarter), say David Pullan and Sarah Jane McKechnie, leadership experts and the authors of The DNA of Engagement: A Story-Based Approach to Building Trust and Influencing Change. But this approach triggers our brains’ defense mechanism. A small shift in the structure of how we communicate can significantly improve psychological safety, and that can be done via Pullan and McKechnie’s “DNA” model: Dream-Nightmare-Action. This method starts with leaders acknowledging the Dream (a team’s aspirations), then addressing the Nightmare (challenges), and finally moving to Action (the solution). This sequence creates psychological safety because people feel understood before they feel challenged, the authors add. Collaborative conversations lead to engaged teams co-authoring innovative solutions. It’s practical neuroscience: “connection before correction.” 4. Use Generative AI to remove the emotion from employee feedback AI is more often associated with productivity gains than emotional well-being, but Michael Wade and Amit Joshi, professors at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) and authors of GAIN: Demystifying GenAI for office and home, argue otherwise. “We believe that organizations and leaders can also leverage this technology to strengthen psychological safety within organizations—when implemented thoughtfully,” they say. They propose a GenAI-powered “anonymous feedback system,” a way of collecting, analyzing, and acting upon data or feedback from employees. Advanced AI systems can collect employee feedback while completely disconnecting it from identifying information, they explain. These tools can then analyze patterns to identify systemic workplace issues. Rather than simply passing along potentially charged emotional language that might trigger defensive responses from leadership, AI can reframe feedback into actionable, solution-oriented recommendations while preserving the substance of concerns, Wade and Joshi say. They add that for discussions involving sensitive workplace issues, AI-mediated communication channels can help establish psychological distance that enables more open and honest conversation. 5. Make accommodations, even if they’re small, for people who think differently Alex Partridge, neurodiversity advocate, founder of LADBible, and author of Now It All Makes Sense, knows from experience how conventional workplaces often ignore neurodiverse employees’ needs: “Being neurodiverse and trying to fit in isn’t always easy. For some people, the office can be a difficult place to focus and a sensory nightmare,” Partridge says. Seemingly simple accommodations—like remote work where possible and setting meeting agendas ahead of time—can be transformative, he says. “There are many times I have sat in meetings and been unable to think clearly enough to contribute,” he adds. “Time and time again, the outcome of the meeting was decided by the loudest and most confident voices, but often the best ideas were trapped inside anxious minds.” Partridge recommends forward planning to help all employees get the best from meetings. “All the information to be presented in the meeting should be sent to attendees via email, and then everyone has a deadline—24 hours works well—to put forward their solutions and ideas. “Small accommodations in the workplace can make a huge difference, and they’re something that all neurodiverse employees are entitled to.” 6. Redefine ‘productivity’ and model it from the top Leaders need to rethink “busy-ness” as a byword for productivity, which has a knock-on effect across teams, says Philip Atkinson, organizational coach and author of Bee Wise: 12 Leadership Lessons From a Busy Beehive. “Ask someone how they are, and the answer is often, ‘Good, thanks. Busy.’ We’ve bought into the idea that being constantly busy is success.” He points out that speed often leads to poor decisions and chronic fatigue—we might be ticking things off for a dopamine hit, but may be acting before we think. “We’re always on, always available. It’s become a badge of honor.” Instead, Atkinson suggests leaders prioritize what really matters. “Our competitive advantage, in the age of AI, doesn’t come from doing more but thinking harder. Instead of a ‘to-do list’, let’s try making a ‘to-don’t list.’ ” 7. Respect your people’s work-life boundaries “Every time you email someone a quick question at 10 p.m., you’re effectively saying that personal boundaries are optional,” says Nik Kinley, leadership coach and author of The Power Trap: How Leadership Changes People, and What To Do About It. He warns leaders to think carefully about after-hours communication, because what starts as a convenience or habit becomes a silent expectation. “People need time away to recharge their batteries and be fully productive. So, lead by example and cut the off-hour emails,” he adds. “Schedule all but the most urgent to be sent early the next day. If you see others sending nonurgent emails out of hours, ask them to schedule them, too. Publicly lay down the ground rules.” This isn’t just about mental health, Kinley says. “It’s about people sustaining high productivity and performance levels through extended periods of pressure.” 8. Prioritize human connection Leaders under commercial pressure often seek out quick solutions and focus relentlessly on results, says Josephine McGrail, wellness coach and author of The Morning Miracle, Messages of Love, and Fall in Love With You. “What people truly need is human connection: a place to speak and be heard, not judged, not fixed. We need to remember our human element in the workplace,” she says. According to McGrail, outdated management practices and paradigms such as “Don’t let down your guard” are part of the problem, and are actually unsustainable in the long term. “People thrive when they feel included—like they matter and their input matters.” “Fear and anxiety at work arise when we feel a deep sense of isolation and can’t relate to each other. Therefore, your team needs to see you present authentically as a leader,” she says. McGrail suggests leaders not only visibly celebrate big wins but also speak honestly about how they deal with disappointment and stress. By prioritizing human connection, leaders can better motivate and inspire their teams, she says. View the full article

I was mid-text argument with my colleague John when I caught myself, again, hovering over the “send” button, rewriting the same defensive message for the third time. It was about politics. But frankly, the content didn’t matter. What mattered was how my nervous system was lighting up like a pinball machine. I wasn’t responding. I was reacting. So I stopped. I paused the conversation, switched from text to voice note, and eventually asked if we could meet in person so that I could show up in a way that honors him. That single decision, to press pause, completely changed the tone and outcome of the conversation. By meeting in person, John and I demonstrated that we both really cared about each other, and we ended up not only resolving the disagreement but also learning more about each other’s upbringings and communication styles. Research done on international conflict suggests that taking repeated breaks from conflict can improve the odds of reaching an agreement. I call this the “strategic pause.” A PAUSE IS NOT A SHUTDOWN During my disagreement with John, I realized that I was operating from Superior Self Justin. In other words, I was approaching the conversation by thinking that I was better than him and, as a result, my words and tone were dehumanizing. I teach leaders to recognize the three “selves” that show up during conflict: Superior Self: I’m right and you’re wrong. Inferior Self: I’m wrong and I always mess this up. Equal Self: We’re both humans here. Let’s work this out together. Most shutdowns happen when we’re stuck in Superior or Inferior mode. We lash out or retreat. But a pause from Equal Self sounds like: “I noticed this conversation is starting to feel unproductive. I’d like to take a break so I can come back with more clarity and respect.” This is different from disappearing. It’s about signaling your intent to return (not escape) and taking responsibility for how you want to show up, even when you can’t control how the other person will respond. THE 90-SECOND RULE The brain isn’t wired to have a rational conversation in a heightened emotional state. When the amygdala, the brain’s fear center, is triggered, it hijacks your ability to think clearly. That’s where the 90-second rule comes in. Neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD, found it takes just 90 seconds for the initial surge of stress hormones to clear from the body (if you don’t re-trigger them by rehashing the moment). But here’s the caveat: 90 seconds might not be enough. Especially if the issue touches a core value or past trauma, or you’re entering the conversation already emotionally depleted. Sometimes it can take 10 minutes. Sometimes it’s hours, days, or even weeks. APPLY THE STRATEGIC PAUSE IN REAL TIME I will be honest. When my amygdala hijacks my rational brain, I don’t always catch myself in time to practice the strategic pause. The term “amygdala hijack,” introduced by psychologist Daniel Goleman, PhD, describes situations in which the amygdala overrides the rational prefrontal cortex, leading to impulsive reactions. Luckily, our brain’s neuroplasticity allows it to adapt and change in response to experiences and practices. Engaging in regular emotional regulation strategies, such as mindfulness and illeism, can strengthen the neural pathways associated with the prefrontal cortex, enhancing our capacity for self-control and emotional awareness. If you recognize that you’re in a dysregulated state in time (it’s okay if you don’t; we’re only human), the next step is asking for a break. To effectively communicate that you want a break, avoid accusatory statements such as: “You are making me feel triggered and angry, so we need to take a break.” Instead, use “I” statements. For example: “I’m feeling overwhelmed and want to pause so I can come back with more respect and intention.” WHAT YOU DO DURING THE BREAK MATTERS THE MOST A strategic pause only works if you use it well. I’ve seen people step away, then spend the entire time stewing in righteous anger, rehearsing comebacks, or screenshotting texts for third-party validation. That’s not a reset; it’s an escalation. During my disagreement with John, I asked myself: “What would Equal Self Justin do?” Equal Self Justin would want to know how the conversation could go better. He would listen more, and ask John about his story, upbringing, and value system. A powerful tool for regulating and accessing our Equal Self is illeism. This is the practice of talking to yourself in the third person. For instance: “Why is Justin so upset?” instead of “Why am I upset?” This creates just enough cognitive distance to reengage the rational brain. Strategic pauses aren’t a cure-all. You may still get stonewalled, the other person may escalate, or they might refuse to reengage. Unfortunately, you cannot control the outcome. But when you return as your Equal Self—who is clear, respectful, and regulated—you give the conversation its best chance to move forward constructively. View the full article

