7R’S - RETHINK our consumption choices
Let’s RETHINK our consumption choices and transition from the take–make-waste economy to the reality of a Circular Economy by making every day sustainable choices.
Why RETHINK? Because we need to know how to make simple, easy little changes that make a big difference. Each time we use one of the 7 R'S of Sustainability, we interrupt the TAKE, MAKE and WASTE linear economy. By applying The 7 R’S of Sustainability to your daily consumption choices we make a BIG difference with little steps.
How to RETHINK the way we consume:
1. Consider your consumption habits and make wise informed choices.
2. Ask: Do I really need this? Do I already have it? Can I borrow it? Can I get it locally and from sustainable sources.
3. Act: Choose to open your mind to new ways of purchasing, be a citizen not a consumer, get rid of the take-make-waste mentality
What others say about the Circular Economy
Watch the “Re-thinking Progress,” 4 minute video from the Ellen MacAuthur Foundation that introduces the Circular Economy.
“Looking beyond the current take-make-waste extractive industrial model, a circular economy aims to redefine growth, focusing on positive society-wide benefits. It entails gradually decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources, and designing waste out of the system. Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy sources, the circular model builds economic, natural, and social capital. It is based on three principles:
1. Design out waste and pollution
2. Keep products and materials in use
3. Regenerate natural systems”
“There's a world of opportunity to rethink and redesign the way we make stuff. 'Re-Thinking Progress' explores how through a change in perspective we can re-design the way our economy works - designing products that can be 'made to be made again' and powering the system with renewable energy. It questions whether with creativity and innovation we can build a restorative economy.” https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/concept
Watch video “10 promising ideas to reuse packaging | Circular economy examples Sustainability” from Sustainability Illustrated
In the video the author says, “In this whiteboard animation, I present 10 inspiring ideas to reuse packaging and avoid single-use packaging based on the research and book by the Ellen MacArthur foundation. Circular economy is not only about recycling and reusing packaging, it is a great way to not have to recycle it.“ https://youtu.be/pysBxD3CoGk
See and hear what Patagonia says in “Why Recycled?”
Why recycled? is a short 13 minute video that looks at the current global challenges facing the recycling system and why Patagonia is switching to 100% renewable and recycled materials. Through interviews with material designers and industrial ecologists, this film urges us to question our own consumption habits and look at the impact the clothing industry has on people and the planet.
Read a critic of the Circular Economy in “Will the Circular Economy Save the Planet?” by Elizabeth L. Cline of the Sierra Club
The author concludes that the circular economy isn't going to save the world. But says it is a useful framework for pushing for change.
"It's the thing that's going to help us get through the next few decades—I hope sooner—to change behaviors and make us realize that we have a problem and that we also have the ability to do something about it."
“The notion that we can go on making as much as we want as long as we reuse it all is a myth that we'll have to leave behind if we ever want to realize the dream of a circular economy.
"We're already past the carrying capacity of the planet," Russell warns. "Unless we repair something without also buying something new—unless we buy a used coat and don't also buy a new one—we are still perpetuating the same system. We'll just have two different marketplaces, and we'll be buying from both."
Check out what others say about the circular economy.
Roland Geyer is a professor in industrial ecology and pollution prevention at University of Santa Barbara and critic of the circular economy. https://www.rolandgeyer.com
Patagonia: The Paradox of an Eco-Conscious Company With Patagonia as a guide, I look at the paradox of embracing an eco-conscious and sustainable message as a for-profit company. https://youtu.be/FaK3koLyChE
The Heather MacArthur Foundation: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/concept
World Economic Forumn on Why the world needs a 'circular bioeconomy' - for jobs, biodiversity and prosperity https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/circular-bioeconomy-nature-reset?