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Showing 9 of 98 news items in Circular Economy

Circular EconomySeptember 25, 2023

Caribbean countries meet in Jamaica to share their experiences on waste management to better protect the environment

Photo retrieved from dominicanewsonline.com In an effort to address the growing challenges of waste management and environmental sustainability in the Caribbean region, a regional training and technical exchange activity opened in Kingston, Jamaica. This initiative aims to strengthen waste information systems and enhance the capacity of participating countries to generate accurate waste management statistics. The Minister of Local Government and Community Development of Jamaica, Honorable Desmond McKenzie opened the workshop saying “Public education has played a key role in the sensitisation of Jamaicans on waste disposal and the risks associated with poor waste management. At the same time, the provision of over 100 trucks to the national Solid Waste Management Authority is helping to keep the streets of Jamaica clean. Through both of these tools, the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development is proving that waste management is high on the country’s agenda.” The Caribbean region faces unique challenges when it comes to waste management and environmental conservation. As the demand for resources continues to rise, the responsible management of waste becomes increasingly vital. To address these challenges effectively, the Zero Waste in the Caribbean initiative was launched to promote integrated and sustainable waste management in the context of a circular economy in the Caribbean. The Zero Waste in the Caribbean project is funded by the European Union, in collaboration with CARIFORUM, co-financed by the German cooperation, and implemented by AFD, GIZ, and UNEP, in partnership with the OECS.

Circular EconomySeptember 18, 2023

New Partnership Aims To Boost Circular Economy In Puerto Rico

Photo credit: RICARDO ARDUENGO/AFP via Getty Images. Retrieved from forbes.com A new strategic partnership aims to boost the circular economy innovation on the island of Puerto Rico to convert unmanaged or landfilled items, such as sargassum seaweed, plastics and tires, into new products. The New York-based technology center, Newlab, and the island’s economic development organization, Invest Puerto Rico, are recruiting entrepreneurs and early-stage companies to pilot innovative waste conversion solutions. The aim is to reduce landfill waste, unlock the potential for renewable life cycles of materials, such as end-of-life tires, waste plastics, and sargassum seaweed, and turn these items into valuable resources. Sargassum is a seaweed whose excess growth in recent years is affecting the coastal ecosystems and communities of Puerto Rico and other nearby Caribbean islands. Tires are another damaging waste stream in Puerto Rico, with almost 18,000 tires being disposed every day on the island. And by harnessing advancements in recycling technologies and circular design principles, the partners seek to make plastic recycling viable in Puerto Rico to alleviate the issues around plastic waste and reduce dependency on imports.

Circular EconomySeptember 18, 2023

Sea sponges offer lifeline to women in Zanzibar

Image credit: Lauraclara Cosmas. Retrieved from bbc.com The quest for prosperity has led Rajabu and 12 other divorced women and single mothers from Zanzibar’s Jambiani village into the Indian Ocean to grow climate-resilient sponges. Farming sea sponges has become a lucrative business for these women in recent years. Many women in Jambiani [farm seaweed](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-44688104), but low yields due to [rising sea temperatures](https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-45106-6_54.pdf) have started to make it to earn a living. In 2009,some women began switching to growing [puff-like soft sea sponges](https://www.britannica.com/animal/sponge-animal): primitive aquatic animals that, when harvested, are used for bathing and cleaning. Sea sponges are more [resilient to warmer temperatures](https://www.jstor.org/stable/90026608) and [filter pollutants such as sewage and pesticides](https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2022/12/22/why-sponges-are-underrated/) out ofthe water. Local women’s rights activists say sea sponge farming is helping to improve gender equality in Zanzibar and has lifted these women out of poverty. The farmers themselves say their quality of life has improved. Sea sponges, which are technically animals but grow, reproduce and survive like plants, are comprised of a shell-like layer, riddled with tiny pores which allows water to flow in and out. The marine creatures are thought to have existed [for over 600 million years](https://news.mit.edu/2016/earth-first-animal-simple-sea-sponge-0222) and may well have been Earth’s first animal. Scientists have identified over 15,000 species [globally](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1191858/full). Marine Cultures, a Swiss non-profit, established sponge farming in Zanzibar in 2009 to enable poor women to earn a better income and help protect the region’s natural resources. “I thought it is a good thing to cultivate the sea, not only to take things out, without giving something back,” says founder Christian Vaterlaus.