This past weekend, there were more disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport due to Federal Aviation Administration equipment outages. It has added to the air travel chaos at Newark over the past month, which has included air traffic controllers losing communication with planes for up to 90 seconds, and led to the delay and cancellation of hundreds of flights. On Monday morning, there were at least 59 flight delays and more than 80 cancellations at Newark, according to FlightAware data. Air traffic controllers and the 79,000-member Air Line Pilots Association, are calling on the FAA to update its aging infrastructure to ensure the system is as safe and efficient as possible. At least five Newark air traffic controllers have taken 45 days of trauma leave after the radar and radio communication loss during the busy afternoon of April 28. Caught in the middle of the issues at Newark is United Airlines, which is the most active airline at the New Jersey airport. While the problems lie with the FAA system, the airline is where people often aim their frustrations over cancellations and delays. This presents United with a unique brand challenge. The brand must find solutions and communicate clearly with its customers about a problem that it’s ultimately not responsible for, or in control of. United was forced to cancel at least 35 flights per day last week (as of Friday). Josh Earnest, United’s executive vice president of communications and advertising, says that while people understand that United Airlines is not responsible for running the air traffic control tower, the brand still has to act. “People know it’s not our equipment or employees managing the airspace, but our brand is so big, and our presence at Newark in particular is so large, that they expect us to do something about it,” Earnest says. Transparency is key For Earnest, the key to navigating a situation like this is for the brand to be as transparent and clear as it possibly can. United has a responsibility to ensure and assure its customers that not only are its flights safe, but that the cancellations are directly related to that safety. “We don’t usually aggressively promote the fact that we had to cancel a bunch of fights,” Earnest says. “But in this case, we did because people expect us to do something about the problem. And by taking 35 fights out of the schedule [each day], that makes it much more likely that the other 293 fights, or whatever it is, will operate on time. The airport’s less crowded, there’s less congestion. That’s us taking proactive steps to try to solve that problem.” The next step is communicating this to customers. So far, United has been utilizing social media and earned media to do that. The Newark outage story has been getting such a bright media spotlight that the brand has used it to get its own message out. United CEO Scott Kirby appeared on CBS’s Face The Nation this past weekend to talk about the issues. And Kirby’s original May 2 memo about Newark flight cancellations appeared in The Wall Street Journal just an hour after it was sent. Safety first Canceling flights would initially qualify as kryptonite to any airline brand. But Earnest says that while it may cause some short-term pain, it’s an investment in the brand’s long-term health. “The most important issue that people should associate with our brand is safety. The operational environment is messy, but the reason that it’s messy is that we’re keeping it safe,” he adds. “So when there’s a lack of staffing in the control tower or some other issue, the right thing to do is to slow down the operation at the airport, with more separation between the planes. That’s something that we’re going to need to continue to reinforce, and we’re going to spend our credibility to do it. The good news is that’s not a tough decision to make because it’s actually our first and highest priority.” The situation in Newark hasn’t slowed down United’s marketing operation. This week, the airline unveiled and prompted its first flights featuring Starlink Wi-Fi. Earnest says that in times like this, the brand is provided an opportunity to really shine. “If we handle it well, we will earn credibility with our customers in those moments,” he says. “As challenging as this is, it is an opportunity for us to actually earn even more of our customers’ confidence.” View the full article

BESSEMER, Ala.—They all came here for peace, and so far, the land has given it to them. For Marshall Killingsworth, the peace comes from the owls whose hoots echo across the valley as he sits in his favorite spot in his garden. For David Havron, it’s looking up at the stars at night as the moonlight glistens off the lake just outside his back door. For Mary Rosenboom, it’s the calls of the songbirds as the sun slowly sets over the hilly terrain. For Becky Morgan, it’s the view of the mountain from her recliner—through the long windows that line the sides of her home. But all these residents in this area of rural Jefferson County are afraid—fearful that their peace may soon be disturbed. “Town is moving closer to us,” Jeff Lowe said last week. “And we’re not happy about it.” Marshall Killingsworth Killingsworth, Havron, Rosenboom, Morgan, and Lowe are just a few of the residents whose homes are adjacent to a 700-acre, wooded plot of land that soon may be transformed, through years of construction, into a 4.5-million-square-foot data processing center located just within the city limits of Bessemer, Alabama, a city of about 25,000 southwest of Birmingham. If built to planned capacity, the data center would be one of the largest in the United States and could become one of the largest single consumers of electricity in the state. Of nearly a dozen residents interviewed by Inside Climate News, none expressed support for the project as planned. Instead, all shared fear and frustration over their inability to obtain information about the $14.5 billion proposal from politicians charged with representing the public. Efforts by Inside Climate News to speak with public officials in Bessemer about the proposal, called Project Marvel, were met with silence. The mayor, his chief of staff and the city’s attorney all signed a nondisclosure agreement with the developer, staffers said, and would not be able to answer questions about the project. Members of the Bessemer City Council, tasked with approving or rejecting the rezoning necessary for the proposed data center, have repeatedly refused to comment. “I thought I answered your question,” said Carla Jackson, a council member who represents the area of Bessemer where the data center is planned. “And I was so sweet about it. Right now, while it’s under litigation, I’m not going to talk about it.” The Details on Data Centers In the last decade, technological evolution has quickened pace, with massive data centers now in demand for more intensive computational tasks like cryptocurrency mining and processing artificial intelligence requests. That digital demand, in turn, has made its way into the physical world as tech companies search for cheap land, electricity, water, and resources necessary for the development of large data processing centers like the one being proposed in Bessemer. A data center is like a city with computer servers as the buildings, requiring network cables, power sources, and cooling infrastructure, like roads, power lines, and sewer networks in a municipality. Data flows like traffic. Similar to the police and surveillance in a city, a data center also has security infrastructure—electric fences, anti-ram barriers, infrared cameras, alarms, lights, and sometimes even guard stations and other surveillance systems to protect against attacks. As of early 2025, the United States has more than 5,000 data centers, according to industry reports, compared to around 1,000 just five years earlier. And with that increased demand comes an inevitable, increased demand for resources. Project Marvel The proposed data center campus in Bessemer, if realized, would consist of 18 buildings, each larger than the average Walmart Supercenter, that would house massive server farms for data storage and processing. Located on about 700 acres of wooded land currently zoned for agricultural use, the proposed physical infrastructure would require the permanent clear-cutting of at least 100 acres of forest. The company behind the project is a newly created limited liability company, Logistics Land Investments, first formed in May 2023, according to records from the Delaware secretary of state. The company’s registered agent is not a person, according to business records, but the Corporation Trust Company, also based in Delaware—an entity that has been used by large tech companies like Google and Apple for corporate dealings in the past. Despite its brief history, Logistics Land Investments has already found itself in at least one legal battle. Court records show that company has been sued by the First Baptist Church of Red Oak, Texas, a place of worship that was located on land the development company was interested in buying for another project. After the sale fell through, the church sued, arguing that the company had breached their agreement. The president of Bessemer’s City Council, Donna Thigpen, was the only public