It’s spooky season, and for Charlotte’s climate activists, there’s nothing spookier than hyperscale data centers.
“Data centers are definitely the hot topic right now; they are just in the news a lot, and it's what a lot of people are talking about,” said Faith Silva, coordinator for nonprofit Charlotte-Mecklenburg Climate Leaders.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Climate Leaders are a volunteer group working to raise climate awareness in the city. They’re taking aim at one of environmentalists’ biggest boogeymen: data centers. They hosted a data center-themed trivia night Tuesday evening at Patagonia Charlotte in South End.
It’s timely, since the Charlotte City Council voted Monday to extend its data center moratorium by 11 months. The event drew a small group — about 20 players. Some teamed up; some went it alone, like Nundy Silva. He named his team of one after a Renaissance fair act, “Hey Nunnie Nunnie!”
There were questions about water use, utility rates and local politics. When the evening wrapped up, the winners walked away with some new outdoor wear. Everyone else got the best consolation prize: knowledge.
“I didn't realize the moratorium was as long as it was, so that was good,” Nundy Silva said. “That was kind of good to find out. That made me hopeful.”
Luckily for these trivia players — and the Charlotte City Council — they have almost a whole year to learn about data centers before the moratorium expires on Oct. 18, 2027.