Circular EconomySeptember 12, 2023

Traditional boat-building with a modern spin to reduce Marshall Islands’ reliance on diesel

Photography by ABC Science: Belinda Smith. Retrieved from abc.net.au Rising sea levels mean high tides inundate the low-lying land in Majuro more often than they used to, flooding businesses and eroding the coastline. For coral atolls like Majuro, where the sandy land generally pokes only a metre or two above the waves and is no more than a few hundred metres wide, the sea is a constant presence; a roiling ocean stretching to the distant horizon to one side, and a relatively sedate lagoon on the other. And the sea is central to Marshallese culture and economy. For thousands of years, Marshallese sailors have criss-crossed the open ocean and lagoons on outrigger canoes, shuttling people and cargo between islands sometimes hundreds of kilometres apart. Even today, most inter-island transport is done by boat. But where traditional sea transport takes place in wooden canoes with sails****woven from pandanus leaves, modern vessels tend to be propelled by diesel-powered motors. And that’s a problem. Spills and leaks pollute waters and coastlines. Toxic emissions from burning fuel can contribute to conditions such as asthma and cardiovascular disease in people living near ports. But the Marshall Islands has a plan. It involves marrying traditional engineering with futuristic technology to wean its fleets off diesel altogether. The climate-vulnerable nation has also spent decades urging the rest of the world to kick their addiction to fossil fuels. Especially the global shipping industry, which spews a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. Because without rapid decarbonisation, the very ocean that provides so much to the Marshall Islands might one day render much of their limited land uninhabitable.

Circular EconomySeptember 12, 2023

A Break from Crushing Waves: Building Resilience in the Tropical Islands of São Tomé and Príncipe

Photo: Flore de Preneuf/ World Bank. Retrieved from worldbank.org [Safety-at-sea kits that include GPS, sealed pockets to protect electronics, lifejackets and training, have been distributed to about 3,000 fishers (out of an estimated 4,125 fishers) under successive World Bank projects.](https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/immersive-story/2023/09/04/a-break-from-crushing-waves-building-resilience-in-the-tropical-islands-of-afe-sao-tome-and-principe#)The kits are part of a broad menu of interventions that are helping build greater resilience and reduce poverty in the small island state of São Tomé and Príncipe (STP). About 223,000 people live on the archipelago and about 15.4% of the population falls under the international poverty line. Physical investments, financed by the International Development Association (IDA) under the multi-donor [West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Program (WACA)](https://www.wacaprogram.org/) managed by the World Bank, focus on 12 artisanal fishing communities on the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. These include investments in breakwaters, seawalls, road rehabilitation, boat ramps and new, safer housing for people exposed to storm surges and rising tides. Eleven lighthouses that had fallen in disrepair were renovated and equipped with more long-lasting, solar-powered technology. New recreational, sanitary, and educational facilities are being built at the communities’ request to complement the investments in coastal infrastructure. Together, these assets create a safer and cleaner living environment for fishing communities.

Circular EconomySeptember 5, 2023

Welcome to the world’s first zero-waste island

Image: Retrieved from positive.news I already believe that nowhere else will match the quality of life I experience here in Tilos,” says Emmanouil Antonios Fotaras, one of 745 residents living on the small Greek island, located between Rhodes and Kos. Aged 24, Fotaras has seen Tilos achieve national park designation and accomplish energy self-sufficiency with renewables. Now it has become the world’s first zero-waste island. “I knew that [the Just Go Zero project] could bring many advantages,” Fotaras says about Tilos’ efforts to go waste-free, “but I underestimated the extent of its impact.” The changes have been vast. Before the project began, the island sent 87 per cent of its waste to landfill; now 100 per cent of it is diverted from the dump. The scheme has proved such a success that the island no longer has any rubbish bins and the landfill site has now closed completely. In their place is the Centre for Creative Upcycling, where items can either be repaired, reused, or turned into raw art supplies or building materials. The project was overseen and paid for by [Polygreen](https://www.polygreen.eco/), a Greek company that specialises in circular economy solutions, but much of their success came through education.