official interviewed who confirmed she had not yet signed an NDA. In fact, Thigpen said, she’d been largely left in the dark on the proposed data center thus far. “We have not met with the builders yet,” she said. “We know nothing about it.” She referred further questions to the mayor’s office, though she noted he’d signed an NDA. The mayor’s office did not respond to several requests for comment. The only information about the project made public so far has been in limited answers from the company’s attorneys to residents’ concerns in planning and zoning meetings held earlier this year. Those few answers provide only small, fragmented insights into what could be one of the largest capital outlays in recent state history. But even that information is probably more than is legally required to be given to residents, according to arguments made by an attorney for Bessemer in a recent court hearing. “There’s no provision in the code of Alabama that authorizes the asking of questions, the furnishing of environmental reports or development plans, or anything of that nature,” he told a Bessemer judge. “You have a right to be heard as to whether you agree with that ordinance or not. Nothing more, nothing less.” The city had landed in court after a group of residents filed suit, claiming that property owners weren’t given proper public notice ahead of a recent public hearing on the proposal. Because residents packed the meeting room, the city argued in court, there was no deficiency in public notice. Monica Agee, a Jefferson County Circuit Judge in the Birmingham division, issued a temporary restraining order on April 14 preventing the Bessemer City Council from voting on the proposed rezoning of the property from agricultural to industrial. After issuing the restraining order, Agee transferred the case to the county’s Bessemer division, where the matter was scheduled for a hearing. Agee’s temporary restraining order was “wrong and illegal,” attorney Shan Paden, representing the city, told Bessemer judge David Hobdy at an April 23 hearing. Hobdy scolded the lawyer for his comments about the judge. “I take issue with the fact that you’re saying that judge knew what she was doing was wrong,” Hobdy said. “That’s a circuit judge of Jefferson County, too, so I think she had appropriate authority to act at her discretion.” Lawyers for both the residents and the city of Bessemer brought up the size of the project in making their respective arguments about how the judge should eventually rule. “This is a $14 billion project,” Paden said. “To give you the scope of that, the entire value of all the real estate in the city of Bessmer in 2018 was $345 million dollars,” Paden said in part. Public officials should be judging the merits of such a project, the lawyer argued, not a judge. Lawyers for the residents living near the proposed data center site, on the other hand, argued that the size of the project demands robust public notice and close adherence to relevant law. “This is about protecting property owners’ rights to protect their land from money-grabbing AI developers who have devastated many, many communities across the country,” the residents’ attorney, Reginald McDaniel, said. John Parker Yates, another attorney for the residents, reminded the judge that the identity of the developer and its potential client is still not known. “This could be a Chinese data center,” he said. “And that’s scary—that could be happening in our backyard and us not know.” In the end, Judge Hobdy chose not to dismiss the lawsuit outright as lawyers for the city of Bessemer had asked him to do. Instead, he told both parties that he planned to hold over the case long enough for city officials to begin the public notice process and rezoning process again, in accordance with Alabama law. If and when that process is complete, the judge said, he’d consider ordering a dismissal in the case. Hobdy set a status update hearing in the case for August 1. Despite the delay in the necessary rezoning achieved through the residents’ lawsuit, community members opposed to the project now have another, likely more difficult task ahead: to convince public officials to vote against moving the proposal forward. Marshalling the Troops Marshall Killingsworth walked in his garden on a recent afternoon, his daylilies blooming in the warm Alabama sun. Killingsworth, 80, retired after working for decades in IT at major companies, including Blue Cross Blue Shield and Drummond Coal. Even in retirement, though, he’s busier now than ever. He spends much of his time outside, tending to an elaborate, well-kept yard overlooking a wooded valley where the data center is now proposed to be built. Soon, Ron and Becky Morgan, married nearly 28 years, came and sat with Killingsworth. Ron, an Army veteran, jumped into the conversation as soon as he arrived, talking intensely about potential noise, light pollution and the environmental impact of the necessary clear-cutting and construction. Becky placed her arm on Ron’s leg. “We just got here,” she said, laughing. “Other people want to talk too.” “You Can’t Turn It Off Like AC” In Alabama, almost all the new electric demand that the state’s largest energy company, Alabama Power, has projected is for data centers, said Daniel Tait, executive director of Energy Alabama, a nonprofit organization that advocates for clean energy in the state. Many data centers use alternative energy sources, including solar, wind, nuclear and hydrogen, to reduce carbon emissions and reduce their reliance on the electric grid, although investors in the Bessemer project have not outlined any such plans. Lawyers representing Logistics Land Investments did not respond to requests for comment. As demand for digital content grows, an “arms race” has escalated between tech giants to build digital warehouses and bring their services to market first. Data centers were initially smaller and demanded 50 to 200 megawatts of power to run. Driven by the development of AI, a new, second round of data centers uses five times more energy, averaging 2 to 3 gigawatts to sustain operations. They are considered “high capacity” because once the center is running, it doesn’t stop. “You can’t turn it off like the AC,” Tait said. If built to full capacity, the Bessemer data center campus is projected to consume around 1,200 megawatts of energy and could feasibly consume around 10.5 million megawatt hours per year. That’s more than 90 times the amount of energy used by all residences in Bessemer and more than 10 times the amount of energy used by all residences in Birmingham annually. Increased demand for energy, or at least the potential for it, is already driving Alabama Power’s desire to double down on fossil fuel investments. The company, an effective monopoly, has asked the state’s Public Service Commission to approve its purchase of a gas-powered power plant in recent days, potentially exacerbating the state’s reliance on dirty energy that contributes to climate change. When a technology company proposes to a municipality to build a new digital storehouse, however, sometimes “elevated demand load is overstated because every party is financially invested in overstating the need,” Tait said. Even as the city moves forward with its plans, for example, there is no guarantee the data center will have customers once built. Jefferson Traywick serves as Jefferson County’s first ever economic development adviser. In an interview, he said that there are multiple potential customers engaging with investors about potential end use. Traywick said he’d signed an NDA as well, so he couldn’t say who those possible customers might be. “I really don’t even know,” he said. Ideally, data center companies should pay for their own infrastructure, but in practice, this often doesn’t happen, Tait said. The vast majority of these infrastructure projects benefit only the data center, not the broader customer base. Tait believes building these operations “should not be on the backs of regular people to benefit the wealthiest corporations in America.” These corporations, he said, “should pay their fair share. If anything, they should pay more than their fair share.” Brenda Small and her daughter, Brianna, live in a small trailer park just outside the boundaries of the proposed development. Last month, they were quick to express their opposition to the project. Small said her power bills are already approaching $500 some months. “That’s ridiculous for one month,” she said. Small worries her bills will soar even higher because of increased energy demand from the data center. Brianna In Georgia, tech companies and consumer advocates have negotiated and agreed that the data center operators cover their own infrastructure costs rather than passing those expenses entirely to consumers. Georgia has also been more forward-thinking about clean energy, Tait said. But Mississippi’s approach to cost allocation is a “free-for-all.” Last year, Mississippi passed a state law that declares anything Amazon needs to build is automatically in the public interest, with no Public Service Commission review. This approach is “the most egregious example we see in terms of a cost allocation problem,” Tait said. Alabama law contains tax carve-outs for capital projects, including a specific, 30-year tax abatement meant to attract large data centers. If approved by Bessemer officials, a tax abatement under the economic development law could amount to a tax cut of more than $500 million. Not a Drop to Drink? So-called hyperscale data centers like those used by Google, Meta, and other large tech companies can consume hundreds of gallons of water daily and millions annually. Smaller centers often use less than 100,000 gallons daily but can still consume a significant amount of a town’s water supply if not properly managed. To cool heat generated by thousands of servers in one data center, a chilled water system is typical for a hyperscale data center. The central chiller cools the water, circulates it through heat-absorbing coils, and dissipates the heat into the air through a cooling tower. The water then recirculates. In smaller centers, water can be piped to nearby wastewater facilities. Lawyers for Logistic Land Investments have said in documents that the proposed