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Showing 9 of 98 news items in Circular Economy

Circular EconomyFebruary 19, 2025

How Africa’s smallest nation is cleaning up its waste and energy sectors

In the azure waters of the Indian Ocean lies Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands. While being the smallest country in Africa in terms of land area, Seychelles serves as a strong voice for small island states through its environmental stewardship and sustainable development initiatives. Seychelles is facing numerous challenges relating to the triple planetary crisis: the crisis of climate change; the crisis of nature and biodiversity loss; and the crisis of pollution and waste. To address these, the country has remained steadfast in its commitment to environmental conservation through its partnership with the [United Nations Environment Programme](https://www.unep.org/who-we-are/about-us) (UNEP) since 2002. Seychelles regularly contributes to UNEP’s core [Environment Fund](https://www.unep.org/about-un-environment-programme/funding-and-partnerships/environment-fund?_ga=2.27928575.298943202.1713110845-819168951.1689366334), the organization’s main source of flexible funding and the bedrock of its work on the triple planetary crisis. “The programmes that UNEP has been operating over the past years have really contributed to the success of Seychelles that we see today,” said Flavien Joubert, Seychelles’ Minister of Agriculture, Climate Change and Environment. “We expect that with time, we will continue to evolve in our relationship with UNEP and cover all areas, even those that traditionally we haven’t.”

Circular EconomyFebruary 12, 2025

Sustainability reimagined: NUS students get creative in building a more eco-conscious society

Excerpt and Photo from news.nus.edu.sg Sustainability is a shared commitment that requires everyone to take personal responsibility for the planet. NUS students are encouraged to foster ground-up projects and partake in community initiatives to promote a sustainability mindset and sustainable practices across campus and among the next generation. With hostelites spending much of their time on campus, making sustainable living both accessible and engaging is essential. From island-hopping excursions and food rescue operations to swapping fashion items, discover how students from various NUS hostels are learning and inspiring their peers to embrace a sustainable lifestyle! **Pioneer House** At the heart of [Pioneer House’s (PH)](https://nus.edu.sg/osa/pioneerhouse) ethos lies a fundamental belief in the power of humanity. To this end, one of PH’s core values is promoting frugality and sustainable living as part of a broader effort to remind residents that they can do their part to contribute meaningfully to the House and the wider community. A [Frugality and Sustainable Living Subcommittee](https://nus.edu.sg/osa/pioneerhouse/residential-life/frugal-and-sustainability) comprising 17 like-minded students, led by undergraduate Prisha Ramesh Babu, oversees the planning of different initiatives to promote sustainable living among the PH community. “Our efforts centre on introducing sustainable practices and habits that residents can adopt, while also encouraging a deeper connection with nature. By planning innovative and engaging events, we aim to transform sustainability into an inspiring and enriching aspect of community life!” said Prisha, a Year 2 [Chemical Engineering](https://cde.nus.edu.sg/chbe/) undergraduate.

Circular EconomyJanuary 15, 2025

How Solomon Islands’ water plant became an aid failure

As its bid for the Kongulai project was being evaluated, Rean/PCS was facing scrutiny for non-performance on four separate ADB-funded water treatment systems in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, according to court records from the joint venture’s unsuccessful appeal of the blacklisting. A January 2022 “show cause” letter from the state-owned Madhya Pradesh Urban Development Company, included in the court records, noted that each of these projects was more than four years behind schedule and warned that Rean/PCS was at risk of being blacklisted by the state. The company ultimately was blacklisted for two years in June 2022 — just a month after it was awarded the Solomon Islands tender. The “show cause” letter was copied to ADB staff members, meaning that at least some staff had access to the material while the Solomon Islands bid was being evaluated. ADB declined to answer specific questions about the letter. By August 2022, just three months into the project, Kongulai was already running dangerously behind schedule, according to minutes of meetings between Solomon Water and Rean/PCS. That month, a Solomon Water manager told the board that Rean/PCS had been notified of three breaches of contract for failing to complete key tasks, including securing the insurance needed to build permanent structures, a copy of the report obtained by OCCRP shows. The board was told that it would be “impossible” for the contractor to meet its June 2023 deadline.

Circular EconomyJanuary 8, 2025

Thursday Island community sparking a ride revolution

Excerpt and Photo from abc.net.au Cost of living pain is being felt nowhere more keenly than on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, off the tip of north Queensland where fuel can be anywhere up to three dollars a litre. A grassroots community group on the Island is hoping to ease that burden by spearheading a bicycling revolution and raising funds to buy 100 bikes for the remote island community

Circular EconomyJanuary 8, 2025

Students participate in ‘Tour de Trash’ exploring Oʻahu waste management facilities

Excerpt and Photo from hawaii.edu As the University of Hawaiʻi aims for zero-waste goals, students got a close up look at how waste is handled on Oʻahu through participating in a tour coordinated by the City and County of Honolulu to two waste management facilities: H-POWER and Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill in December. This initiative, coordinated by the UH [Office of Sustainability](https://www.hawaii.edu/sustainability/), in partnership with the Student Sustainability Council, was part of the broader “Tour de Trash” program at UH, which aims to explore the path of our ʻōpala (trash). “The tour de trash was very eye-opening in learning how our waste gets managed and what gets done to it,” said Alexander Ah-Tye, a UH student participant. “Typically we don’t give throwing away trash a second thought since it’s out of sight and out of mind. Seeing it in person really makes you consider how much waste we produce within our island. It made me a little self-conscious of all the times I have haphazardly thrown tons of non-recyclable and non-renewable materials away.” The first stop was H-POWER, a waste-to-energy facility in Kapolei. Participants witnessed how municipal solid waste is incinerated to generate electricity for Oʻahu. A highlight was observing crane operators maneuvering massive amounts of waste into the incinerator. H-POWER processes approximately 700 tons of waste annually, showcasing its role in reducing landfill reliance while generating renewable energy.

