Circular Economies

Alberta urgently needs to foster a resilient and robust local economy, one that will contribute positively to the cause of climate change.

A circular economy takes a systemic approach to production and consumption, offering a net positive contribution to the environment as well as advancing our economic and societal interests.

A recent news release from the World Economic Forum indicates that 395 million jobs could be created by 2030 if businesses focus on what is good for nature first; and with nature-positive solutions, $10.1 trillion would result from new business opportunities. The Head of the Forum’s Nature Action Agenda, Akanksha Khatri, states that we can protect food supplies, make better use of infrastructure and tap into new energy sources by transitioning to nature-based solutions.  

Here in Alberta, we need to stabilize our economy by creating more diversity in our endeavours. This is possible with technology and innovation, especially as it applies to circular flows in the region. We need to ask ourselves, what regionally adapted renewable energy sources can enable these circular flows? According to a recent report from The School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, we could envision Alberta’s contributions to helping Canada meet its net-zero targets by 2050[MM1]. One example is through [CCUS] Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage along with [DAC] Direct Air Capture technologies which extracts and compresses CO2 from the air to push underground and store in disused oil and gas wells or deep saline aquifers. The Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin which covers large portions of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and part of the NWT is an ideal location for both CCUS and DAC. Another example, is Alberta’s opportunity in taking a leading role in hydrogen production (either blue hydrogen made with low-cost natural gas, or green hydrogen manufactured through electrolysis). Hydrogen is a potential fuel source for heat, transportation and industrial use. Alberta’s refining and chemicals industry offers pre-existing expertise and industrial infrastructure, which could enable Alberta to be a significant producer of net-zero high value fuels [ex. Synthetic net zero jet fuel, diesel; ethanol] and chemical feedstocks. Alberta could also be an important biofuels supplier. There are of course challenges and risks but there are also opportunities for Alberta facing these future commitments. According to Mac Van Wielingen, the energy sector could take the lead to reduce carbon emissions; but he acknowledges that all sectors of our economy must collaborate in order to be successful in this major transition. The engagement of other sectors in this province is critical for enabling circular flows and productivity for new development. Daniel Wahl writes in his recent publication “The Role of Design in the Circular Economy” that Life is fundamentally a regenerative community generating shared abundance, rather than an individualistic struggle for survival under resource constraints…  If we are setting ourselves the goal of transforming our industrial systems let us do so in ways that the resulting system can be regenerative in the long run. As even a single circular enterprise is established, co-developments from that initiative have the potential to create further initiatives bringing other sectors into play. This stimulates further growth and diverse economic development. The momentum continues to build prosperity and diversity for the whole community, benefiting young people and creating new economic possibilities for those whose jobs have become obsolete. I use the example of a farmers’ market, as we are all familiar with these establishments which provide nutritious food from local and rural communities. As demand for products and services increases, additional vendors establish new businesses, broadening the range of offerings as well as supporting the market for fresh produce, meat, artisan products, local art, etc. This can stimulate other developments as well, introducing diverse food experiences from various cultures and ethnicities, and prompting other retail businesses to locate nearby. The initiative creates a community hub where people come to buy their food, but also, to enjoy the cultural experience of the marketplace.   So how can technology and innovation develop this model further?  Some examples of steps that we could adopt in Alberta right now include:

• smart farming utilizing sensors and satellite imagery to create better farming practices and efficiencies

• restoration of wastelands

• vertical greenhouses using solar energy

• advancing local food processing

• accommodating changing diet demands with new plant-based technologies

• creating closer contact with customers and farmers through direct delivery systems and online sharing of information

• promoting agritourism

• precision- agriculture technologies in large scale farms and other technologies that can be utilized to benefit other regions as well

• reducing waste and providing food to the needy

• biomass production and composting mechanisms to ensure that food and other biological waste is returned to the soil

• providing re-use, refurbishing and new re-cycling of more materials and products

• 3D printing and makers studios to enhance local development of new products

• green roofs on structures to save on energy costs and provide another source of food production

• retrofitting systems and installing more efficient technology in new builds

• allocating land for renewable energy projects

• developing high-rise photovoltaic power stations that can be combined with animal husbandry and ecotourism which would provide additional revenue streams on the same land plot.

Daniel Wahl describes circular economies further by stating, To create human economic and industrial patterns that fit the way life sustains eco-systems and planetary health we need to co-create diverse circular economies in service of diverse regenerative cultures. Living within the circular and regenerative patterns of life is central to our existence.

