Berwick Educational Association: The Circular Economy - how to make our lives more sustainable

What is the Circular Economy? How it can be used to create a fairer, more sustainable future? You are invited to join this two-part online event series, led by Berwick Educational Association, with 2 RSA Fellows in Berwick hosting and presenting.

Lots of us are thinking about what the post-Covid-19 world could (and should) look like. For many, the pandemic is a reflection of the way we have been mistreating our planet, and an opportunity to create a fairer, sustainable future.

In the first of the two sessions, Maurice and Catherine will present the idea of the Circular Economy, including some real examples. The second session will look at how circular approaches are better for people, planet and prosperity.

The Circular Economy uses a different mindset, aiming to keep products and their materials in circulation. Keeping them in use for longer by reusing, remaking, and eventually recycling means we get more value out of them. We aim to improve the productivity of materials and to eliminate waste and pollution.

Instead, in a Circular Economy, all ‘waste’ becomes ‘food’: either for another industrial process or as food for nature - compost! By discarding/wasting less, we extract fewer virgin materials and slow the use of renewable resources. Circular approaches apply to how we design products, choose materials and develop services and business models.

Session 1 - Thurs 10 September

• Introduction – Maurice Ward
• Definition of a Circular Economy
• History and development of the idea
• What are the components of a Circular Economy?
• What a Circular Economy is not
• What are the benefits of a Circular Economy?
• Examples of successful circular products, materials, and business models
• Q&A
  
  

Session 2 - Thursday 1 October

• Recap of Session 1
• Any outstanding Q&As
• Why do we need a Circular Economy? What is wrong with ‘business as usual’?
• Why aren't we already doing this? Barriers and myths
• What are the potential drawbacks and criticism?
• Q&A
• Examples of local initiatives elsewhere - Maurice Ward
• Way forward - what are we doing and what can we do in Berwick? – Maurice Ward
  
  

This event series will be led by Berwick Educational Association, hosted and presented by two RSA Fellows in Berwick. The main speaker will be Catherine Weetman, MSc, FCILT, FRSA, author of the award-winning book, A Circular Economy Handbook for Business and Supply Chains (Kogan Page) and host of the Circular Economy Podcast.

The secondary speaker will be Maurice Ward MSc, FRSA.

To register for a free ticket, follow the ‘Book Now’ link above. The lectures will be delivered online via Zoom. For those who are unfamiliar, it is a free user-friendly video conferencing platform. See below for further instruction.

Zoom instructions:
A few minutes before our start time, just click the Zoom call link (sent to you via email) from a device with a webcam and headset, and you'll be able to be seen and heard by everyone in the group.

The headset is especially important for group calls. It doesn't need to be anything fancy—the kind that comes packaged with a smartphone is ideal. If you don't use one, your microphone can pick up the output from your speakers and that will cause echoes, feedback and all kinds of strange and distracting noises on the call.

If you have never used Zoom before, when you first click the Zoom call link, it will take you through a short set up process and you will be able to create a free account. You will need to install the Zoom software by clicking on ‘yes’ during this process.

If you book this course online, Berwick EA will hold your personal data in accordance with their privacy policy. If you do not wish for your personal data to be held, please book by post (see www.berwickea.co.uk ) and do not supply an email address.