Circular EconomyJanuary 8, 2025

Homes built with clay, grass, plastic and glass: How a Caribbean island is shying away from concrete

Photo Credit: Damar Ali. Retrieved from bbc.com On the island of Trinidad, houses are being built using upcycled materials to make them more climate resilient. When Erle Rahaman-Noronha decided to try his hand at farming in 1997, the land he settled on in Freeport, like much of Trinidad’s farmland, had been focused on monoculture – a remnant of the colonial plantations that scarred the region’s history. “There was just a citrus tree every 20ft (6m) – none of these big trees were here,” he says, gesturing around him. Now the 30 acres (12 hectares) more closely resembles a forest, dotted with structures built out of repurposed materials. Rahaman-Noronha hasn’t just reforested his land; he is passionate about ensuring the buildings on his farm are sustainable too. As you enter the farm a concrete house greets you – one of the older buildings on the land. But every other structure has touches of the earth. Clay, harvested from the land nearby; timber from the trees further back on the farm; repurposed glass bottles of all colours that glitter as the light hits them; rounded formations that only hint at the old, upcycled tires buried underneath to provide structure; and textured walls containing patchworks of dried grasses. The farmer is embracing the old Trinidadian ways of building, when residents would use what was available to them, rather than [mass importing materials](https://tradingeconomics.com/trinidad-and-tobago/imports-by-category). Not only is he putting waste products that would otherwise end up in landfill to use, Rahaman-Noronha is employing building styles that provide resilience against the island’s [changing climate](https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/country/trinidad-and-tobago#:~:text=As%20a%20Small%20Island%20Developing,and%20loss%20of%20coastal%20habitats.).

Circular EconomyJanuary 8, 2025

The Rastafarians opening up Caribbean cannabis farms to build a flourishing medical industry

Photograph: Demion McTair. Retrieved from theguardian.com On Golba Hill on the Caribbean island of [St Vincent and the Grenadines](https://www.theguardian.com/world/saint-vincent-and-the-grenadines) (SVG), just below a cluster of colourfully decorated homes, there are rows and rows of premium marijuana plants. Gleaming like green gold in the Caribbean sun, they lead up to a crudely constructed hut where cannabis farmer Bobbis Matthews spends most of his time nurturing and protecting his precious field. As he did his routine inspection, removing male plants that could diminish the potency of his crop, Matthews recalled a time, not too long ago, when the idea of a cannabis farm in a residential area was unthinkable. Like many of SVG’s cannabis farmers, Matthews is a Rastafarian who spent years hiding illegal cannabis fields deep in the mountains and living in fear of US-backed antinarcotics operations that would destroy millions of dollars worth of the plant. “It was hard! At least three times a year, US helicopters would come and tear down the crop. In those days, it felt like you couldn’t even say the word marijuana because just to say marijuana, you could get arrested,” Matthews said. “We had a song called Helicopter. It was about the panic and franticness whenever you hear the sound of the helicopter,” added Matthew’s cousin Erasto Robertson, a conservationist and fellow Rastafarian farmer. “Back then, we had to develop a good relationship with the police. And some would protect us because the policeman sometimes was the son or the brother of the marijuana farmer. They were the same blood, so they were protecting their family and the wealth of their family,” Robertson said

Circular EconomyDecember 10, 2024

The Grenada Green Group Tackles The Plastic Bottle Pollution Problem

Read the full document from [The Grenada Green Group](https://islandinnovation.co/wp-content/uploads/THE-GRENADA-GREEN-GROUP-TACKLES-THE-PLASTIC-BOTTLE-POLLUTION-PROBLEM.pdf) Grenada, known for its stunning beaches and lush green hills, faces a growing challenge: plastic pollution. Taking bold action against this environmental threat is the Grenada Green Group (G3), a non-governmental organization which was registered in 2014. The Grenada Green Group was founded by two tour operators who felt that the litter found throughout the island was not only an eyesore & sending the wrong message to tourists but also a health hazard. They made it their mission to try to tackle this, relying partially on the already existing Anti Litter Statutes passed in 2015. The group worked on eliminating single use plastic bags in grocery stores, eliminating Styrofoam containers for carry out food, awarding certificates to businesses which kept the premises litter free, doing presentations in school to engage young people in the fight against litter. One of the ways we did this was to ask the schools to organize a poster competition. The winning children were given cash prizes. There were several other initiatives but the most recent one, a campaign to collect plastic bottles, has been the most impactful. A chance encounter with a representative of Unite Caribbean resulted in obtaining a grant to initiate the bottle collection campaign & run it for 6 months. Data was collected on several components: The campaign under the Recycle OECS Project, focuses on collecting Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) bottles from across Grenada. These bottles are sent to the Queen’s Park Recycling Facility which is managed by the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority (GSWMA), for processing Additional funding received, has enabled the Grenada Green Group to continue and expand the campaign with the co operation of the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority and various communities throughout the island. It is our intention to add educational components to the campaign, specifically focusing on working with schools to engage young children. An effort will be made to reach out to all 6 parishes as well as our sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique & guide them in establishing their own plastic bottle collection campaigns with guidance from the Grenada Green Group

Circular EconomyDecember 6, 2024

Plastic pollution: Chinese island’s plastic waste turned into artworks

Excerpt and Photo from france24.com As storm clouds gathered on a forgotten beach in China’s Miaodao islands, artist Fu Junsheng picked his way through piles of plastic waste washed up along the shoreline, looking for inspiration.