Bessemer facility’s end user may choose to rely on a so-called “closed loop” cooling system meant to reduce water usage and waste, but it’s unclear exactly how that system will work—what the water demand will be and where wastewater would be discharged. Despite the rapid construction of new data centers driven by the demand for AI, cryptocurrency mining, and cloud computing, Alabama lacks a comprehensive water plan. Under state law, if you own land next to a river or stream in Alabama, you can use the water without a permit. Businesses using more than 100,000 gallons of water daily are required to file a certificate and declare the water usage as beneficial, but the reporting is largely self-regulated without meaningful oversight, and penalties are nonexistent for noncompliance, according to Cindy Lowry, executive director of Alabama Rivers Alliance. Most states in the east have a regulated water withdrawal system, she said. Alabama does not. “We have virtually nothing,” said Lowry. If different sources pull from one river, like the Black Warrior River, and everyone is filling out a certificate, “There’s nobody looking to say: ‘How much can the system handle? How many straws are in the system?’” Lowry said. By consuming large amounts of water, a data center, like the one proposed in western Jefferson County, has the potential to become the largest water consumer in the state. Already, 80% of water withdrawals in the state are for cooling coal, gas, and nuclear plants, Lowry added. Often, utilities may not have initially planned for such massive water demands. With their high water consumption for cooling systems, data centers pose several significant water challenges for Alabama. A data center can strain local water utilities capacity, increase water bills for existing customers, disrupt the natural flow of rivers, reduce the water available for downstream users, and potentially destroy local ecosystems. Dynamics like these worry Ron and Becky Morgan. The couple is among the few residents in the area on well water, Becky explained, putting them at risk of becoming victims of groundwater contamination—water used to cool data centers is mixed with chemical coolants—or more general water scarcity. “We’re on the front lines when it comes to water,” she said. Jeff Lowe, a retired firefighter, said he worries about the impact the facility will have on the ability of first responders to adequately address fires in the area. “They say Warrior River is going to supply it,” Lowe said of the local water utility. “But I don’t know if they can. They can’t even keep the fire hydrants around here going.” Lowe said he also wonders about the additional fire risk posed by the data center itself, potentially replete with electronic equipment and lithium batteries, in a community with limited resources to respond to large, industrial fires. “I just don’t know if they have the resources to deal with something like that before it gets out of hand,” he said. The Loss of the Land On the whole, residents fear perpetual daylight will replace starlight and the 24-hour mechanical whir of machinery will be their surround sound, drowning out the birdsong. They foresee the banks of Little Blue Creek and other wetlands being deforested, the lakes flooded with potentially toxic runoff laced with coolants, and wildlife driven from their habitat. David Havron, president of the Rock Mountain Lakes Landowners Association, is one of the residents who filed suit against the city, resulting in the restraining order that delayed the city council’s vote to move the project forward. David Havron He worries that the nighttime view from his dock, just a stone’s throw from his back door, will soon be ruined in favor of a project that he believes will provide little benefit to his neighborhood or those living in it. “It’s going to look like a sunset,” he said of the light pollution. “A constant haze in the sky.” With less vegetation to absorb rainwater because of the clear-cutting necessary to complete the project, Havron said residents are worried flooding could become worse in the area, with runoff potentially filling the lakes around which many of the residents have built their homes and lives. Then, there’s the risk to wildlife. “It’ll all be gone,” Havron said. “It’ll run off. There’s a set of bald eagles. There’s deer and coyotes, racoons and turkeys and everything else here. It’ll all be gone. . . . It’s going to have to be cut.” “We’re Going to Fight” Not long after Ron and Becky Morgan had arrived at Marshall Killingsworth’s garden gathering, Mary Rosenboom came and sat down among the daylilies, completing the circle of neighbors brought together by the fight to save their community from an unwanted development. A sales professional, Rosenboom said she’d never delved into political or environmental issues until the data center came knocking at the community’s door. Once she began to look into the potential impacts, she quickly realized this was a fight she was willing to join and, if necessary, help lead. Now, she’s become an accidental activist. “It was absolutely an accident, but here I am,” she said. Sitting in front of her was a brightly colored binder, filled with research on data centers, city governance, and what the impact could be in her community. It’s a hard fight to win, Rosenboom said, when there’s so little information being provided about the specifics of the project. The non-disclosure agreements, the residents said, was one of their top concerns. “When you’re dealing with public funds and public ordinances, there should be no NDA,” Ron Morgan said. Even if public officials are unwilling to talk about the possible impacts of the project, the residents around the site say they’re ready for a war. Securing the restraining order and delaying the process was a battle won, they said, but the fight is still well underway. Becky Morgan, also a plaintiff in the suit against the city, said previous public hearings have been largely a formality, with officials doing little to meaningfully engage with citizens’ concerns. “It’s just a farce,” she said. And when it came time for officials to ask questions of the developer, there was little desire on the part of public officials to push the data center representatives for more substantive information. “They already had their marching orders,” her husband, Ron, said. “And now we have ours.” The next stage of the fight is already underway. The last week of April, more than 100 residents gathered inside Rock Mountain Baptist Church to hear from lawyers McDaniel and Yates about what may come next. The pair characterized securing a delay in the rezoning process as a win but warned residents that a protracted legal fight could drag on for years and cost the community upwards of six figures. John Parker YatesReginald McDaniel Outside the legal realm, the lawyers said, residents should do all they can to press local political leaders to oppose the project and provide as much information about the proposal as possible before and during newly scheduled planning and zoning commission and city council meetings in the coming weeks. No matter what, the lawyers told the crowd, fighting a municipality with practically unlimited resources over a multibillion-dollar project will be an uphill battle. It was a reality many of the residents were already coming to terms with. They were ready for the fight. —By Lee Hedgepeth and Lanier Isom, Inside Climate News This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News. It is republished with permission. Sign up for its newsletter here. View the full article

The odds of winning the lottery are about one in 300 million. If you have a tattoo of an old Mountain Dew logo on your body, your odds of winning Mountain Dew’s new sweepstakes are much, much higher. The soda’s owner, PepsiCo, is launching the contest to celebrate Mountain Dew’s new logo hitting store shelves. It’s asking people who have a tattoo of the old Mountain Dew logo to upload a photo to social media and tag Mountain Dew for a chance to win a trip for two to Las Vegas to get a tattoo of the new logo. Last year, Mountain Dew retired its jagged, abbreviated “Mtn Dew” logo introduced in 2009 for a new logo that spells out the citrus soda brand’s entire name. If the old visual identity was styled in the fashion of Y2K-era extreme sports and gaming, the new one was designed to look modern, outdoorsy, and retro-inspired. The new brand mascot, “Mountain Dude,” wears long hair, aviators, and a green fur coat to convey its new brand persona. The contest is a bid to promote the rebrand with the drink’s most devoted fans: people who love Mountain Dew so much they already made it permanent. Entrants just have to post a photo of their tattoo with the hashtag #DoTheDewTattooSweepstakes on Instagram or X—and no cheating, since tattoos have to be from before May 6, 2025, when the contest began. PepsiCo estimates there are “hundreds” of people with the old logo, though a cursory search shows just five accounts have posted photos of old Mountain Dew logo tattoos. The contest will award five winners, so if you’re a legal U.S. resident of one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C., and at least 21 years old with an old Mountain Dew logo tattoo, you could likely win one of the sweepstakes prizes: round-trip flights for two to Las Vegas, a three-night’s stay at the Mandalay Bay luxury resort and casino, and some spending money ($500 for fun and $900 in credits for food and beverage). Who is getting this tattoo? Getting a logo tattoo is a high-commitment act of loyalty to a brand, but companies have found plenty of willing fans to trade their skin for prizes. There were 381 people who agreed to get Domino’s logo tattooed on their bodies to win a “100 pizzas a year for 100 years” promotion in Russia in 2019, and Subway awarded as many as nine winners to get tattoos to win free sub sandwiches in 2022. For Mountain Dew, though, it’s latest promotion is all about fan service and the love of the game. It’s not handing out free cases of soda in return for getting a tattoo like brands have done before. Instead it’s rewarding people who already had tattoos of the logo. It’s a branding stunt, sure. But it’s also a brand heritage play, since it’s all about past iterations of the logo. Should winners feel attached to their current Dew tattoo, the sweepstakes fine print is on their side: Instead of getting inked with the new Mountain Dew logo, they can just pocket the $2,000. View the full article

