Quiet Industry
Quiet Industry
Helping Communities Address Industrial Noise
Taking on Noise and Pollution from Industry
Industrial growth should not come at the expense of public health, the environment, or the quiet character of communities.
Quiet Communities helps residents, municipalities, and decision-makers understand how noise and pollution from industrial operations — from data centers and gravel pits to manufacturing plants, waste facilities, power generation sites, and crypto-mining operations – impact residents.
The Problem
Data centers, industrial HVAC, waste management facilities, manufacturing plants, power plants, and other industrial operations can generate harmful noise.
These facilities can affect surrounding communities with chronic low-frequency noise that can travel long distances, penetrate homes, and affect both people, animals, and the environment.
“Unlike construction or traffic, data center noise never really stops. It becomes a permanent industrial presence in communities that were never designed for 24/7 mechanical noise.”
- Jamie Banks, Quiet Communities
Health Impacts
Industrial noise is not simply an annoyance. It can disrupt sleep, increase stress, affect cardiovascular health, and worsen existing conditions including PTSD, autism-related sensitivities, anxiety, and heart-related health concerns. Nighttime noise is especially hazardous.
Environmental Impacts
Industrial noise can interfere with the ability of wildlife to communicate, find reproductive partners, evade predators, find food, and survive, contributing to a decline in biodiversity.
Noise, vibration, and site construction can also disturb habitats, reduce natural sound barriers, remove trees and vegetation, and affect nearby waterways, soil systems, pollinators, and grazing land.
Data Centers and their Impacts on Community Health and the Environment
Learn More
Watch Jamie Banks discuss data center noise.
Download the Data Center Fact Sheet.
Explore resources for residents, advocates, and local officials.
Together, We Can Change Course
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