Circular EconomyAugust 30, 2023

Harnessing Solar Power to Empower Fisherfolks in Bungin Island, Indonesia

Photo: Retrieved from oneearth.org Bungin Island, Indonesia, is one of the most populous islands in the world, with 3,400 people living in an area of around 8.5 hectares. Surrounded by the turquoise sea, most living here rely on the ocean for their livelihoods. Yet, fishers here have faced one persistent challenge: storing their precious catch. They have struggled to access ice cubes to preserve their fish for years, resulting in spoilage and significant financial losses. Seeing the potential for renewable energy, a team of lecturers from Universitas Teknologi Sumbawa (UTS) formed a campus-owned company, Olat Maras Power, to help fisherfolks in the area. Teaming up with New Energy Nexus Indonesia, they embarked on a mission to create a sustainable and affordable solution, the NgebuUTS Cold Storage Unit. The NgebuUTS Cold Storage Unit is a game-changer for the fisherfolks of Bungin Island. Powered by a harmonious blend of solar panels, batteries, and the state’s electricity company, this cutting-edge tool ensures that their hard-earned catches remain fresh for extended periods, overcoming the limitations imposed by nature.

Circular EconomyAugust 15, 2023

Study finds that Pacific Island communities could manage water better with sex-disaggregated data

Photo: Malolo Island in Fiji. © Laura Imburgia/UNESCO WWAP. Retrieved from unesco.org The study consisted of a two-day workshop in Nadi, followed by the collection of field data on Malolo Island in west Fiji. The island covers 20 km2 and has a population of just over 3 000. As there are no rivers, the population is entirely reliant on rainfall and a limited amount of groundwater for its water supply. The water supply is, thus, subject to seasonal scarcity. From 12 to 16 July, the group of professionals conducted a household survey in the villages of Solevu and Yaro. The survey collected sex-disaggregated data on water access, gender roles in water management and how villagers perceived and coped with climate variability and change. The team also interviewed village leaders, nurses and members of the village water committees. Although all of the villagers interviewed recognized the impact of climate variation and extremes on water availability, they found it difficult to associate some consequences of climate variability to normal weather patterns or climate change. The surveyors were particularly interested in rainwater harvesting practices. The survey revealed just how reliant the villagers were on rainwater for drinking purposes, in particular. They also relied on groundwater for bathing, laundry and cleaning, among other uses. In both villages, there was a good distribution of tanks to collect rainwater but they were in need of maintenance and renovation. Often, villagers lacked the requisite skills to undertake minor repairs.

Circular EconomyJuly 3, 2023

Key takeaways from Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator’s discussion on circular living in the Caribbean

Photo: Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator. Retrieved from virgin.com Alongside Caribbean government leaders, Virgin Unite and Richard Branson are involved in the coalition of partners who founded the [Caribbean Climate-Smart Accelerator](https://www.caribbeanaccelerator.org/) (CCSA) in 2018. The CCSA recently hosted a discussion about recycling and circular living in the Caribbean, and what can be done to encourage more recycling in the area. Judlyn Telesford-Checkley, CEO and founder of [Grenada Grows](https://www.grenadagrows.com/), Kimberley Phillip-Daniel, project officer of the Environmental Management Authority managed [Recyclable Solid Waste Collection Project](https://www.ema.co.tt/our-environment/ema-projects/) (RSWCP) and Dr Damien King Chairman of [Recycling Partners of Jamaica](https://recyclingja.com/) (RPJ) joined Dianne Squires, the CCSA’s communications consultant to discuss some of their triumphs and tribulations in establishing recycling programmes in the region. Dr King said that Recycling Partners of Jamaica works with manufacturers of plastic bottles to encourage recycling. Many of the big manufacturers – including Pepsi – have a long history of wanting to take responsibility for the waste that they produce, however to successfully address the problem, it needs to be done in a coordinated way across all manufacturers. “It’s a growing problem, it’s a huge environmental problem and it is best tackled collectively – rather than individually by the manufacturers, who are competitors in many ways,” he said. “And these manufacturers have contributed towards plastic bottle recycling, extending their responsibility to the entire product lifecycle.”