If you saw a group of millennials out on a Saturday in the mid-2010s, they were most likely wearing leggings—the uniform of that era. And there’s a good chance they were Lululemon’s Align leggings. Ten years ago today, Lululemon’s designers developed a new material called Nulu that was buttery soft, thin, and stretchy. It put them into a $98 pair of leggings called Align. The fabric proved so irresistible that women started wearing the pants right out of the yoga studio and into the rest of their lives. On the newly launched Instagram app, you would see twenty- and thirtysomethings wearing the pricey leggings out to brunch, or for school pickups, or on long flights. Some women even wore them to the office with a crisp button-down oxford shirt. If the Align legging didn’t kick-start athleisure—blending activewear with everyday outfits—then it certainly accelerated the trend. And it helped propel Lululemon from a scrappy yoga startup into a global activewear giant. Over the past decade, Lululemon has generated more than $1 billion on its Align franchise. And it has spawned so many copycats from other brands that two years ago it launched an entire “dupe swap” marketing campaign, where it invited people to trade in their dupes to get the real thing. Chip Wilson, a yoga obsessive, launched Lululemon in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1998. For its first decade in business, the company remained small and focused on designing high-quality clothing that was perfect for yoga, which was taking off throughout North America. But by 2010, the company’s growth accelerated as it went public and began expanding its network of stores. In 2012, Lululemon hit $1 billion in annual revenue. After the Align leggings launched, the company scaled quickly, growing from $1.8 billion to $10.8 billion over the past decade. Today, Lululemon is celebrating the anniversary of the Align pants by launching a range of new products, including a dress and a new version of the pants that offer a seamless construction in the front, developed with customer feedback. But the company is also thinking ahead about how it must evolve beyond this comfortable legging into entirely new categories of clothing. I sat down with Antonia Iamartino, senior director of franchise innovations, research, and product innovation, to hear about how she created the Align pant and how she’s thinking ahead about how to spin out the next billion-dollar franchises for Lululemon. Antonia Iamartino Designing a Billion-Dollar Pant Back in 2015, most people went into the yoga studio wearing sweatpants or compression leggings designed for running. Iamartino joined Lululemon in 2005, shortly after she trained as a fashion designer in Vancouver. A decade ago, she was promoted to oversee the yoga category. In this new role, she wanted to design a pair of pants that were ideal for the practice, which involves a variety of physical postures and movements. At the time, Lululemon had developed a very specific design philosophy called the “science of feel,” which was about creating garments that responded to the way people wanted to feel in a particular moment, rather than the purely technical features of a garment. In focus groups, Iamartino began to get a sense of how yogis wanted to feel throughout their yoga practice. “They talked about wanting softness and warmth,” she recalls. “They wanted pieces that felt cozy and inviting.” Iamartino set out to find a material that would meet these specifications. This was a challenge, because many of the fabric mills that Lululemon worked with were used to creating athletic apparel. “Our inspiration was the texture of a rose petal; something that felt soft and textured,” she says. “But it was hard to find this among the nylon fabrics on the market.” Over the course of 18 months, she worked with various mills, providing details about what she was looking for. After co-creating 10 different iterations of the material with the mills, she landed on the fabric that would become Nulu. The material had a very soft texture thanks to a process called napping that creates a fuzzy, velvet-like feel on the surface. The matte texture of Lululemon’s leggings made them different from much of the slick, shiny sports apparel that was popular at the time. The material was also very lightweight and had just enough compression to make the wearer feel gently hugged but not tightly restricted. “When we landed on this material, the feedback was unanimous and quick,” Iamartino remembers. “It was clear we had found something that was very appealing to yogis.” Beyond the Yoga Studio When the Align leggings launched, they were an immediate hit. On social media, women raved about how comfortable they were for yoga. But over time, as word about them spread, customers realized they wanted to wear the pants all the time. Iamartino says that Lululemon happened to catch some important fashion trends along the way. For one thing, skinny jeans were in style back then. Black leggings were aesthetically similar, and could be paired with the same tops you might wear with denim. Fashion was also becoming more casual, so some people felt comfortable wearing leggings to college classes or even to some workplaces. Finally, fitness and wellness were taking off, as people invested in their health by working out and doing yoga, creating a $100 billion global industry. But mostly, Iamartino believes Align was successful because of how it made the wearer feel. Store managers began to report about how customers would come out of the changing room and do a little dance in their Align pants, feeling the leggings with their hand and bouncing around. Ultimately, Iamartino believes that staying laser-focused on the goal of creating comfort helped Lululemon achieve a pair of leggings that transcended the practice of yoga. “We likely wouldn’t have gotten the same result if we had set out to design the best casual pant,” she says. “It was really the purity of our intention that helped us achieve this fabric, which had this universal appeal. All the tenets that we designed against—the quality, the stitching, the texture—really transcended the experience of yoga in the end.” But What Comes Next? Over the past 10 years, as the Align pant exploded in popularity, Iamartino helped transform the garment from a single product into a franchise. She worked with her team of designers to develop new products, like shorts and wide-leg pants. Now there’s even an Align dress. The next step is helping Lululemon think about how it can create the next big franchises. In many ways, the COVID-19 lockdowns took clothing to its casual extreme, with people wearing sweatpants for months on end. But in the post-pandemic world, Iamartino believes people are moving in the other direction and opting for clothing that is dressier. In conversations with customers, Lululemon staffers found that fewer people are wearing leggings and joggers to work; they’re looking for pieces that are drawn from a more formal wardrobe, like trousers and blazers. “But what’s different, this time around, is that they are unwilling to compromise on comfort,” Iamatino says. “So pieces need to look more formal on the exterior but feel much more comfortable.” Lululemon’s designers are now focused on creating pieces that do just this. The company made its first foray into clothing that could be worn to the office in the mid-2010s, as it launched trousers for both men and women that looked a lot like khakis but were made from technical fabrics. Over the years, as customers began to see Lululemon as a brand that could outfit them for work, the brand has expanded its range of professional garments. This year, one of its bestsellers is its women’s Daydrift trousers, which have the silhouette of old-school men’s trousers, with pleats and a waistband. But they’re actually pull-up pants made from a stretchy fabric that’s infused with Lycra. They feel extremely soft to the touch. The trousers have been very popular among working professionals, and Lululemon has been struggling to keep them in stock. Iamartino is now thinking about how Daydrift could also become a franchise. The brand is launching Daydrift shorts for the summer, with more possible products in the pipeline. Lululemon is launching other garments that are designed for the office, and much like with Align, the company spends a lot of time developing the right fabric for these pieces. For its blazer, for instance, Lululemon has created a till fabric with a textured feel akin to cotton or wool that is made from a wrinkle-free synthetic material. Lululemon’s success over the course of its history has come down to innovation. It began as a yoga brand, but over the years it has created garments for a wide range of activities. Now it’s next evolution is to create clothes that allow you to move comfortably through the rest of your life. And the lesson that Iamartino takes from designing the Align pants is that the way to succeed is to thoughtfully design products that make people feel good no matter what they’re doing. “We know people today want to feel polished but also comfortable as they’re moving throughout their life,” she says. “We can design around that.” View the full article

