Sarah Bloomquist, Co-Founder, Circular Economy Network (CEN)
The Circular Economy Network (CEN)’s aim is to advance regenerative systems locally and globally through monthly interactive forums comprised of panel discussions with circular economy professionals followed by small breakout group discussions to encourage learning and collaboration. All experience levels are welcome, join the CEN here @CircEconomyNYC and here https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12068372
Be sure to check out Sarah’s blog which includes a fantastic list of sustainability events in New York: https://bronzicorn.blogspot.com/
How did you get started learning about the circular economy?
I got my masters in sustainability a few years ago. My capstone project was a zero-waste project; we did a theoretical project on small scale waste to energy gasification for the Brooklyn Navy Yard. As part of that project I learned about and joined a number of different waste sustainability groups. I also started producing some events for GreenHomeNYC, a nonprofit that supports green professional development in New York. As I attended more and more events I started to hear about the circular economy. Most of the traditional discussions around waste were simply focused on making products more recyclable and getting people to recycle more. While that’s a great goal, recycling still takes a lot of energy and it’s not the perfect solution. The circular economy is more about designing products with their end of use in mind, thinking about what will happen to the product at the end of its useful life, and seeing if we can design it so that we can replace only certain parts that wear out instead of an entire device.
I also started attending Solid Waste Advisory Board (SWAB) meetings; it was such a great resource I’m now in my second term as the chair of the Brooklyn SWAB. The 1989 law that established recycling in New York City also mandated the creation of a SWAB in each borough, although I don’t believe there are currently SWABs in the Bronx or Staten Island (editor’s note: that would be a *great* project for someone looking to start working in waste). Each SWAB holds monthly meetings that bring together stakeholders from the community who are interested in waste: haulers, community gardeners, environmental justice groups, etc. The meetings focus on discussions around what’s going on with local laws and how they affect the community. Attending SWAB meetings are a great way to get an idea of what’s going on in the city around waste and to make some great connections.
How did the CEN get started?
My co-founder and I met at a zero waste design guidelines workshop held by the American Institute of Architects in 2017. This was part of a series of workshops they were hosting focused on finding ways to incorporate deliberate plans for waste management within building design. There was this one workshop that I found especially valuable; it featured a panel of officials from several New York City agencies to discuss the waste problem and started the dialogue on potential collaborative efforts, highlighting the need for ongoing cross-agency collaboration. We left that event feeling as if there was a real, genuine need to catalyze collaboration and communication around solving complex waste issues in this city and beyond.
We were inspired to find a way to bring together people from diverse backgrounds to collaborate on the transition to the circular economy, so we decided to create the CEN. We hold monthly events focused on a general theme central to the transition to a circular economy. Each event features a panel of experts that give an overview of their work followed by small breakout groups where attendees and the speakers work together to address a challenge related to the event topic. It’s a wonderful opportunity for everyone to listen to new ideas and developments related to the circular economy, and equally important, to actively engage in the topic through collaborating and networking across a spectrum of backgrounds and experience levels.
We have professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds at our events, but we’re always striving to incorporate design into the theme and bring in more designers to the conversation – design is really the genesis of consumption and if we can design more products with their end state in mind and how to design them for reuse, then we’re on the right track.
What are some of your favorite circular economy and sustainability resources?
CEN events are a great way to learn about the circular economy and meet some wonderful people working in the space. SWAB events are also a good way to meet people working in waste and recycling.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is the world’s leading organization focused on the circular economy. They put out reports, run programs, and provide support to organizations interested in improving their products.
The Cradle to Cradle Products Institute is the leading certification of products designed to the “cradle to cradle product standard” a framework for product quality assessment and innovation.
WeHateToWaste.com is a really great resource focusing on ways to t reduce your personal waste and waste in your community.
The NYC Department of Sanitation has a lot of information on their website about waste and recycling, including organic drop-off sites, Swap-N-Shop events, and hazardous waste drop off dates.
GreenHomeNYC holds monthly sustainability forums as well as monthly career workshops. Urban Green Council also has a robust event program. NRDC is a great resource for following what’s going on in green policy.
My favorite book that I read in 2017 is Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth. She discusses the need to change our economic models and to change how we measure progress. A growing GDP doesn’t mean that things are equitable or that the earth is being treated well. Topics covered include finding value beyond growth, different business and financial models such as social entrepreneurship, microlending, and shared value concepts.