EDUCATION and YOUTH  
The circular economy adapts a regenerative business model that involves many stakeholders who are willing to collaborate in the service of a common purpose and vision. A successful bio-regional economy that incorporates circular flows is likely to be a developmental economy where the trajectory toward climate change mitigation and economic prosperity is shared by all people. Using a systems thinking approach as well as a capabilities approach for students and adult learners is an important developmental educational focus that will help shift the economic model. It’s important that the education provided by universities in technology and innovation are aligned with the needs of the communities and regions where these technologies are adaptable for circular economies and lead to positive change. In addition, what if there were accelerator programs outside of traditional educational institutions to help mentor students in social enterprises that were from the beginning intended to be part of circular economies? Or what if some of those learnings were geared toward holistic thinking and self-development in providing support in other regions where young enterprising leaders wished to live and initiate circular flows? Educators could facilitate the various enterprising concepts to adapt to the circular economy in not only our own region, but also, any region of the world. Co-founder of the Next Learner Space, Andre Mamprin, brings his network of educational innovators to support young leaders to create positive change in the world. His team augments the skills and aptitudes of enterprising youth with an enhanced applied community learning opportunity. Andre and his team have a deep passion for helping youth become the next leaders for the future, leaders who will be motivated to drive significant change and tackle our current real-world challenges. The Next Learner Space provides youth with a roadmap to navigate the complexities of the future with greater skill, confidence and success.

DESIGN AND LONG-TERM VISIONING  
We are capable of designing a better future for ourselves by being more connected to the natural environment and the place that we call home. A Circular Economy model is one in which the by-products or waste generated at the conclusion of a product lifecycle re-enters the production and consumption loop as a new resource that can be used again. These processes of circular flows create a developmental economy that can change and adapt to future conditions, and offer the resilience we need in uncertain times. The work of a designer is to connect, enable, resolve, and strategize. In this way design can be used to develop entire business models, rather than just a product or service. We must design for reuse in manufacturing, design for product service systems, design for the recovery of materials, design from bio-materials that are non-toxic, and design for longevity and the right conditions for future generations to continue to live in more regenerative and equitable ways. We also need business leaders and community thought leaders as well as academics, students, farmers, city planners, ecologists, diverse community groups, and philanthropists to collaborate in building human capacity and creating multi-sector partnerships with a shared vision for positive change. This will be a continuous learning process, re-iterative and progressively more emphatic, fostering our transition towards a regionally focused circular economy with regionalized production and consumption patterns. Engagement and participation of citizens will offer a more cohesive and overall productive society where we can celebrate our own vitality, diversity and transformative action with meaning and purpose.

HUMAN AND PLANETARY HEALTH: AN INTEGRATED VIEW  
It is important that we protect the quality of life that nature provides for us. Whether we live in cities or in rural communities, our natural surroundings are critical to our sense of wellbeing and human fulfilment as individuals and as a community. Let us consciously choose to co-operatively work toward a future that promotes human health and planetary health so that future generations enjoy what we desire for ourselves. I believe the best way to engage people and build consensus in communities is to create the conditions whereby every person can imagine a beneficial outcome for themselves, their families, and for future generations. People need to feel hopeful to be motivated to participate in a long-term vision for the future. It must be good for everyone; and productivity will increase in ways we cannot imagine. 

REFLOW EUROPE
A bold experiment is underway in Europe, featuring the co-creation of ‘realistic best practices’ which will engage and animate communities to participate in a circular economy. The REFLOW Project aims to develop circular and regenerative cities through enabling active citizen involvement and systemic change to re-think the current approach to material flows in cities. The project utilizes Fab Labs and maker spaces as catalysts for change in urban and peri-urban environments.

In Paris, a pilot project will create and track a ‘use and reuse’ system for wood materials that are deployed in erecting temporary structures for events and other purposes. Working with a broad cross-section of relevant industry professionals – designers, waste management companies, logistics and event planners – the organizers are exploring ‘timber circularity’, which focuses on the ways in which timber products can be applied and re-applied to maximize use while reducing the drain on natural resources.  One of the busiest cities in the world with respect to hosting events and exhibitions, and in anticipation of welcoming the 2024 Olympics to the city, Paris is an ideal setting for this innovative project which will address barriers to the reuse of wood products, and offer imaginative advances to encourage cyclical activity.

In Amsterdam, the focus of a pilot project in circularity is on textiles. Each year, in excess of 14,000 tonnes of textiles are discarded in this city alone. Organizers here will seek to cast their net widely, collecting and re-purposing much of this wastage by encouraging citizen engagement throughout the process, raising awareness, seeking multiple avenues for re-streaming of materials, and providing incentives for businesses proposing the innovative re-use of discarded textiles. The Amsterdam project will offer an exchange system platform, whereby materials can be tracked, and businesses applying material recycling will be mapped and promoted. Again, community involvement, collaboration and co-creation of responses is key.  

In Berlin, a pilot project will turn its attention to harnessing renewable energy in the form of waste heat, facilitating the redirection of this waste heat from the built environment back into systemic urban use. Organizers will map waste heat use from industrial sources, and explore methodology for developing productive applications of the surplus energy. Project participants and leaders in Berlin aspire to have the city become the leading European pioneer for data-driven usage and recycling of waste heat.  

At the heart of these pilots is a productive ‘making’ approach that empowers citizens, engages policymakers and industry leaders.

Reflow EU website - www.reflowproject.eu