Nearly two years after catastrophic wildfires destroyed more than 2,000 houses and apartment buildings in Lahaina, Hawaii, only 10 homes have been rebuilt. Hundreds of others are under construction, but the process of rebuilding is painfully slow. One temporary neighborhood is an exception: called Ka La‘i Ola, it’s filled with modular, factory-built houses and is now home to more than 600 people. Hundreds of additional modular homes on the site will soon be ready for occupancy. And it might be a model for other communities that are trying to recover from disasters—though it also raises questions about the cost of building temporary housing. “The timeline was unlike anything that we’ve ever experienced,” says Kimo Carvalho, executive director of HomeAid Hawaiʻi, the nonprofit leading the development of the project in partnership with the state of Hawaii. The team secured land in February 2024 and broke ground at the beginning of May. One hundred days later, the first families started moving in. Vetting 130 modular housing companies Before the fires in Maui, the nonprofit was focused on building housing for the most vulnerable Hawaii residents. (HomeAid Hawaiʻi is the local chapter of a national group created by the building industry to help tackle the affordable housing crisis.) In August 2023, after the wildfires, the nonprofit started working with the state on the disaster response. Immediately after the fires, the state was inundated with calls from modular housing companies; it realized that factory-built modular housing would likely be an important tool in the recovery. So while the nonprofit scoured the area for a place to build temporary housing, the group simultaneously started vetting more than 130 companies that make modular homes. “Everyone said, ‘I can absolutely get you 400 homes within three months,’” Carvalho says. “And as a realist, I was able to break that down and ask about the specifics that got us to a true understanding of their timelines, production schedules, transportation, what the work would be looking like on site, and basically coming up with a real budget.” They realized that a single company wouldn’t be able to supply the 450 homes that they wanted for the project. So the team made a short list of finalists, visiting their factories in person to do due diligence, and ultimately choosing five providers. Finding a site to build At the same time, they were racing to find land. The 57-acre site they ultimately chose had challenges, including the fact that it was covered in volcanic rock. Preparing the land for construction meant an expensive process of using dynamite to blast through enough rock to install sewer, water, and electrical lines. The land sits on a slope, and engineering the right foundations for the locations was another challenge to solve. The site also has a complex history. The land originally belonged to Hawaiian royalty; it was ceded to the U.S. government when the monarchy was overthrown in 1893. When Hawaii became a state in 1959, the parcel was part of a larger collection of land that went to the state government, with the intent that it would be used to help native Hawaiians. Now, the state plans to use the site for emergency housing only for five years, as it makes plans to build permanent housing there for Hawaii residents. It’s not yet clear what will happen to the modular homes when the five years are up. But the land was relatively close to some employment, a critical factor for fire survivors who were struggling with transportation. So the team moved forward. While the lease for the land was being finalized, the modular providers were getting ready to begin shipping units as soon as possible. An accelerated timeline Permitting happened quickly, as the government used its emergency declaration to speed up the process. “We brought the stakeholders together in one room, so it wasn’t five different agencies looking at a permit set that would otherwise take eight months,” says Carvalho. “We got our grading permit in two weeks. I think the project has demonstrated not only what modular manufacturing can do, but also what government can do to truly just get housing built.” Construction also happened quickly. Most of the work on the modular homes happened in factories, with construction crews handling other steps like putting in foundations, steps, and decks. “I don’t think we would have been able to meet our timeline had modular not been an option,” he says. The first families moved into the homes in August 2024, a year after the fire. The homes, which range in size from studios to small three-bedroom houses, are limited to survivors who weren’t eligible for help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has also built some modular housing in Lahaina. The majority of residents are renters. Others are homeowners with specific challenges. For example, one couple didn’t qualify for FEMA aid because they had insurance coverage, but their insurance settlement doesn’t actually cover the cost of rebuilding their home. Rent at Ka Laʻi Ola is free until August, and then they’ll pay below market rate, helping them save up to cover the cost of rebuilding. A lifelife for residents For the residents who’ve been able to move in, the site has been a lifeline. “You see a sigh of relief when they receive keys, and know that they don’t have to jump around from hotel to hotel for the next four years,” says Cesar Martinez, the director at Ka La‘i Ola. Martinez and his family also lost their own rental home in the fire. Like others, they didn’t get any official warning the day of the catastrophe. Gale-force winds had taken out power and cell service. Martinez and his girlfriend and children fled when smoke filled the air and they started hearing explosions in the neighborhood. Cesar MartinezPatricia Nebrida They were able to safely escape by driving up a dirt road into the hills and spending the night at a hotel where Martinez and his girlfriend had worked in the past. But when they returned a couple of days later, everything was gone. “We drove to the property where we lived and confirmed with our own eyes that nothing was there,” he says. The house they’d rented had burned down. The place where Martinez worked was gone. His children’s school, which had been scheduled to start a new school year the day after the fire happened, was also gone. Like thousands of other Lahaina residents, they stayed temporarily in hotels. But the shortage of housing, and the extreme cost of the little housing that was left, meant that they considered leaving Hawaii. When they were able to move to Ka La‘i Ola, they knew that they would have a place to live until 2029, and that was incredibly important for their mental health. “There’s a lot of uncertainty,” he says. “A lot of people who didn’t have much, now have even less.” Meeting their new neighbors also helped. The modular homes are arranged in pods of 14 or 16 units. “We placed units strategically in ways where there would be intentional community connections,” says Carvalho. The community also has access to financial literacy classes, mental health counseling, a mobile food bank, and a mobile vet clinic that offers free care for pets. The site itself, with a view of the ocean, is peaceful. The name means “The Place of Peaceful Recovery” in Hawaiian. A steep cost It’s undeniable that the development happened quickly—and for that reason, aspects of the approach could be useful for other areas. Changing permitting rules was key, and so was the use of modular homes. Carvalho has been meeting with groups from California that are currently working on plans to rebuild areas that burned in January around Los Angeles. He has offered, he says, to share HomeAid’s analysis of all of the modular housing companies. But the homes come at a steep cost: The project costs $185 million, or more than $400,000 per home. (The nonprofit says that’s still $52 million less than the state would have spent with typical construction; the project saved $14 million because of donated materials and labor. The Hawai‘i Community Foundation also contributed $40 million from funds collected from global donors.) Most of the cost went to building underlying infrastructure, from sewer and water connections to grading the land, since it was an undeveloped area; the base cost of each home was only around $122,000. The same infrastructure can later be used to support permanent housing for Hawaii residents, and the modular housing itself can likely be used much longer than the current five-year plan. Still, critics argue that costs were higher than necessary because the developer didn’t get bids from multiple contractors in order to speed up construction. Critics are also concerned that HomeAid hasn’t been transparent about specific costs; the nonprofit acknowledges that it’s behind in providing receipts. And while the project has undeniably helped its residents, 12,000 people were displaced by the fires; one development can’t help everyone. The cost is also a reminder that as climate change makes disasters more common, communities also need to invest more in prevention—repeatedly rebuilding is financially unsustainable. In L.A., for example, the fires this year were 35% more likely because of climate change. The same extreme conditions will happen again, and neighborhoods need to be better designed with that in mind. At a national level, the The President administration recently shut down a program that helped communities become more resilient in order to limit damage in disasters. But some cities are still trying to do more. In Berkeley, California, for example, homeowners in neighborhoods that are at the highest risk from fire will now be required to clear “defensible space” around their homes so fires can’t spread as easily. View the full article

In this episode of FC Explains, hosted by Josh Christensen, we break down why the 2024 WNBA Draft is being hailed as the moment that changed everything for women’s sports. From record-breaking viewership and unprecedented media attention to historic endorsement deals and social media buzz, this draft marked a new era for female athletes and the business of sports. View the full article

