With building materials responsible for 11% of global carbon emissions tied to embodied carbon, circular economy strategies are not nice-to-have, they’re a critical tool in the tool box. This needs to be evident in every project, big or small, in every jurisdiction and in every design action. In this session, sustainability advocates from a broad background — two architecture principals, the EIC of Metropolis magazine, and the chief sustainability officer of a county government — will share tools for informing teams, moving clients, crafting policy change, and incorporating circular economy into projects. Whether you’re working on a large, new project, small renovation, or tenant improvement, be it for civic, education, private development, or affordable housing, every project can have a circular economy story!

The panelists will delve into findings from a circular economy workshop series that focused on specific challenges to a circular built environment: eliminating waste, fighting the culture of new, questioning ownership, rethinking lifecycles, recovering resources, rallying support, and engendering collaboration across industries. They’ll share case studies on the built environment, spotlighting innovative examples of low carbon design due to minimizing waste and maximizing reuse, as well as highlight adaptive reuse and newly-built projects that sourced recycled building materials and reclaimed furniture, illustrating the positive impact of circularity regardless of scope, region and industry.

Transitioning to a circular economy is not only about materials and processes. It’s also about community-driven decarbonization initiatives. The speakers will discuss how a regional circular economy assessment, and holding environmental justice workgroups to support circular-forward policy and program development, is including the workforce into the conversation. Attendees will learn about best practices and strategies to enact a circular change. They’ll also be introduced to nascent policies intended to incentivize change and tools to help drive conversations with teams and clients.