I've been in the Coachella Valley this week. It was 108 degrees. Not in July. In March.On March 19, Indio hit 108°F, tying the all-time U.S. March temperature record. Normal highs in March here are typically in the low 80s. We were running 25 to 30 degrees above that for more than a week.It's hard to sit in that heat and not think about what we're building at Eduvators.One of our core Responsible AI Use principles addresses the environmental impact of AI adoption. Because responsible AI use means understanding the full picture, including what AI costs environmentally.Every AI query uses energy and water. Not much per query. But at scale, it adds up fast. A 5,000-student institution with the typical AI usage generates an estimated 4.2 million queries per year, consuming roughly 5,500 kWh of electricity and between 12,500 and 24,200 gallons of water annually.We built a free AI Environmental Impact Calculator so institutions can run these numbers for themselves, using their own adoption rates and usage patterns. The figures are drawn from peer-reviewed research and government data, including EPA eGRID and International Energy Agency reports.We also provide simple, practical guidance for reducing that footprint, starting with prompt crafting. A well-constructed prompt gets a useful answer on the first try. That means fewer follow-up queries, less energy consumed, and better results. Small habits, multiplied across a campus, matter.Here are a few more things that each person can do to make a difference:<ul style="margin-top: 0in;"><li>Front-load the details. State who you are, what you need, and why, before submitting your prompt.</li><li>Specify the format upfront. 'In under 200 words' or 'give me three options' prevents rambling responses you'll need to ask to shorten.</li><li>One task per prompt. Bundling requests can lead to incomplete answers to each.</li><li>State what you don't want. Constraints are just as useful as instructions for output efficiency.</li><li>Store recurring documents in a Project, Notebook, or connected drive rather than uploading them repeatedly. Tools like Claude Projects, Microsoft Copilot Notebooks, and Google NotebookLM let you load documents once and access them across conversations.</li><li>For complex tasks, ask AI to help you build your prompt first. One focused conversation upfront can prevent several follow-ups later.</li></ul>Responsible AI use isn't just about privacy, bias, and critical evaluation of outputs. It includes understanding what AI costs, environmentally, and making intentional choices about how we use it.The calculator is free. If you work in higher education, K-12, workforce development, or any institution scaling AI adoption, it's worth running your numbers.<a target="" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.eduvators.net/product-detail/calculating-your-institutions-ai-environmental-impact-a-step-by-step-guide/13828/ ">Download the calculator/guide</a>#ResponsibleAI #AIinEducation #HigherEd #Sustainability #EdTech #Eduvators&nbsp;

Every AI Query Uses Energy and Water. Does Your Institution Know How Much?

Record Heat in March. A Good Time to Talk About AI's Environmental Footprint.

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Record Heat in March. A Good Time to Talk About AI's Environmental Footprint.

Record Heat in March. A Good Time to Talk About AI's Environmental Footprint.

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