Sustainable future

Beyond mountains of waste, a sustainable economy is seen

Written by: Mital Hall

The linear economy has persisted domesticly and worldwide. Until recently, democracies, monarchies, and totalian regimes have all followed the same economic model.

Drawing the line

Linear Economic Model

This model has served many generations, yet it endangers future generations. Some of the consequences are piled in front of us today. Others drift in the oceans, pollute our air, and bring about drought, wildfires, and storms. Looking ahead, the linear takemakewaste of natural resources will be unsustainable.

Resource extraction

Organizations and individuals TAKE raw materials from the planet. Depending on what is to be produced, minerals, water, trees, and anything else needed are acquired.

Manufacturing

The acquired materials are refined, combined, and shaped as needed to MAKE a product.

Distribution

Products are transported, warehoused, and shipped. The route to the consumer is seldom a direct line and may involve several stops.

Consumption

With use, the product’s value diminishes until the linear model reaches its end.

Disposal

Natural resources are partially consumed in a linear model. The remains become WASTE. That waste is seen piled on landfills, floating in the ocean, and polluting the air.

Both ends of the linear economy are unsustainable. At the beginning, resource extraction, natural resources dwindle. At disposal, the planet cannot regenerate useful material from the waste. The takemakewaste process is a catalyst for environmental bankruptcy.

Creating the circle

Circular economic model

In our linear economy, waste is the end of the line. Further use of materials can bring that line around to form a circular economy model.

Sourcing

In both economic models, organizations and individuals must extract raw materials from the planet. The difference is in the amount of those materials needed. The circular model reduces the amounts by reclaiming the output of previous cycles.

Manufacturing

Extracted and reclaimed materials are processed and shaped into products.

Distribution

The circular economy is localized, reducing the need for packaging, transportation, and warehousing.

First use

Individual and organizational consumers have critical roles in a circular economy. They collect products after first use. This enables further use, while limiting any loss of residual value.

Further use

Onsite maintenance and upgradeable design keeps products in service as assets, not waste. Some assets may be downcycled and redistributed. Others may be fully or partially remanufactured.

Biological goods have important roles in a circular economy. Instead of piling waste into methane-producing mountains, biowaste is transformed to biogas, compost, and fertilizers.

Disposal

All of the preceding phases, from resource extraction through further use, limit waste. Recycling — returning used materials to manufacturers — is no longer the only way to divert waste from landfills.

Right-sizing circularity

In 2018, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) found that the current recycling rate was 34%. In announcing that, the USCCF proposed its Beyond 34 initiative. The goal was to put the circular economy within reach of all organizations and communities.

Beyond 34 will right-size circularity. The initiative promotes and supports the challenging transition to a circular economy. That transition can be accomplished through partnerships, greater public awareness, and through clear communication in communities across the United States. Circularity, enabled through the powerful Beyond 34 model, will divert valuable resources away from landfills. Residual value can be claimed through continuous, sustainable loops.

A pilot program conducted in Orlando, Florida assessed current conditions and future challenges. Based on those, several recommendations were documented in a case study report:

  • Organize a recycling champions’ network.
  • Develop a regional plan for recycling.
  • Leverage technology to recover more commodity recyclables.
  • Expand a backyard composting and food waste drop-off network.
  • Develop supportive waste policies and incentives.
  • Engage public and private stakeholders through a collaborative communications campaign.

Planning meeting

Resham Shirsat (Sustainability Project Manager, City of Orlando), who leads Orlando’s continued Beyond 34 initiative, met with Alexa Stone (President, ecoPreserve) and Janaina C. Pasqual Lofhagen (Senior Sustainability Consultant, Jacobs) to discuss stakeholder engagement and further steps forward.

Tags

AWARE of CDC and NIH guidelines

The Baseline Property Condition Assessments described in ASTM E2018-15 do not specify consideration of infectious disease transmission concerns. In a pandemic and post-pandemic environment, that inspection and documentation is essential.

Buildings open to the public must comply with local regulations. For best results and greatest public acceptance, any planning for building repairs and maintenance should not overlook current CDC and NIH guidelines.

Optionally, ecoPreserve's can assist with a comprehensive GBAC STAR™ Accreditation which extends beyond the building to include the goals, actions, equipment, and supplies needed to implement best practices for outbreak prevention, response, and recovery.

Tools tailored to location and need

Disaster resilience requires a select toolset, identified, adapted, or created as needed based on planning calls and inclusive workshop participation.

