This week on Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, tackles the issue of artificial intelligence (AI) and how we might just be able to use it to reclaim our humanity. This week, we are in conversation with Jason Delambre, a Kentucky entrepreneur, sustainability consultant, and Owner of Midwest Clean Energy Enterprise. Jason is a Certified Energy Manager who holds bachelors degrees in History and Architecture, and a Masters of Community Planning. Jason lives in Frankfort, Kentucky and works with clients to maximize profitability through effective utilization of natural resources and the development of ground‐breaking energy efficiency and carbon reducing solutions. Throughout his career, Jason has developed a unique vision of the economic and energy efficiency synergies possible through innovative business, infrastructural, financial, policy, and community organizing strategies.
On January 30th, we brought Jason back to campus at UofL for another conversation about AI and Sustainability, this one called "Escaping the Grind: How AI Helped Me Reclaim My Humanity." We are often told AI will replace us. But what if it can liberate us? After 20 years of "grinding" through professional obligations and administrative exhaustion, Jason took a one-year sabbatical to see if he could rebuild his life. He shared the story of how he used AI to build a "digital scaffold" around his day-to-day life—handling the organization, the planning, and the details—so he could recover the bandwidth to focus on what matters: deep connection, creativity, and being present. Shifting the "robotic" work of our modern responsibilities to a machine allowed Jason to become a more grounded human.
Jason recommends these recent articles on the impacts of AI:
"Researchers Studied What Happens When Workplaces Seriously Embrace AI, and the Results May Make You Nervous" (Futurism): https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/what-happens-workplaces-embrace-ai
"Something big is happening in AI — and most people will be blindsided" (Fortune): https://fortune.com/2026/02/11/something-big-is-happening-ai-february-2020-moment-matt-shumer/
As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW!
Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at https://forwardradio.org
The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at https://appalatin.com