Month: August 2019

The circular economy is a topic that comes up quite a bit in sustainability. Though the terminology might be new the concept has been around for a long time. I remember as a kid there was a popular “recycle, reduce, reuse and close the loop” jingle. Luckily, the songs used to educate children on this topic have come a long way since then, even though the concept is still the same. We all get the basic concept of circularity as it applies to our own actions but what is the circular economy all about?

The circular economy is an alternate approach to growth, a definition in which growth isn’t fueled by the consumption of limited natural resources, and where waste isn’t generated as a byproduct. Rather circularity is focused on reduction, reuse and recycling. Each of these components is very important and linked. Reduction or not making a product in the first place is the most impactful. Reuse is the second most impactful, if you have to have it make sure you can use it more than once, and recycling is the last resort if you have to have it and can’t reuse it make sure it is disposed of properly and hopefully gets repurposed into something else rather than ending up in a landfill.

Unfortunately, many of our cultures buying habits are very wasteful, with cheap products that designed to be used once and discarded being the norm. This is a major challenge to circularity. How do you convince enough people that it is better for the environment and cheaper in the long run to buy a reusable water bottle than to buy a case of single use water bottles every week? I’m sure there’s a jingle for that. This is not to say that there hasn’t been progress, recycling is increasingly the norm whether its in your hotel room, at your home or in the garbage receptacle on the street. While recycling is great, as we know it’s the last resort of the three R’s and may even be creating the illusion that its ok to consume single use products.

So enough doom and gloom, let me now mention a couple of examples of circular business practices. After all circularity is often a good investment, as it reduces costs. For those of us in the hotel and restaurant business, Ecolab is a household name. Providing cleaning solutions particularly in laundry and dishwashing are some of Ecolab’s core businesses. Ecolab has redesigned its equipment to be exceedingly water saving, and to reuse water. Many hotels and restaurant have also embraced companies that provide biodegradable and compostable to-go cups, cutlery and packaging.

These are just a couple examples. How do you or your business participate in circularity?

When I’m reading about what various companies are doing to reduce their footprint, carbon offsetting comes up quite a bit. Though I’m loosely familiar with the concept, I realized there is a lot about carbon offsetting that I’m not sure about, and likely a lot of people are in the same boat.

Let’s start with the basics. Carbon offsetting is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gases that is typically used to offset an emission made somewhere else. Offsets come from different providers who are rewarded with the opportunity to sell carbon credits in exchange for making investments in projects that result in carbon reductions such as clean energy or planting trees. Governments, businesses and individuals can buy these carbon offsets as a form of mitigating their own negative environmental impacts.

One of the top carbon credit providers in the US is Sustainable Travel International (sustainabletravel.org). Its their mission to promote responsible travel and tourism that contributes to the economic and social wellbeing of destination. This organization has a handy tool for individuals to calculate their carbon use online and to purchase offsets equivalent to say a trip you are taking. Some airlines offer their customers the opportunity to purchase offsets when booking flights, in addition many green tour and accommodations providers are already offsetting so this is a good thing to look for when you’re choosing providers for your travel plans.  

This all sounds well and good, and overall I think it is a great practice that incentivizes worthy projects that reduce greenhouse gasses, but as with everything there are some other important considerations. Not all offsets are equal. Quality of offsets might vary as well as price so a little research may be required to find the best offset option. Another thing to consider is that an offset is not the same thing as being green, in fact it’s a way to pay a price and support a green project in lieu of being green oneself. Some critics have likened this practice to an indulgence or pardon for bad behavior. So, when possible it best to directly support the business that has made reductions to its own footprint rather than a business that is offsetting. Or if you are considering offsetting yourself, consider how you might reduce your impact first.

Was this information on offsetting helpful? Have you ever purchased an offset? Tell me about it.