Managing growth and the environment (p.g 96-99): circular economy + renewables

Managing growth and the environment

What are examples of brands where their center of identity is being ‘green’? How do they do this?

Ecoalf — they use recycled materials (from plastic bottles, old clothes, tyres, etc) to make clothing and footwear

IKEA — emphasises they use sustainable material like wood from pine trees (these grow fast, so they cut them down but also plant them).

The Body Shop — ingredients from renewable natural origins + packaging which is reusable (they offer refills stations in shops) and from recycled materials

Those are just a few of the ways businesses, governments and individuals are promoting how to protect the environment and support economic growth at the same time.

How are individuals achieving this?

Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle

Conscious purchasing: choosing products with minimal packaging, buy local and seasonal food and opting for sustainable brands like the ones previously mentioned.

• Remember, brands can be sustainable but it is up to the CONSUMER to decide to shop from them or not

Conserve energy and water

Supporting Green initiatives: community clean up events, volunteering

Renewable energy or walking

We know pine trees are sustainable because these are fast growing and can be replanted pretty fast. What are more examples of sustainable wood? What about other wood that take longer and are therefore probably NOT sustainable?

Sustainable: oak, bamboo

Unsustainable (slow growing, aunque podría ser sustainable if ethically sourced with managed plantations): teak, mahogany

A group of businesses, governments and other organisations such as the _____ and the _____ have come together to help the development of sustainable strategies.

This is as part of a _____

World Economic Forum and the European Economic and Social Committee

Circular economy

Circular economy

A process to reduce waste and develop ways of using the same resources many times

Avoids things like single use plastics

• Water bottles

• Spoons

How are products in a circular economy treated so that they are able to reduce waste, pollution and CO2 emissions?

Instead of being thrown away to end up at landfills, dump or burned products in a circular economy will:

• be reused, shared or repaired

• be refurbished (improved), re manufactured or recycled

For example, many chairs in IKEA are partly made from recycled plastic/materials.

What is the aim of the circular economy?

To keep everything in use for longer. This perpetual loop (key term) ensures that products and materials have continuous value at every stage.

Some waste might be inevitable but efforts should be made to find a use for it. E.g garden and veg waste can be used as compost to grow new plants

Circular economy wheel

What is the name of the global organisation set up to promote these ideas of the circular economy? What is their aim when doing this? What entities make up their members?

Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE)

Their aim is to promote and develop ideas to enable human and environmental wellbeing

Many members, from multinational companies (e.g Unilever, ING) to governments (e.g South Africa, Slovenia) and global organisations (e.g UN Environment, WWF)

PACE circular economy projects focus on plastics, electronics and capital equipment, food and agriculture, textiles and fashion

Second hand:

Electronics: people sell second hand phones, batteries have recycling spots

Why is using fossil fuels bad? Give 2 reasons.

Making electricity/energy from oil, gas or coal (fossil fuels) is not good for the planet.

• They are resources that will run out

• They produce large quantities of greenhouse gases.

What is therefore also an important part of the circular economy? Examples?

Using resources that won’t pollute or run out. For example, renewable sources

• Wind, solar, geothermal, tidal, hydropower

Case study: power in Paraguay

What general info can you tell me about Paraguay? Location, population and HDI

Country in South America

Relatively small population of aprox 7 million

Highly development with a HDI of 0.7

Case study: power in Paraguay

What is the top 4 exporters of electricity in the world?

What is the name of the largest hydropower plant and in which country is it?

Paraguay is one of the world’s largest produces of ____ per head of its population

Canada, France, Germany and Paraguay

Itaipu and it is in Paraguay

Renewable energy

Case study: power in Paraguay

What is a statistic about the amount of energy produced by the Itaipu?

What are 2 good things about energy being produced by the Itaipu?

It can produce 5 times more electricity than the country needs

2 good things

• Uses renewable energy to supply itself.

• Providing an example to other countries in how to invest in the economy while having more sustainable practices

Case study: power in Paraguay

If we promote growth in an environmentally friendly way, we are also encouraging ___

Why is promoting that good?

Sustainable development

We benefit the society (growth) and protect the future of the planet

Sustainable development

Meeting the needs of today, while ensuring that future generations can also meet their needs