YuLin Zhen, Photography Editor

ChatGPT is estimated to emit 8.4 tons of carbon dioxide annually, and generating a standard 100-word email consumes approximately a standard bottle’s worth of mineral water. 

Recognizing the environmental impact of emerging technologies, Yale has launched numerous initiatives focused on sustainable technology and infrastructure. The University has made a concerted effort to address the carbon footprint of its technology systems, from data centers to campus-wide infrastructure, in line with broader sustainability goals.

“Last month, in January 2025, Yale’s Clarity platform introduced the GPT-4o-mini, a new agent that is more energy efficient than ChatGPT-4o and has been adopted in response to valuable community feedback,” Amber Garrard, director of the Yale Office of Sustainability, told the News.

Artificial intelligence has been a major contributor to technological energy consumption and is therefore an important target of Yale’s sustainability efforts. By employing a smaller, more efficient model, the new initiative attempts to ensure AI-driven resources remain accessible while mitigating their environmental cost.

Gerrard also highlighted Yale’s participation in the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center, a state-of-the-art data center. 

“Expanding Yale’s GPU installations there instead of on campus demonstrates Yale’s commitment to sustainable approaches to high-performance computing,” she said. 

By leveraging an off-campus facility with high environmental standards instead of building energy-hungry computers on campus, Yale reduces the energy demand of its own infrastructure while ensuring research computing remains efficient and sustainable.

Still, challenges remain in fully understanding the environmental impact of evolving technology. The technology Yale leverages is evolving rapidly — from data processors at large data centers to production of equipment. With concerns encompassing energy consumption to water use and materials sourcing, Yale researchers are actively exploring new ways to measure and reduce the university’s footprint in this space.

Student advocacy has also played a role in Yale’s sustainability efforts. The Yale College Council and specifically the sustainability policy team collaborates closely with Yale Facilities, Sustainability and Hospitality to ensure student-led initiatives are implemented. 

Among the YCC’s sustainability advances has been the recent installation of water stations in every entryway.

“Getting water stations in every entryway was a big win,” Carrie Lange ’27, YCC sustainability policy director, noted. “Colleges should see them installed by the beginning of next year.”

In addition to reducing plastic bottle waste, the initiative ensures more convenient access to refillable water options, encouraging sustainable habits among students. 

However, integrating this sustainable technology into Yale’s infrastructure has not been without obstacles. 

“Many Yale buildings have old infrastructure that complicates the installation of some technology, especially the residential colleges,” Lange noted. 

For example, motion-sensor lights for dorms were approved, but Facilities is still working on the logistics of installation, illustrating the delays inherent in retrofitting older buildings with new technology.

Students expressed mixed opinions on certain sustainability measures affecting undergraduate life. 

“Water refilling stations in entryways have helped [but] they don’t exactly reach everyone all of the time, like those of us on the fifth floor, who don’t want to go down at night,” Ignacio Somoza ’28 said. “But it’s stopped me from having to buy plastic water bottles to keep in my room.” 

These small-scale improvements reflect the university’s broader commitment to sustainability, offering practical solutions to balance infrastructural limitations.

The Artificial Intelligence Platform Services group responsible for implementing the Clarity Platform was founded in 2018.