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If you know me, or have worked with me, you likely have been gently guided to think about your sustainable impact: How can you make a difference with your work, even if you "don't have a sustainability role"? From a more recyclable and cost efficient packaging at Starbucks, to recapturing (and donating!) used HP laptops, to how to think through the impact of your design and sourcing choices, and create value in your role at any step - this is the stuff that lights me up. I'm so glad we get to share it. Outside of my day job, you can find me working with this talented group of women at Circular Spring, bringing circular principles and sustainability as a driver for innovation, ensuring your supply chain and business impact, while mitigating risks and extending your product lifecycle. It's really a win-win, and a no-brainer for your business to think about this early - before regulations and restrictions hit the US markets. 🎉 Feel like you might have a project you'd like help with? Want to learn more about circular and sustainable principles? Get in touch!

🎉 We are thrilled to announce the launch of Circular Spring, an evolution of Circular by Design. Although the name has changed, our mission is the same: to support business and organizational leaders on their journey to develop circular products, services and new innovative business models. 👋 Meet our co-founders:  Behnosh Najafi, PhD, Korina Stark, and Dana Reinert. Over the next few weeks, you will be introduced to each of us individually as we share a bit about our personal and professional backgrounds. 🚀 We're excited to propel the concept of circularity into the spotlight, placing it side by side with now common-place discussions on the need for a clean energy transition. Reaching global climate targets will involve green, renewable energy sources AND keeping existing materials & products in circulation for as long as possible. We hope you join us on our journey: ✅ please follow Circular Spring on LinkedIn  ✅ and learn more about us on our website (circularspring.com) Together, let's make a difference, one circular step at a time! #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #Launch #GreenLiving #Innovation

Exciting times are ahead in the world of sustainability! I’ve been diving into the latest green trends and am thrilled to share some groundbreaking developments shaping our future. These trends promise a healthier planet and open up incredible opportunities for innovation and growth. Here are the top trends making waves in 2024: 1. Decentralized Energy Systems: Imagine a world where energy is generated and consumed locally, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. Hybrid microgrids combining solar, wind, and hydrogen are becoming a reality, empowering communities and businesses with sustainable energy independence 2. Circular Economy: Waste Not, Want Not: The circular economy is gaining momentum, emphasizing the reuse and recycling of products to minimize waste. From fashion to construction, businesses are rethinking their processes to create a sustainable loop of resources 3. Biodiversity and Nature-Positive Goals: Biodiversity loss is a critical issue, but companies are stepping up with nature-positive initiatives. These efforts aim to protect and restore natural habitats, ensuring we leave more nature behind for future generations 4. Innovative Sustainable Materials: The construction industry is embracing new materials like cross-laminated timber and ETFE, which offer lower environmental footprints. These materials are revolutionizing building design, making structures more sustainable and resilient 5. Advanced Climate Technologies: From carbon capture to sustainable aviation fuel, climate tech is advancing rapidly. These technologies are crucial for reducing emissions and achieving our global sustainability goals 6. Electric Composters: Turning Waste into Wealth: Electric composters make composting easier and faster, helping reduce methane emissions from organic waste. This trend is catching on with businesses and households alike, making waste management more efficient and eco-friendly 7. Brand Responsibility and Transparency: Consumers demand more from brands, pushing for transparency and genuine sustainability efforts. Companies are rising to the challenge, focusing on renewable energy, sustainable materials, and rigorous ESG reporting to build trust and accountability. Join the Green Revolution! These trends are not just about saving the planet but about creating a future where sustainability drives innovation and growth. How is your organization embracing these trends? Let’s share our experiences and inspire each other to make a real difference. 🌍💚 #Sustainability #GreenEnergy #CircularEconomy #ClimateTech #Biodiversity #SustainableMaterials #ESG #GreenBusiness #FutureIsGreen

When I was an idealistic young Sustainability advocate in the early 2000s we learned about the 3 pillars of #Sustainability (it was actually 4 pillars then but that's a different story). Let me remind you about the 3 *TIERS* of Sustainability. Back in the day these were Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Now a better categorisation would be: 1. Resource efficiency and differed use (reduce+reuse, whether it's water, power, fabric, paper, etc) 2. Circular economy (reuse+recycle) 3. Responsible sourcing, and green tech Don't listen to those people on social media that tell you green tech is the only thing we should focus on (often while dissing EVs, one of the main examples of green tech, in the same breath). We should always start with resource efficiency. For a building (and other stuff), this means designing out waste, and minimising energy, water and embodied carbon. It means getting form and orientation right and not building glass boxes. Circular economy is waste diversion back into the resource stream (this is a simplification), whether C & D waste, water, etc. Then finally, whatever we still need to newly source and use, let's use stuff from renewable sources, stuff that an Orang-utan didn't live on, or stuff that didn't get made by someone being exploited. Or fancy 'green tech'. Report after recent report says this. But, if you've ever experienced replacing an incandescent light bulb at home with LED (hopefully everyone old enough to be on LinkedIn) this should be common sense. How to do it could be challenging, but that's where your friendly neighbourhood Sustainability Engineer can help 😀

