ReWild Board Adopts Resolution Authorizing Pilot of Responsible AI-Powered Landcare Hub
Context
ReWild recently received a grant to build a Sustainable Landcare Hub: an AI-driven web portal providing localized, actionable guidance on soil health, native plants, and watershed protection. At its core will be an AI-assisted chatbot calibrated to Long Island’s environmental conditions, helping residents and land care professionals make informed, place-based decisions. We are also considering an eco-event calendar that would compile listings from local partner organizations.
To responsibly shape the project, we had several long discussions within the ReWild Board and selected individuals from our broader community to request feedback on how to reconcile environmental concerns with the use of AI for a well-intentioned project with potential benefits. Our rationale in moving forward with a pilot of this technology is presented in the following presentation and Board Resolution, passed on 19 August, 2026.
Position on AI and New Technologies
ReWild Long Island’s Board recognizes that the rapid growth of artificial intelligence presents serious environmental and public-interest concerns. These include intensive energy and water use, pollution, pressure on the electrical grid and ratepayers, inaccurate or unsupported information, inadequate respect for content creators, threats to privacy, and the possible loss of public trust.
The Board believes that technology could be introduced in a way that is beneficial to workers, communities and the environment – this is a social choice that people should participate in making.
The Board believes ReWild cannot remain a passive observer. As an environmental organization, ReWild should advocate for protections against these harms while exploring whether AI can be used in a more responsible and publicly beneficial way.
Position on data centers
The Board supports New York State’s moratorium on new hyperscale data centers while the State evaluates their environmental, energy, ratepayer, and community impacts and develops appropriate safeguards. The Board also notes the disproportionate impact of data centers on disadvantaged and rural communities, and will stay engaged with this issue to ensure that localities are not caught in a race to the bottom as this becomes framed as a choice between economic development and environment.
Authorization of a limited pilot
The Board authorizes a limited pilot of the AI-Powered Sustainable Landcare Hub in two phases, with approval required at the completion of each phase, as below. The Pilot will be supported through the Long Island Sound Study grant and other foundation grants. No existing ReWild funds may be used for the project without formal Board approval.
The President will oversee the pilot and report its results to the Board.
Closed phase (Est: Now - Mar 2027)
The closed phase allows selected participants to exercise the Hub while ReWild tests its core premises, identifies weaknesses, and builds confidence that the system is responsible enough for broader participation.
During this phase, ReWild can implement core sustainability principles (for example, the Datacenter selection), and measure system performance (for example, the energy used per completed task compared with a documented general-purpose AI baseline.)
At the end of this phase, ReWild will review the evidence and decide whether to begin the open phase, extend the closed phase, modify the approach, or stop. This is a permission point — not a claim that every hypothesis has already been proven.
Open phase (Est: Apr - Aug 2027)
The open phase allows the public to test the Hub under real conditions. For example, ReWild can measure the percentage of Hub experiences that lead someone to an off-Hub action, such as joining an event, finding a supplier, or applying for a local program. The greater volume and diversity of participation will help ReWild evaluate whether the Hub changes what people do, welcomes new people to landcare, provides useful Spanish-language access, and directs attention and traffic toward local experts and organizations.
Principles to be tested
The Board is proceeding on the basis of five hypotheses that the pilot must examine:
Public engagement: The Hub may help people take practical action consistent with ReWild’s mission.
Lower energy use: A carefully limited and locally focused system may use less energy than comparable use of general-purpose AI.
Language access: The Hub may expand access to sustainable landcare guidance for people who are better served in languages other than English.
Local relevance and accuracy: Curated Long Island information may provide more relevant, accurate, and useful guidance than general-purpose AI.
Accountability: AI can be used more responsibly through privacy protection, transparent sourcing, creator permission and attribution, verified information, disclosure of uncertainty, human oversight, and public reporting.
Content from Long Island nonprofits, individual experts, and other local entities will be incorporated with their permission. Public information, including government information, may be used without permission when legally permitted and appropriately sourced.
Board review
The Board will review the pilot at the conclusion of both phases before considering a public launch.
The project team will present quantitative and qualitative information aligned with the five principles. The pilot will help develop architectural and implementation choices, as well as appropriate metrics that the Board will review. The review will include results, limitations, unresolved concerns, and recommended changes. Specifically, the implementation team should investigate hosting options, prefer the most local/sustainable options, and clearly articulate how the choice aligns with ReWild’s principles.
Following each review, the Board will vote to launch, extend, modify, or stop the project. The Hub will not be launched publicly without further Board approval.
Periodic Board Oversight with Public Transparency
If the pilot is publicly launched, the methodology and metrics collected on the responsible use of the technology will be made available to the public to make informed choices - no stealth AI use. Further, the ReWild Board may continue to require regular updates to review consistency with mission, even beyond launch, and must take public comments into account in the future evolution of this project.