A diversion for the World Cup

We'll start with a confession: I love the early rounds of the World Cup. I follow no sports under normal circumstances, but give me four matches a day in the group stage via the Telemundo Spanish-language feed? I will rearrange my entire life to watch tiny little Cabo Verde (a.k.a. Cape Verde) hold its own in a draw against third-ranked Spain.

I have no explanation for this. I know that FIFA is astonishingly corrupt. I know that the United States is playing political games with visas and access. I know that this is generally a shitshow.

I can't look away.

In this era of extreme domestic divisiveness, watching people come together to support the underdogs — fans, teammates, random strangers — it nourishes something deep in my soul. It's soothing to see the joy on people's faces. Japan earning a draw in a well-played game against the powerhouse Dutch team? A delight. Watching the Japanese fans cleaning the stadium after the victory? Maybe things aren't all bad in the world after all.

Because in these early rounds, it's about joy and camaraderie. Nobody's expecting Cotê d'Ivoire to go the distance. Nobody's expecting Haiti to defeat Brazil to get to the knockout stage. And yet these matches bring happiness and hope when everything else feels like it's falling apart. I need the warmth of positive collectivism.

There's probably a psychological analysis of this that I can tie to sustainability or climate, but I have to go. It's time for the next match.

"Hope requires empowerment. It requires a sense of agency. And it requires meeting people where they are."

Alisa Bonsignore
Sustainable Content: How to Measure and Mitigate the Carbon Footprint of Digital Data
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What I've been reading

Please enjoy this scathing obituary of Lee Raymond, the former ExxonMobil exec who was one of the most influential climate science deniers. I hope that prioritizing profits over people and planet keeps him nice and warm in the afterlife.

Have you noticed that we're hitting a tipping point where media coverage is lending momentum to data center opposition? It feels like recent weeks have really highlighted the fact that people do not want data centers in their communities. The Stratos project in Utah really did wonders for bringing data centers into the public consciousness.

Speaking of tipping points: for the first time, in April 2026, more energy came from wind and solar than natural gas. That's a huge milestone.

Shameless and unsolicited cross-promotion of good stuff!

I am once again (always) hyping the Button conference. I'm also hyping the fact that you can save $100 by using my discount code, ALISA100. Yes, I am speaking, but I'm looking forward to so many excellent talks, including this one about designing push notifications that people trust from Lena Shyryna of Kyiv Digital.

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Alisa Bonsignore

Founder, Strategist, and Author

Clarifying Complex Ideas, LLC

We're Going on a Tangent! | Sustainable Content #59