MARC Solid Waste Management District meets with community leaders to discuss circular economy

Jul 09, 2024
| Posted in
Environment
Attendees of Rounding Up the Circular Economy event

Key community stakeholders recently gathered at Keystone CoLab in the east Crossroads to hear keynote speaker and biomimicry expert Margo Farnsworth discuss lessons from the natural world and how they can be applied to the region's "circular economy."

A circular economy is one where production and consumption of goods involves redesigning, reducing use, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products. This is a key strategy to keep materials in local use and out of landfills.

Farnsworth presented topics from her book "Biomimicry and Business: How Companies Are Using Nature's Strategies to Succeed." Attendees rotated through six "life principle" stations to discuss these ideas in small groups and brainstorm activities that can be taken in the long- and short-term to make regional materials systems more sustainable. Ideas included plant-based plastics that biodegrade and a refocus of consumption to locally produced food and manufactured items.

Participants contributed ideas for short-term, mid-term, and long-term actions to reduce waste based on the six “life principles” that will contribute to our larger regional solid waste planning effort.

Dianna Bryant, MARC Solid Waste Management District Program Manager

Attendees of the presentation included representatives from several community organizations:

  • The Resilient Activist
  • Climate Action KC
  • Repairs First Association
  • Missouri Organic Recycling
  • Midwest Recycling Center
  • A Loving Space Foundation
  • Building a Sustainable Earth Community
  • Foundation for Regeneration
  • Keystone Community Corporation
  • Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
  • Re.Use.Full
  • Deep Roots
  • Goodwill of Western Missouri
  • As well as several local reuse businesses and consultants, educational institutions and regional municipalities
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