Business and government organizations today are confronted by threat categories that range from drought to flood, from fire to hurricane, and extend globally to pandemics and sea level rise. Threat categories are broad and diverse, but ecoPreserve and collaborating organizations design resiliency tools for specific local context.

Local needs are identified and verified. Building from that essential understanding, tools are designed, tested in pilot programs, refined, then implemented through action plans.

Today's challenges/
tomorrow's potential

ecoPreserve collaborates with major community and private organizations in optimizing the resiliency and resource efficiency of their workplaces, venues, and public spaces.

In response to ever-increasing environmental, sociopolitical, and public health challenges, we advocate for and participate in assessment and planning actions that directly address disaster preparations, recovery activities, infrastructure improvements, and smart building/city design.

Online and in-person workshops

ecoPreserve designs and leads workshops in varied formats, to achieve varied goals.

Often an event is held for skill and knowledge development, but some needs of an organization or community are better resolved through collaboration to identify requirements and to design solutions. A range of Disaster Resilience workshops are available for solutions planning and development, as well as for training and communication.

Disaster Planning and Recovery Workshops

  • Identify technical and business process gaps
  • Define stakeholders, recovery teams, and processes/functionalities necessary for operation
  • Highlight missed expectations from a data loss and recovery time perspective
  • Address compliance with regulatory agencies and industry standards
Here's how to request further information. Thank you for reaching out!

Here's how to request further information. Thank you for reaching out!

Facility Condition Report

The report is prepared in accordance with the recommendations of ASTM E2018-15, Standard Guide for Property Condition Assessments. This is a partial list of contents:

  • PHYSICAL CONDITION
    • General condition of the building, grounds, and appurtenances
    • Physical deficiencies, their significance, and suggested remedies
    • Photographs
    • Safety issues observed
  • INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPREAD POTENTIAL
  • OPPORTUNITIES
    • Potential operating efficiencies
    • Electricity and water use reductions
    • High-efficiency interior and exterior lighting
  • ORDER OF MAGNITUDE RENOVATION BUDGET
    • Recommended interior finishes
    • Construction costs

Risk Mitigation Improvements

  • IAQ
    • Airflow
    • Temperature and humidity
    • Vertical transportation (escalators and elevators)
  • HVAC EQUIPMENT
    • Settings
    • Conditions
    • Capability
    • Filtration
  • FLOORPLAN
    • Traffic patterns
  • FURNISHINGS
    • Placement for social distancing
    • Clear barriers where social distancing is not possible

Interior Elements

  • Foundation
  • Building frame and roof
  • Structural elements
    • Floors, walls, ceilings
    • Access and egress
    • Vertical transportation (escalators and elevators)
  • HVAC equipment and ductwork
  • Utilities
    • Electrical
    • Plumbing
  • Safety and fire protection

Grounds and Appurtenances

  • Façades or curtainwall
  • Topography
  • Storm water drainage
  • Paving, curbing, and parking
  • Flatwork
  • Landscaping
  • Recreational facilities
Here's how to request further information. Thank you for reaching out!

AWARE of CDC and NIH guidelines

The Baseline Property Condition Assessments described in ASTM E2018-15 do not specify consideration of infectious disease transmission concerns. In a pandemic and post-pandemic environment, that inspection and documentation is essential.

Buildings open to the public must comply with local regulations. For best results and greatest public acceptance, any planning for building repairs and maintenance should not overlook current CDC and NIH guidelines.

Optionally, ecoPreserve's can assist with a comprehensive GBAC STAR™ Accreditation which extends beyond the building to include the goals, actions, equipment, and supplies needed to implement best practices for outbreak prevention, response, and recovery.

An OPTIMIZED Assessment

Certified Sustainability Consultants on a facility assessment team can discover ways to lower energy costs. Their understanding of HVAC equipment suitability and condition along with the specifics of LED lighting retrofits can provide offsets for needed investments in upgrades and replacements.

Knowledge of water systems can bring further savings while averting water waste. It can all be part of an assessment which might otherwise overlook water fixtures and irrigation schedules.

How should a facility be ASSESSED?

A thorough facility assessment finds the issues - on the surface or below - which have a potential negative impact on the building. That brings the facility to meet building codes. Beyond that, the assessment proactively addresses the deficiencies not covered by code.

The occupants of a building benefit as the assessment reveals conditions having a potential impact on their health or safety. The assessment must not overlook those conditions, nor fail to consider the frequency and duration of occupant visits.