How to organize against data centers

Are you looking to organize your friends and neighbors to fight the development of a data center in your community? Follow this step-by-step guide to successfully fight back when a data center is proposed near you.

What should I do when a data center is first proposed in my community?

Do your homework. Before you show up anywhere, get the real story. Identify the decision makers, exact proposal, and timeline.

Find your local town council or local government public meeting website and check the agenda.
Learn how to read a local meeting agenda (it’s not as boring as it looks, we promise!).
Check your local newspapers for articles or letters to the editor(LTEs) about data centers.
Find out where the data center is in the development process. This will shape your entire game plan. Here’s a great resource on data center development stages.
Keep digging as you go. Understanding zoning laws and environmental impacts will help you make smarter decisions down the road.
Develop your story of self — your story is a big part of what brings people in. How is this data center personal to you and your family? Have a couple versions ready (a quick elevator pitch and a longer, conversational one) before you move to the next steps.
Make sure you understand the harms of data centers by reading and sharing, What Everyone Should Know about Data Centers from Red Wine & Blue.

How do I get other people to join me to fight the development of a data center where I live?

Find your people. It won’t be hard to find other people who are concerned and angry about data centers. Get to know them and create a core team of organizers.

Start with your friends first — they’re your easiest “yes.”
Local meetings are a gold mine for finding your people. Swap contact info with those who are nodding along with you throughout the meeting.
Make a plan to meet up somewhere laid back, like a coffee shop or your local library.

What resources are available to help me organize against the development of data centers in my community?

Red Wine & Blue can help you set up shop! Create an online hub for virtual organizing and pick a regular place to meet face to face.

Give your group a home — online and in-person. The Red Wine & Blue Network has everything you need to set up shop! Visit our website to learn more.
Assign roles to your group members.
Connect organizers with each other through your RWB Network online hub.

How do I grow my group of organizers to fight data centers?

Pull up more chairs. More chairs mean more ideas.

Host an in-person meeting to build the base and strategize together.
Encourage people to bring their friends. The more, the merrier (and louder).
Reach across the aisle — this is a bipartisan issue. When reaching out, start with your friends first.

What is the strategy for fighting the development of data centers?

Decide on a strategy and tactics. Passion is great, but a plan is better. Figure out what winning looks like and how you’ll get there.

Determine your strategy first,then your tactics. Think of strategy as your path and tactics as the stepping stones that get you there.
Listen to all voices — a plan everyone helped build is a plan everyone shows up for.

What are some tactics to fight the development of data centers?

Make some noise. Go public. Spread the word. Apply pressure and let developers and leaders know you’re not going anywhere. Here are some ideas:

Lobby your elected officials to say no to data center development, and get them to ban nondisclosure agreements with data center developers while you’re at it.
Start a petition to give to your local leaders.
Get behind candidates who are actually willing to stop data center development, not just talk about it.
Kick off a letter-writing campaign and flood those inboxes. Here’s a Red Wine & Blue training on how to speak to and work with the media.
Write letters to the editor. Local papers love them. So do readers! Here’s a Red Wine & Blue training on how to write a letter to the editor.
Submit records requests for the communications between the corporations and developers behind data centers and your elected officials. Every state has its own version of the Freedom of Information Act(FOIA). Then tell everyone what you find! Here’s a Red Wine & Blue training on how to submit public record requests. (Heads up, requests can cost money!)
Don’t stop at elected officials. Lobby the utility companies and demand grid impact studies.
Build a social media campaign around what makes your community, well, your community. What’s actually at stake if a data center moves in?
Ask yourself if you need a website or public page to put all your oppositional research together in one place.
Don’t sleep on the old-school stuff. Flyers, stickers, and yard signs still work, too. Here’s a Red Wine & Blue training on how to design graphics for social media and other uses in Canva.
Use disruption. Sit-ins. Protests before a public meeting. Rallies outside the proposed data center site. These serve to disrupt the opposition’s progress and bring attention to the issue.

What are some public speaking tips when making public comments at official meetings?

Be confident. Be informed. Be prepared.

Check out Red Wine & Blue’s public comment training here. It’ll save you from freezing up at the podium.
Learn your local meeting rules — speaking time limits, when public comment actually happens, the difference between a hearing and general public comment, whether signs are allowed, whether you need to sign up ahead of time. The fine print matters.
Make it easy for your group to show up and speak. Post the event on your homepage, share the sign-up link, and print sheets, talking points, and even a few backup speeches for anyone who gets stuck in the middle of their comments.
Get your people on the same page. Pick a shared line or phrase everyone works into their speech, so officials hear it again and again.
Dress the part. Wear matching shirts, buttons, or stickers to make it obvious to everyone watching — in the room or on the livestream — exactly how many people are on your side.

Are there any other resources for fighting the development of data centers in my community?

Local Organizing Checklist by the National Coalition Against Cryptomining
The Costs of Data Centers to Our Communities – And How to Fight Back by Kairos and Media Justice
What You Need to Know: AI Data Centers in Your Community, a Red Wine & Blue event
Neighbors vs. Data Centers (with Cathy Becker and Annette Singh), a Red Wine & Blue’s How to Not Lose Your Sh!t podcast episode
Brockovich AI Data Center Tracker