AI and the Economics of Everyday Environmental Behavior: A Teenager?s Circular Micro-Garden System at Home

This paper explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can support everyday environmental behavior through a narrative case study of one high-school student who transformed a small apartment balcony into a circular micro-garden system. Using kitchen scraps, recycled containers and free AI tools such as ChatGPT and QualiGPT, the student created a household loop where waste became inputs, plants reduced packaging demand and AI guided efficient decision-making. The project demonstrates how AI supports real-time environmental learning by offering personalized explanations, troubleshooting plant-health issues through image analysis and reducing uncertainty around recycling choices. Findings show that AI increased confidence, reduced resource waste and strengthened long-term thinking, which are the key principles in Environmental Economics. While small in scale, the micro-garden functioned as a miniature circular economy shaped by AI-enhanced decision-making. The study suggests that when AI meets hands-on sustainability tasks, teenagers can meaningfully participate in environmental stewardship, reducing waste and practicing household-level resource optimization.