The Odd Gumnut | February 11, 2022 |
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Hello Earth-lover! We are writing to you from Down Unda! That's slang for Australia ;) What the heck are we doing here, you ask? Kunal - our resident 'waste as resource' guy - has taken on a the ultimate 'waste as resource' task, writing the policy of circular economy for the City of Melbourne. Cool, right? Don't worry, we will be back in August in time to bring ALT EFF to life in Panchgani.
This newsletter is all about the circular economy! What is it? Why do we need it? Who is already doing it?
Frankly speaking, overhauling our economy from linear (read: extract resources from Mother Earth, make stuff, throw stuff out, pile stuff in landfills to rot into methane gas) to circular (read: collaborating to design waste out of the system & perpetually re-using materials) is god damn bloody essential. We have no choice but to make the switch. Are you on board? With fresh sun tans and backward-flushing toilets, Laura and Kunal Khanna ps. while off the farm, we're upskilling in new ways. Like learning home mushroom cultivation and better zero-waste business strategies. Stay tuned on our Instagram. |
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Selfish consumers or compassionate creatives? Classical economic theory is based on the definition that we, the people, the driving agents of the economy, are individual, selfish, consumption-hungry materialists and in order for economic stability, we must constantly increase our production & consumption of goods. Phew...that's pretty grim & devastating isn't it. We like to think of ourselves as caring, compassionate, creative, collaborative stewards of this planet, that inherently desire connection & love, to care & be cared for, and to thrive & learn & grow. Now that sounds better, eh? Read on for real-life, community examples of the circular economy. |
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Driven by design at its core, circular economy is the shifting of our current economies away from virgin materials (which are mined & extracted from the Earth) towards the resources and materials already in play. Existing materials become the core resource that enables the lives we live. What does it require? Collaboration, innovation and yes, technology. | | |
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Trash that become carry bags Upon arrival in Melbourne, we met Luke. He gets it. He knows that we cannot afford to keep throwing things out! The circular economy is based on the value of materials either in staying stable or increasing as they get used. (Compare that to recycling, where materials lose value with each use.) Into Carry is the perfect example of this. They are taking trash - plastic bags, candy packaging, tetra packs - and turning them into an amazing range of bags. Even the clips & plastic components of that bag are made from plastic waste (like the lids of coca-cola bottles) which is pressed into pellets and melted into a mold. They ensure life-time use of their bags by offering repair on all parts of the bag. | | |
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Plastic is theoretically 'recyclable', trouble is our current infrastructure can only effectively recycle a tiny percentage of the world's plastics - the plastic must be segregated, clean and uncoloured. In practice, where all plastic bottles mix together in waste collection, it's laborious and impractical to segregate out just the recyclable ones. Samsara has developed an enzyme that breaks down plastic - of all grades - from polymers back to monomers, its base material. Once in that from, it functions like virgin plastic! Ready to become anything. Wow, that's incredible. Here we see how the circular economy relies on new technology and innovations so that we can get the most out of used materials. | | |
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We have just scratched the surface. For a deeper dive and more circular economy resources, head to Kunal's blog post (first link). Thanks for reading & exploring this brave new world. As a token of our gratitude, please enjoy this 4-ingredient, buttery-divine shortbread recipe. It's a staple in our kitchen and ALWAYS a winner. Yum. Ps. Our Airbnb, Shyama, is open for bookings! Book direct with us (+91 740 017 5557) for a discount. Keep visiting the farm and drinking Rise Up Kombucha! We love you. |
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