As students return to physical classrooms – many for the first time since March 2020 – and workers are increasingly called to return to their buildings, the sources of our collective environmental impact are shifting to reflect our changing behaviors and needs. While supporting Southface Institute helps increase the health, efficiency, and resilience of our …

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In the past, the plastic industry has turned to recycling and consumer behavior to solve the plastics crisis. While the challenge to reduce plastic waste remains, the design and building industries’ power may have a more significant impact. AEC professionals can make choices at the beginning of the planning process to reduce plastic in the …

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When consumers choose products and services that aim to eliminate waste and encourage the continual use and reuse of resources, they are encouraging a more circular economy. In fact, consumer choices are the biggest driving force behind growing industry shifts from linear to circular models. To appeal to customers, the government and employee demands, most industries are evolving to incorporate circularity in the product itself, its production and consumption.

The 3Rs—reduce, reuse and recycle—have been taught in many classrooms from elementary school. Unfortunately, most people skip steps “reduce” and “reuse” and immediately go to “recycle” or, worse yet, the trash can.But a world groaning under the volume of waste from its growing population needs to find solutions quickly. With changes in the international market for waste, this imperative continues to gain importance. Thankfully, the philosophy of “zero waste” is taking hold and offering real solutions to overflowing landfills.

Increasingly, consumers, corporations, and cities are waking the sleeping giant that is plastic pollution, as a recent spate of corporate and municipal bans on single use plastic items like plastic straws and bags make global headlines. According to the United Nations Environment, about 60 percent of the more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic produced since the early 1950s …

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Each year millions of tons of plastic waste pollutes our ecosystem and kills thousands of animals. Plastic pollution is our planet’s defining challenge and the focus of this year’s World Environment Day. On June 5, we join the UN and hundreds of countries in the effort to Beat Plastic Pollution. By 2050 an estimated 12 …

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