Circular Economy

Ecological Footprint Re-calculation

gillj7 Circular Economy, Green Living

When I first took the Ecological Footprint quiz, I was shocked my score was 1.5 Earths. Sure I recycled and composted everything and had pretty good habits like unplugging all the wires from the outlets when I wasn’t using them, it still seemed high. Especially since I had terrible eating habits. I ate a lot of processed food and anything fresh, such as fruits and vegetables, was not local or organic. So, when I retook the EF quiz and received 1.8 it felt right. I think I must have messed up some calculations the first time to score as low as I did. My true EF score at the beginning of the quarter had to be over 2 Earths easily.

I am very pleased that I followed all my goals to reduce my EF–I’m assuming it did indeed decrease because I can guarantee my habits are a lot more greener now than they were at the beginning of the quarter. I didn’t meet my goal of 1 Earth, which I knew was farfetched but it was still worth a try. The biggest impact I think came from the Food category. I used to eat poultry products every single day and I successfully reduced that down to 2-3 times a week. During the past two weeks alone I only took the bus three times. I used to ride the bus at least two times every day to and from class. I kept carpooling and decreased the amount of time I spent in the shower to around 12 minutes (except when I wash my hair, then it’s not feasible). I’m also buying more organic and not eating as much processed food as I usually have which is not only good for the planet but me too. As I have stuck to my goals the entire quarter, I think it’s safe to say I won’t be reverting to bad habits as easily I’d feared I would.

Article 9: War on Plastic

gillj7 Circular Economy ,

Article 9: 5 Ways for Businesses to Cut Down on Their Plastic Waste

About a month ago, I read an article on CNBC talking about scientists who had, accidentally, created an enzyme that would help make breaking plastic (PET) down easier. Plastic is a hot topic right now and something everyone who cares about sustainability is obsessed with, trying to figure out the best solution or method for dealing with this persistent material that just refuses to die. This article outlined some ways of dealing with it.

Five Ways of Cutting Down on Plastic

  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: An oldie but a goodie. Don’t use plastic when you can avoid it, reuse it, in packaging for example, and recycle
  • Think Through the Consequences: Consider what happens to products at the end of their lifecycle and integrate that into the design (as Ottman called it: Build In, Not Bolted On)
  • Talk to the Waste Industry: Before you go building something, make sure there’s a waste contractor who can deal with it
  • Don’t Forget the Polar Bears: You don’t want a polar bear to be homeless because your product contributed to climate change and melted her home, do you?
  • Shift the Economics: Once it’s in their best monetary interest to be greener, consumers will develop sustainable habits

 

 

Source: GreenBiz

Author: Madeline Cuff

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/5-ways-businesses-cut-down-their-plastic-waste

 

 

 

Article 8: Second Life for Tires

gillj7 Circular Economy, Manufacturing , , ,

Article 8: How Michelin is finding a second life for tires

 

I did not think the tire industry was big on recycling but they are. Although it has less to do with them being environmentally conscious and more with the high cost of buying rubber. A lot of the castoffs end up being burned yet it’s still better than being dumped in a landfill. Every year in the U.S. more than 300 million tires are disposed of. Last year, French tire company Michelin bought Lehigh Technologies, whose specialty is turning the end-of-life tires into micronized rubber powder (MRP), which has many functions such as serving as feedstock for the higher performance tires sold by Michelin.

“…Lehigh’s technologies will become increasingly integral to Michelin’s shift toward a closed-loop production cycle that uses fewer raw or virgin inputs, according to the company’s top executive.”

According to the article, 42 million pounds of tires were repurposed into welcome mats last year. With Michelin behind them, Lehigh is interested in exploring non-traditional markets such as plastics, consumer goods, coatings, sealants, construction materials and even car parts. They are looking to expand use of MRP for things like a car headrest, and carpet and flooring. Times is so far the biggest gating factor.

 

Source: GreenBiz

Author: Heather Clancy

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/how-michelin-finding-second-life-tires