Design the Future

Author: Lindsay Baker & Kira Gould

Women are living, learning, and leading towards a sustainable future. Their stories can help us all accelerate toward that vision in the built environment. Design the Future is a podcast created to elevate and explore the voices of women driving sustainable practices in the built environment and related fields. Lindsay Baker, a sustainability and social impact leader, and Kira Gould, a writer and communications strategist, host these conversations.
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Genres: Arts, Design, Nature, Science

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Miranda Gardner on decarbonizing digital infrastructure
Episode 121
Thursday, 19 February, 2026

Miranda Gardiner is Executive Director of the iMasons Climate Accord (iCA), a non-profit trade association focused on decarbonization of digital infrastructure. She has an architecture background and has worked in a range of organizations -- design firms, associations, and tech companies -- giving her a special perspective. She sees herself as part of multiple industries and communities. Her leadership is marked by commitment to fostering collaboration and facilitating progress, highlighted by successful partnerships with Open Compute Project and RICS Tech Partner Programme, frameworks like the iCA’s Maturity Model, and volunteer engagements. In 2025, Miranda was recognized in Data Centre Magazine’s “Top 100 Women in Data Centers” and Capacity Media’s Most Influential People. We asked her about what advice she has for young professionals, especially as someone who has navigated into a field at the vanguard. She quoted the late Dr. Paul Farmer, who summarized his approach to intense, worldwide healthcare work as “doing hard things with friends.” Miranda says, “That’s it. We get up knowing that it is a challenge every single day. The advice I give is to remain consistent -- keep learning and asking questions and sharing and telling the stories.” Miranda shared some of the challenges in the digital infrastructure realm right now, and mentioned some data center work that she is watching with interest right now, including urban sites in existing buildings and with aggressive water and ecology strategies. “One issue that we’re looking at right now is water and the water-energy nexus,” Miranda says. “I am excited about the potential of this focus and how it relates to how these buildings are designed and how they relate to their communities.”