CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
CIRCULAR ECONOMY ~
We live in a world with a linear economy where resources from the Earth are extracted, manufactured into products, consumed, and then discarded as waste. This linear model is the fundamental reason for damage to humans and our planet and poses global challenges such as pollution, climate change, and ecosystem damage. A circular economy differs from this linear model of “take, make, and waste.” Unlike a linear economy, a circular economy is regenerative and addresses all three circular economy principles – eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials, and regenerate nature. As a result, circular economic model reduces the consumption of natural resources, the need for landfills, and advances environmental, social, and economic development.
HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN VS ENVIRONMENT-CENTERED DESIGN ~
A human-centered design thinking approach prioritizes people and their needs at the heart of the design process. This approach has been around for a while and has been used to provide solutions to various challenges faced by individuals and communities. However, this approach seeks and limits to human wants and needs. It does not include non-human life, the environment, Earth's forests, oceans, wildlife, and others, including the entire natural ecosystem, which cannot compete with humans but drastically affect their well-being.
An "environment-centered" design thinking approach focuses on creating products, programs, services, systems, and spaces that minimize negative environmental impacts and promote circularity throughout their lifecycle. This approach seeks to balance the focus on human and their activities with the health and well-being of the natural world.
More than ever, it is vital today to advocate and adopt an "environment-centered" design thinking approach to resonate with us humans and the natural environment.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY- Much more than recycling...
While recycling is utilized in a Circular Economy; it is only the last resort. In a circular economy, action is taken in all stages of a product’s life to prevent waste and pollution from being created in the first place while still keeping the value of products and materials at the highest level possible. Since not all material can be recycled, recycling alone is nowhere near enough to overcome the vast amount of waste we produce. Fortunately, by using the 10 R’s of a circular economy, we can remove the need for recycling to a large extent and only use it as a last resort.
