Doug Specht speaks at GEC Technology and Conservation Webinar

Last week Doug Specht spoke to the Green Electronics Council about sustainability and working from home. The webinar, which forms part of the GEC series on Technology and Conservation sought to explore the environmental impacts of increased working from home during COVID, and what the future might hold. Specht was joined by Kate Lister, President, Global Workplace Analytics and Christopher R. Knittel, George P. Shultz Professor of Applied Economics, MIT.

During the discussion the panel explored how the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly transformed the way organizations operate across the globe – Technology is now playing a critical role as many employees move to 100% telework, business travel and conferences morph into web-based events and school shutdowns give rise to at home learning. A recent analysis of popular web-based meeting platforms found that downloads of these applications more than doubled during the month of March and the preferred device for connecting to some applications is shifting from mobile phones back to computers. The panelists aims to answer; how will the new reliance on technology transform the future of offices, meetings and conferences? Will we increase our dependence on the Internet, and might the devices we use to work, socialize and learn change? How could these changes result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions overall, mitigate climate change and benefit biodiversity?

During the discussion Specht pushed for a degrowth model as the way forwards as the world emerges from COVID, suggesting that this would lead to not only a healthier planet, but also a more enjoyable and sustainable existence for all.

Watch the debate via the GEC website.

Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash