ABOUT THIS EPISODE
David Gottfried built green buildings in 186 countries. Now he's asking whether AI can do for civilization what LEED did for construction — and whether we're moving fast enough to matter.
David Gottfried is founder of the US Green Building Council and World Green Building Council, and author of Regen 360 (out October 2026). In this conversation he and Jackie Domanus cover: how David uses Claude and ChatGPT as a "truth protocol" partner — one that's instructed to push back, refuse cheerleaders, and call him out when he's ignoring its advice. Why AI's environmental footprint is real (data centers on pace for 400 gigawatts by 2030, equivalent to 30 New York Cities) and what the hyperscalers are actually doing about it. His framework for civilizational change: value rings, the full equation, and why solar panels on a leaky ship don't fix the ship. And a practical idea for anyone listening: go into your AI agent's preferences right now and tell it what you actually value.
The technology is moving. The question is whether the humans are.
SUSTAINABILITY PROMPT When responding to my questions, if there is a more sustainable or lower-impact alternative to what I'm considering — a product, a decision, a process — flag it briefly. I don't need a lecture. Just note that a greener option exists and what it is. Apply this across purchases, travel, food, and work decisions. My goal is to reduce my ecological footprint in a way that fits a real, busy life. Not perfection. Just awareness. Prioritize suggestions that are practical and specific over ones that are abstract or require major lifestyle changes.
CHAPTERS
[00:02] Introduction — AI for Good[01:49] How David got to 2,500 pages of AI conversations[03:45] Where the drive for "better" comes from (the paperweight)[08:39] How the Green Building movement actually started[11:15] Can better technology fix broken systems?[13:41] The real environmental footprint of AI and data centers[18:29] Zenobia, the truth protocol, and fighting with Claude[21:22] How to stop AI from cheerleading you[24:30] When Claude told David he wasn't listening[27:00] Using AI to catch your own blind spots[31:12] HOPE, the fourth world, and Regen 360[33:04] Value rings and the full equation[38:05] The sustainability preference you can set in your AI agent right now[49:15] Regen agents, not change agents[54:47] What it means to plant a seed you won't see grow
