By Mallory Shurtz MGT ‘27
This year’s Earth Day panel at Georgia Tech, “Has the Economy Outgrown the Planet?”, wasn’t just a conversation—it was a challenge. A challenge to rethink growth, technology, and how we live with purpose in a world of increasing consumption and complexity.
The panel featured experts from diverse backgrounds—urban carbon strategists, agroecological farmers, and community organizers—each offering a grounded, human take on sustainability. What struck me most wasn’t the data they shared, but the mindset they invited us into: sustainability not as a checklist, but as a lifestyle rooted in care, reflection, and connection.
The panelists shared three daily questions that offered a powerful framework for intentional living:
Is it meaningful?
Is there a positive benefit?
Am I around people I enjoy being around?
“These aren’t just environmental questions—they’re life questions,” one speaker said. And they are. In a world that expects us—and our technology—to be “on” 24/7, asking what truly matters is a radical and necessary act. The idea that not everything needs to stay connected all the time was a powerful reminder that reducing energy use can start with how we engage digitally.
AI and automation were also central to the conversation. One panelist posed a question that hasn’t left my mind: Are we choosing what AI should do, or are we letting the market decide for us? It made me realize that innovation isn’t neutral—it reflects the values of the people shaping it. The group emphasized that we need to build technology that’s accessible, adaptable, repairable, and useful—tools that uplift communities rather than replace or exploit them.
A recurring theme was degrowth—not regression, but redefinition. One speaker described it as frugal abundance, meeting real needs while prioritizing community and environmental harmony.
Earth Day 2025 left me with lasting questions—and a renewed sense that even small shifts in how we live and think can ripple outward into something much bigger.
*The panel featured Neha Kumar, Associate Professor at the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech and President of ACM SIGCHI; Joe Bozeman, a researcher focused on climate and urban sustainability; Logan Strenchock, Environmental and Sustainability Officer at Central European University and Co-Founder of Cargonomia; and John Mulrow, Director of the Degrowth Institute, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Purdue University, and Co-Founder of DegrowUS.