Shown here is #verticalintegration in action. A #VOYAGEROSTYLEBOILER with #EXPLORERECONOMIZER. A great solution for #decarbonization and #sustainability initiatives in your plant operation. Sustainability. It's Within Our Power.

Kickstart 2024 with a commitment to sustainability! Learn how to cultivate carbon awareness and reduce your carbon footprint. Small changes, big impact. https://lnkd.in/dGCs98VQ #Sustainability #CarbonAwareness #CircularEconomy

Carbon awareness is about being conscious of your actions and their environmental impact. It's the realization that every choice you make, from what you eat to how you commute, has an associated carbon footprint. Dive into a sustainable 2024 ⬇️🌻⬇️

Stop Overusing 'Sustainable' As I reflect on the journey of sustainability, I can't help but feel we've strayed from our original path. 'Sustainability'—once a beacon of hope and action for our planet—now seems to dangle precariously on the edge of becoming a mere shadow of its true self, a buzzword stripped of its significance, cloaked in the veneer of marketing schemes. Consider the surge in electric vehicles (EVs). They were supposed to be our answer to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, as I delve deeper, I question: What's the source of the electricity powering these vehicles? If it's derived from fossil fuels, then have we truly achieved sustainability, or have we merely redirected our environmental burden? The narrative around solar panels unfolds in a similar vein. Championed as clean energy saviors, their production is ironically mired in carbon-intensive processes. It's a paradox that gnaws at me—creating clean energy solutions that are themselves birthed through environmental compromise. And then there's the celebrated concept of urban greenery—our green lungs within concrete jungles. While the intention is noble, the reality of maintaining these spaces is often overlooked. Who considers the carbon footprint of watering, trimming, and caring for these urban oases? Rainwater harvesting is another topic lauded in sustainable circles. Yet, it prompts me to ask: Who is ensuring this harvested water is purified using clean energy? It's as if we're content with half measures, satisfied with solutions that only scratch the surface of true sustainability. This wasn't the goal. The essence of sustainability is in holistic approaches that consider the entire lifecycle and impact of our actions. It's about integrity, transparency, and genuine commitment to change, not just superficial adjustments for the sake of public image. As I voice these thoughts, my aim isn't to discredit efforts made but to ignite a deeper conversation about what 'sustainability' truly means. We need to recalibrate, to align our actions with the core principles of sustainability, ensuring that our efforts are as genuine and impactful as the term demands.

It might shock you but the total worldwide circular (re)use of materials has over the last years actually *shrunk* instead of increased. The Circularity Gap Report is not beating about the bush: "The share of secondary materials consumed by the global economy has dropped from 9.1% in 2018 to 7.2% in 2023, marking a 21% decrease over the past five years."   It's become very clear that over the last five decades western countries have exported (and in some cases outsourced) the classic, linear, fossil based production model to the rest of the world. This is turning globlization into an ever more resource devouring moloch that scatters waste around, heedless of the possibilities of reuse/reduce/repair, and is setting a turbo on climate change, as if we have several planets to spare.   Although the words 'circular' & 'circular economy' are trending, and we see more & more (EU) legislation pushing in the right direction, this is not yet transforming into maximal results. As the report mentions: "At the heart of this challenge lies the pivotal role of industry and governments. Industries must reevaluate their production processes and governments must incentivize and encourage sustainable practices but also regulate and penalize wasteful ones. It is a collective responsibility that necessitates collaboration on a global scale."   The building industry as one of the major producers & polluters needs to step up and take more responsibility in the transformation movement. The Report offers four strong recommendations for the built environment (especially in the rich countries, the socalled Shift economies): - prioritise circular materials & approaches - utilise secondary materials (like excavated earth, instead of the endless extraction of 'virgin' resources) - make the most of what exists (renovation > new buildings) - be as energy efficient as possible (aside from well thought, ideally biobased insulation, this also means well dimensioned spaces & cutting down egregious overuse of concrete & steel) All of this needs to happen asap, as every upcoming day, month, year offers a moment to prove building can be regenerative instead of mostly extractive. Full read : https://lnkd.in/ebsYzjAX