Circularity: A powerful tool for tackling climate change
Sandra Goldmark is Senior Assistant Dean for Interdisciplinary Engagement at Columbia Climate Institute and Director of Campus Sustainability and Climate Action at Barnard College.
Sandra Goldmark is used to setting stages for actions. A trained theatre designer, Goldmark has been doing a lot of bridge construction lately.as the Columbia Climate School Senior Assistant Dean for Interdisciplinary Engagementshe works across disciplines and departments to promote ideas for creating circular systems to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
Goldmark describes her method As detailed in her 2020 book, FIXED: How to have stuff without destroying the planet. She proposes a series of fundamental changes to the way society handles “stuff”, advocating a shift towards a circular economy. Instead of sending products on a linear journey between a factory and a landfill, Circular Economy Focus on repair, refurbishment, reuse and upcycling to get the most out of every product.
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine will be a guest speaker at the September 20 event,”Harnessing the Circulation: Science, Business and Community. “
Circularity is in the spotlight on Tuesday, September 20, as part of NYC Climate Week 2022. Hosted by Barnard College and Columbia Climate Institute, the event will bring together prominent figures from city government as well as policy and environmental experts to explore, investigate and highlight the value of rethinking consumption. Sign up for the event.
In the Q&A below, Goldmark tells us more about circularity and what she hopes the campaign will achieve.
What is circularity and why is it important?
Circularity provides a framework for thinking about consumption. Circular means moving from what we call a linear system to a circular system. In a linear model, we take materials from the earth, make objects, use them, and basically throw them away. In a circular system, we extract raw materials and make items, but we use them for much longer. We fix them. When we can no longer use them, we break them down into components and recreate or remake them into new objects.
Loops are important because they are powerful and can be used at any scale.It’s a way of thinking [reducing] Waste, it’s a way of thinking about the front end, the things we make and buy. Through circular consumption, every resource we extract from the earth is invaluable and can be used for a long time.
Has the idea caught on in a significant way?
Over the past few years, we have seen a steady increase in awareness and active participation in climate issues. With growing frustration over the lack of action, people are seeing extreme weather events near and far. This frustration leads them to ask, how will we reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the worst consequences of global warming? Circulation is one solution – one of many needed to address climate change – and it works on all scales. The World Resources Institute estimates that doubling the level of global circulation by 2030 could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 20 percent.
How will this event during NYC Climate Week 2022 help more people, communities and businesses embrace circular principles?
For me, the goal of this campaign is to raise awareness about the power of this tool, circularity. Today, we can use it right now—from how we design our products to what we choose to buy and whether we compost. This is actually already present in our community and economy. We don’t have to invent it from scratch, it doesn’t always require a lot of new technology. This is something that we can really leverage right now, and can be used to solve a lot of problems. We can use it as a waste reduction tool; we can use it as a reduction tool. Recycling can even be good for biodiversity, because you use less raw materials, so you destroy less habitat. It’s a very powerful tool, and I don’t think people always realize it’s there and available to us.
