How We Use AI — Zero Emission Journey
We get this question more often than you might think: “Do you use AI to write your articles?” The short answer is no — not in the “robots are writing our stories” kind of way. The long answer is that we use AI tools like everyone else does these days: sparingly, responsibly, and only to make our human-written work a little easier to read.
Every article on Zero Emission Journey starts with one of us — a real person sitting at a real desk (or occasionally in a drafty garage), trying to make sense of what “sustainable living” actually means in the real world. Daniel writes his pieces from a small apartment where he’s testing low-cost ways to go greener. Louis drafts his between carpools and trips to the recycling center. Donna writes surrounded by old notebooks full of her thrift tips. Larry sometimes scribbles his outlines on scrap plywood before typing them up later. That’s what our stories come from: actual people trying, failing, and figuring it out.
AI doesn’t replace any of that. It can’t. What we use it for is light editing — checking grammar, simplifying clunky sentences, or tightening up a post when someone (usually Daniel) gets carried away explaining the finer points of reusable coffee filters. Think of it like running a spell-check or asking a friend to proofread your work. It’s a tool, not a substitute for experience.
Sometimes we’ll also use AI tools to help organize long drafts or format tables — like when Louis turns a month of energy bills into a neat comparison, or when Donna wants to make her handwritten composting notes look clean and readable. But the ideas, stories, and experiments? All human. No machine can replicate the feeling of pride when you fix something instead of replacing it or the frustration of realizing your new “eco-friendly” gadget comes wrapped in ten layers of plastic.
We’re also transparent about visuals. Occasionally, you’ll see AI-generated images on this site. We use them when it’s not practical (or environmentally friendly) to take a photo of something ourselves — like an artistic concept of sustainable cities or an illustration of green tech that doesn’t exist yet. We use these images as placeholders or illustrations, not as deception. They’ll never depict real people, products, or events. And if an image is AI-generated, we’ll say so right in the caption.
We understand that AI is a big part of the sustainability conversation right now — and not always in a good way. The environmental cost of large-scale computing, data centers, and digital waste is something we take seriously. As a site about greener living, we’re constantly asking whether the tech we use actually makes sense in that context. For example, we avoid unnecessary automated tools that waste computing power or collect more data than we need. We choose lightweight plugins, green hosting where possible, and tools that minimize our footprint.
We also know AI has its limits. It can summarize, predict, and automate, but it can’t empathize. It can’t tell you how it feels to try and live sustainably while juggling bills, kids, or the occasional power outage. It doesn’t know the satisfaction of mending something by hand or growing your first tomato plant. Those stories matter, and that’s what we’re here for.
If we ever use AI for more than basic editing, we’ll tell you clearly. We believe readers deserve transparency, especially on a site about ethical choices. Hiding behind automation would go against everything we stand for. So if a post says it’s written by one of us, it was. Period.
Here’s what our AI policy looks like in plain English:
- We write every article ourselves.
- We use AI for grammar, structure, or formatting — not content or opinions.
- We’re upfront about AI-generated visuals, and we use them only when it makes sense.
- We prioritize low-impact, sustainable digital tools.
- We never use AI to imitate human voices or fake authenticity.
We’re aware that AI is changing how people write, create, and communicate. We’re not anti-technology — after all, we’re using it to host this very site — but we think the human part still matters most. The internet’s already full of auto-generated articles pretending to be personal experience. That’s not us. When we write about cutting down waste, saving energy, or surviving without a car, it’s because we’re actually living that way — not because an algorithm told us what to say.
If you ever wonder how we put together an article, just ask. You can reach us anytime at [email protected]. We’re happy to explain what tools we use and why. We believe that transparency is part of sustainability too — it’s about accountability, honesty, and making better choices, both for the planet and for the people reading.
So, while AI may help us polish our words, the thoughts, lessons, and mistakes behind them are entirely human — written by people who still occasionally forget to bring their reusable bags.