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Pinterest has announced a global rollout of new transparency tools aimed at helping users identify and manage generative AI (Gen AI) content across its platform. After months of testing, the company is officially introducing “AI modified” labels on image Pins that may have been generated or altered using AI technologies. “As people encounter AI-generated content on Pinterest, we are empowering our users to make more informed choices about the content they see,” said Matt Madrigal, Chief Technology Officer. “Gen AI content on Pinterest should enhance users’ ability to discover and act on their inspiration, and we are intentionally approaching this new landscape in a thoughtful way that benefits everyone on Pinterest.” AI Labeling on Pins The new feature introduces visible “AI modified” labels on the bottom left corner of Pins that are detected as generated or altered with AI. These labels appear in close-up view when users click on an image Pin. Pinterest developed classifiers that analyze both metadata and visual cues to detect Gen AI content—even in the absence of explicit markers. As Pinterest continues refining these classifiers, the company expects the labels to become increasingly accurate. To address potential errors, Pinterest has implemented an appeals process that allows creators and users to dispute labels they believe were applied incorrectly. Enhanced User Control Over AI Content Pinterest is also testing new controls that will allow users to filter the Gen AI content they encounter. A “see fewer” option will soon be available for Gen AI Pins in specific categories, such as beauty and art. This option can be accessed via the three-dot overflow menu on the bottom right corner of a Pin. When selected, it will signal Pinterest’s systems to reduce recommendations of similar Gen AI content. This feature is part of Pinterest’s broader effort to improve content discovery and user satisfaction by offering more tailored and transparent browsing experiences. Future Developments in AI at Pinterest According to the announcement, Pinterest plans to expand these transparency and control tools into additional content areas over time. The company emphasizes that, when thoughtfully implemented, Gen AI can enhance creativity and help users act on their inspiration. Pinterest encourages users to visit its Help Center for more details about how the platform uses AI and the company’s ongoing work in this space. Image: Pinterest This article, "Pinterest Launches Global Rollout of Gen AI Labels for Greater Transparency" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Pinterest has announced a global rollout of new transparency tools aimed at helping users identify and manage generative AI (Gen AI) content across its platform. After months of testing, the company is officially introducing “AI modified” labels on image Pins that may have been generated or altered using AI technologies. “As people encounter AI-generated content on Pinterest, we are empowering our users to make more informed choices about the content they see,” said Matt Madrigal, Chief Technology Officer. “Gen AI content on Pinterest should enhance users’ ability to discover and act on their inspiration, and we are intentionally approaching this new landscape in a thoughtful way that benefits everyone on Pinterest.” AI Labeling on Pins The new feature introduces visible “AI modified” labels on the bottom left corner of Pins that are detected as generated or altered with AI. These labels appear in close-up view when users click on an image Pin. Pinterest developed classifiers that analyze both metadata and visual cues to detect Gen AI content—even in the absence of explicit markers. As Pinterest continues refining these classifiers, the company expects the labels to become increasingly accurate. To address potential errors, Pinterest has implemented an appeals process that allows creators and users to dispute labels they believe were applied incorrectly. Enhanced User Control Over AI Content Pinterest is also testing new controls that will allow users to filter the Gen AI content they encounter. A “see fewer” option will soon be available for Gen AI Pins in specific categories, such as beauty and art. This option can be accessed via the three-dot overflow menu on the bottom right corner of a Pin. When selected, it will signal Pinterest’s systems to reduce recommendations of similar Gen AI content. This feature is part of Pinterest’s broader effort to improve content discovery and user satisfaction by offering more tailored and transparent browsing experiences. Future Developments in AI at Pinterest According to the announcement, Pinterest plans to expand these transparency and control tools into additional content areas over time. The company emphasizes that, when thoughtfully implemented, Gen AI can enhance creativity and help users act on their inspiration. Pinterest encourages users to visit its Help Center for more details about how the platform uses AI and the company’s ongoing work in this space. Image: Pinterest This article, "Pinterest Launches Global Rollout of Gen AI Labels for Greater Transparency" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Access to capital remains one of the biggest hurdles for small businesses—but the right grant can make all the difference. From covering startup costs to helping you expand operations, grant funding offers a rare chance to grow without adding debt. Each week, we bring you the newest small business grant programs from trusted sources. Whether the funding comes from government agencies, private organizations, or community initiatives, our Roundup highlights opportunities you can actually use. Here are the latest small business grants worth checking out: New Grant Program Offers Brown County (Ill.) Businesses Up to $5,000 for Innovations and Improvements Existing for-profit businesses in Brown County, Illinois, now have the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $5,000 to support forward-thinking innovations and improvements. The grant cycle runs from May 1, 2025, to May 1, 2026, with funding available on a first-come, first-served basis until resources are depleted. Grant funds will be awarded as applications are received and reviewed for project qualifications. New Grant Program Launched to Boost Northeast Dairy Workforce Development The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) has announced the launch of the Catalyzing Regional Dairy Workforce Grant program, aimed at expanding workforce development programming across the Northeast dairy sector. Applications for this grant opportunity will be open from April 24 through June 5, 2025. The program offers funding to support the development, expansion, and operation of existing dairy workforce programs. The Latest Small Business Grants Available to Entrepreneurs in the US Staying on top of new funding opportunities is key to growing and sustaining your small business. Grants can help you cover costs, fuel innovation, or simply provide some breathing room—without the pressure of repayment. Each week, we search for the most current small business grant programs available, so you don’t have to. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to scale, these grants could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Minnesota Department of Agriculture Opens Applications for AGRI Value-Added and MPEM Grant Programs The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced that applications are now open for the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Value-Added Grant Program. The initiative aims to boost the state’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors by supporting value-added businesses with targeted equipment investments. CommunityRewards Launches Grant and Mentorship Program for Miami Women-Owned Businesses CommunityRewards, powered by Points4Purpose, Inc., has announced the launch of a new Business Grant and Mentorship Program aimed at supporting women-owned businesses in the Miami area. Applications are now open through May 23, 2025, with the initiative set to award 12 local business owners a package valued at a total of $20,000. The program offers recipients AI-powered loyalty rewards software solutions along with mentorship opportunities. This article, "Fresh Grant Opportunities for Small Businesses – See What’s New This Week" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Access to capital remains one of the biggest hurdles for small businesses—but the right grant can make all the difference. From covering startup costs to helping you expand operations, grant funding offers a rare chance to grow without adding debt. Each week, we bring you the newest small business grant programs from trusted sources. Whether the funding comes from government agencies, private organizations, or community initiatives, our Roundup highlights opportunities you can actually use. Here are the latest small business grants worth checking out: New Grant Program Offers Brown County (Ill.) Businesses Up to $5,000 for Innovations and Improvements Existing for-profit businesses in Brown County, Illinois, now have the opportunity to apply for grants of up to $5,000 to support forward-thinking innovations and improvements. The grant cycle runs from May 1, 2025, to May 1, 2026, with funding available on a first-come, first-served basis until resources are depleted. Grant funds will be awarded as applications are received and reviewed for project qualifications. New Grant Program Launched to Boost Northeast Dairy Workforce Development The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) has announced the launch of the Catalyzing Regional Dairy Workforce Grant program, aimed at expanding workforce development programming across the Northeast dairy sector. Applications for this grant opportunity will be open from April 24 through June 5, 2025. The program offers funding to support the development, expansion, and operation of existing dairy workforce programs. The Latest Small Business Grants Available to Entrepreneurs in the US Staying on top of new funding opportunities is key to growing and sustaining your small business. Grants can help you cover costs, fuel innovation, or simply provide some breathing room—without the pressure of repayment. Each week, we search for the most current small business grant programs available, so you don’t have to. