Our Circular Economy
How Does Circular Economy Help?
A circular economy is a model of production and consumption that involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible. Switching to a medium where priority is placed on the recycling ability of materials. Plant material is one of the most easily recycled materials. This is because they die and form manure (upon their decay) for the next generation of plants to come up.
In today’s economy, we take materials from our Earth, manufacture products from them, and eventually discard them as waste — the process is linear. In a circular economy, on the other hand, we prevent waste from being created in the first place. Adopting a culture where we ensure that extremely little waste is created, either as a by-product or an end product, will be a great advantage to mankind. All buildings, public spaces, parks, and event centres should opt for an option where there will be no toxic waste on the planet. Structures like these should be put in place to ensure that a circular economy approach is applied as much as possible.
The circular economy is a new production and consumption model that ensures sustainable growth over time. With the circular economy, we can drive the optimisation of resources, reduce the consumption of raw materials, and recover waste by recycling it or giving it a second life as a new product. Hence, it is safe to conclude that the circular economy’s stability is valid.
How Does Circular Economy Help?
The Circular Economy is an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products, particularly as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally friendly manner.
The green economy is a new production and consumption model that ensures long-term growth. We can use the circular economy to drive resource optimisation, reduce raw material consumption, and recover waste by recycling it or giving it a second life as a new product. All products are manufactured in such a way that they can be disassembled, and the materials will either be broken down by nature or returned to production.
Biological materials are not only environmentally friendly, but they consist of non-toxic, clean feeds, and technical materials are designed to be a resource to be used industrially again. The goal is to throw nothing away and reduce the need for purchasing new commodities, while production and transportation are best achieved with renewable energy.
The concept is inspired by nature, where everything has value and is used, and where waste becomes a new resource. The balance between progress and sustainability is thus maintained. The circular economy provides us with the tools we need to address both climate change and biodiversity loss while also meeting critical social needs. It empowers us to increase prosperity, jobs, and resilience while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and pollution.
How do living walls use circular practices?
The goal of the circular economy is to maximise the use of material resources by following three basic principles: reduce, reuse, and recycle. As a result of some examples of the circular economy, product life cycles are extended, waste is reduced, and a more efficient and sustainable production model is established over time.
Here are some of the ways that living walls use circular practices:
- Living walls reduce waste & carbon production: Building demolitions are an unfortunate but common occurrence in the construction industry, usually fueled by the decision to renovate or expand property. Not only does each demolition erase a piece of history, but it also has negative environmental consequences that are often unavoidable, particularly carbon emissions.
Instead of completely demolishing and rebuilding a structure, living walls can be used to overclad and refurbish the exterior of a building, like an urban green apartment, giving it a new lease on life from the outside.
- Living walls support the efforts against global warming: Everyone is aware of our current climate and how global warming has worsened over generations. Aside from the obvious, such as encouraging more people to cycle or walk to work and properly recycle their waste, the creation of living walls can certainly make a difference.
On hot days, living walls keep the temperature from rising by increasing the humidity of the environment. This means that buildings with living walls can use less heating and cooling, saving electricity for a more sustainable future.
- Living walls provide a sustainable use for natural water collection: Along with the construction of living walls, other types of green infrastructure and/or nature-based solutions are frequently used in combination. Living wall systems, for example, can be combined with a green roof to harvest rainwater.
During this time, it can be used as a natural source of water by the green roof plants, but it can also be shared with the irrigation system of a nearby living wall if integrated.
Consideration of water usage on a scheme and the development of interdependent, connected green infrastructure systems are critical to developing a project that not only actively supports and has a low impact on the local environment but is also efficient.
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If you’re looking for a sustainable and beautiful way to add some green to your space, Eco Foundry is the perfect choice. Contact us today to learn more about our living green walls, leasable and permanent options available.
Picture credits: pixabay.com, unsplash.com, indiamart.com, bdonline.co.uk
Authors: Oluwasemilore Olaitan, Anish Rajani