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to scale, these grants could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Minnesota Department of Agriculture Opens Applications for AGRI Value-Added and MPEM Grant Programs The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has announced that applications are now open for the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation (AGRI) Value-Added Grant Program. The initiative aims to boost the state’s agricultural and renewable energy sectors by supporting value-added businesses with targeted equipment investments. CommunityRewards Launches Grant and Mentorship Program for Miami Women-Owned Businesses CommunityRewards, powered by Points4Purpose, Inc., has announced the launch of a new Business Grant and Mentorship Program aimed at supporting women-owned businesses in the Miami area. Applications are now open through May 23, 2025, with the initiative set to award 12 local business owners a package valued at a total of $20,000. The program offers recipients AI-powered loyalty rewards software solutions along with mentorship opportunities. This article, "Fresh Grant Opportunities for Small Businesses – See What’s New This Week" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Key Takeaways Importance of Name: A strong cleaning business name establishes brand identity, attracts clients, and differentiates you in a competitive market.Memorable and Catchy: Aim for a name that is easy to remember, catchy, and possibly utilizes wordplay for lasting impression.Descriptive and Relevant: Choose names that provide clear insight into your services, enhancing both client understanding and SEO visibility.Keyword Integration: Incorporate relevant industry keywords to improve online searchability and clarity about your cleaning services.Target Audience Consideration: Tailor your cleaning business name to resonate with your ideal customers’ preferences and values for better customer acquisition.Creativity Matters: Use unique, trendy names to optimize branding and ensure your business stands out in the marketplace. Choosing the right name for your cleaning business is more than just a creative exercise; it’s a crucial step that can set the tone for your brand. A catchy and memorable name not only attracts potential clients but also communicates your services effectively. With the cleaning industry booming, standing out in a crowded market is essential. You want a name that resonates with your target audience and reflects your values. Whether you prefer something fun and quirky or professional and straightforward, the right name can make all the difference. In this guide, we’ll explore tips and ideas to help you brainstorm the perfect name for your cleaning venture, ensuring it captures attention and leaves a lasting impression. Importance Of A Good Cleaning Business Name A strong cleaning business name is essential for establishing your brand identity. It attracts potential clients and communicates the services you’ll provide. In a competitive industry, a unique name differentiates your startup from others, making it easier for you to gain visibility in the market. A memorable name aids in your marketing efforts and enhances brand recognition. When creating your business plan, consider how the name reflects your target audience’s values. Whether your approach is fun and quirky or professional and straightforward, clarity is crucial in conveying your business model. Customizing your business name not only helps in customer acquisition but also aids in your sales strategy. It builds trust and sets the tone for customer service, while aligning with your overall growth strategy. Moreover, ensure your name can be easily indexed for SEO, enhancing your online presence through digital marketing efforts. As an entrepreneur, you might also think about the legal structure of your business. Names that are easy to trademark protect your intellectual property and prevent legal issues down the line. Additionally, a good name simplifies the process of business registration and licensing. Overall, investing time in selecting an effective cleaning business name is a strategic move that contributes to your startup’s success. It serves as the foundational element of your brand, guiding your marketing, client relations, and long-term growth ambitions. Characteristics Of Effective Cleaning Business Names Choosing an effective name for your cleaning business involves key characteristics that attract clients and convey the brand’s identity. Memorable And Catchy A memorable name remains at the forefront of potential customers’ minds. Opt for something catchy and easy to pronounce. Consider utilizing puns, wordplay, or alliteration, as these techniques can create a lasting impression. Names like “Dust Busters,” “Swept Away,” and “Suds & Sparkles” illustrate how creative word choices can be inviting. Rhyming names, such as “Clean Scene” or “Tidy Tide,” also enhance memorability. Descriptive And Relevant Choosing a descriptive name offers clarity about your services. Select names that provide insight into what your business specializes in. For instance, “Sparkling Cleaners,” “Crystal Clear Cleaning,” or “Spotless Services” outline the core focus of your offerings. Highlighting specific services can strengthen your market positioning and resonate with your target audience. A relevant name not only aids in customer acquisition but also boosts your brand’s online visibility and SEO efforts. Tips For Choosing Cleaning Business Names Choosing the right name for your cleaning business plays a critical role in establishing your brand identity. Here are some key tips to help you select an effective name that resonates with your target audience. Incorporate Keywords Using relevant industry terms helps communicate the nature of your services. Incorporating keywords like “cleaning,” “organizing,” “maintenance,” and “sanitizing” creates clarity. When potential clients search for services, these keywords improve your visibility online. Think about niche terms too. If your specialty is eco-friendly cleaning, names such as “Green Glide” can differentiate your brand in a crowded market. Consider Your Target Audience Understanding your target audience influences your cleaning business name significantly. Research your ideal customers’ preferences and values, as well as local market trends. Use language that resonates with them. For example, if your audience values professionalism, opt for names like “Professional Clean Co.” Alternatively, if they appreciate a more casual vibe, names like “Tidy Up Team” might be more appealing. Tailoring your choice to their preferences enhances customer acquisition efforts from the outset. Creative Ideas For Cleaning Business Names Selecting an appropriate name for your cleaning business can significantly influence your branding and marketing efforts. Here are some creative ideas tailored for your small business: Unique and Catchy Names Clean Sweepers Evokes a feeling of thorough cleanliness. Spotless Cleaning Clearly conveys a promise of flawless results. Sparkling Clean Suggests vibrant, refreshing spaces after each clean. Dust Busters Informal and playful, appeals to a broad audience. The Cleaning Crew Indicates teamwork and reliability. Tidy Touch Reflects a service that pays attention to detail. Pristine Clean Communicates high standards in cleaning services. Clean and Green Emphasizes eco-friendly practices, appealing to environmentally conscious customers. Eco Clean Reinforces a commitment to sustainability. Green Clean Co. Establishes brand identity in the green cleaning sector. Trendy and Modern Names Spark & Shine Defines a contemporary approach to cleaning, enhancing market appeal. Pristine Crew Suggests professionalism and excellence in service delivery. The Fresh Touch Implies revitalization and enhancement of spaces. EcoGlow Cleaning Highlights green services that promote a healthy environment. PureVibe Cleaners Reflects a modern, upbeat brand image. Luxe Clean Co. Conveys a high-end, premium service offering. Choosing the right name can optimize your branding and enhance customer acquisition. Use these examples as inspiration for your cleaning business and ensure your name resonates with your target audience while reflecting your services and values. Conclusion Choosing the right name for your cleaning business is more than just a creative exercise. It’s a strategic decision that sets the tone for your brand and influences how potential clients perceive your services. A well-thought-out name can enhance your marketing efforts build trust and improve your online visibility. Take the time to brainstorm names that resonate with your target audience and reflect your business values. Remember to keep it memorable and relevant. This investment in your brand identity will pay off as you attract clients and establish a strong presence in the competitive cleaning industry. Your name is the first impression potential customers will have—make it count. Frequently Asked Questions Why is choosing the right name for a cleaning business important? Choosing the right name is crucial as it establishes your brand identity and helps attract clients. A memorable and appealing name effectively communicates your services and sets you apart in a competitive market. What are the key characteristics of an effective cleaning business name? An effective name should be memorable, catchy, and descriptive. Using puns, alliteration, or relevant industry keywords can enhance brand recognition and clarity about your offerings, aiding customer acquisition. How can I brainstorm names for my cleaning business? To brainstorm names, consider your target audience’s preferences, use relevant keywords, and think about catchy phrases. Explore wordplay, alliteration, or even humorous options to create a lasting impression. Should I consider SEO when naming my cleaning business? Yes, incorporating industry-related keywords in your business name can greatly improve your online visibility. It simplifies business registration and enhances your chances of being indexed by search engines. Can you give examples of creative cleaning business names? Sure! Some creative names include “Dust Busters,” “Suds & Sparkles,” “Eco Clean,” and “Sparkling Cleaners.” These names reflect services while being catchy and engaging for potential customers. How does a strong business name affect customer acquisition? A strong business name helps build trust with potential clients and provides clarity about your services. When customers easily remember your name, they are more likely to reach out and choose your business. What should I avoid when naming my cleaning business? Avoid names that are too complex, hard to spell, or close to existing brands. Ensure your name is unique and does not infringe on trademarks to avoid legal issues. Image Via Envato This article, "Catchy and Creative Cleaning Business Names to Stand Out in the Industry" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article