Carbon Literacy and Our Circular Economy
4 May 2023
Nicolás Conde, BOV's Environmental Consultant, believes a circular economy isn't only good for the planet, but has community benefits too.
As we approach the summer, it was time for those colourful sheds on King Street to be taken away and make space for people to enjoy a drink under the sunshine.
Firstly, the team carefully packed the wooden huts, but they were still in great shape, easy to assemble and probably useful for all sorts of things. There was no point in throwing them away.
In fact, as we work towards implementing a circular economy, we try to remember that there's no such thing as “away” and that what’s no longer needed somewhere can feed another project elsewhere. All resources have an environmental impact, for example the extraction of timber and the energy required to make and transport the sheds. By maximising the lifespan of these resources, we have a conscious opportunity to reduce the need for raw materials, unnecessary energy usage and avoidable waste... but how can we do this?
We no longer need these sheds, and we have to prioritise our storage space for the theatre’s sets and props. The solution to this challenge is collaboration.
We can’t achieve a circular economy on our own, isolated from everything else that happens in the city. Bristol is an ecosystem of interconnected businesses and organisations, and each of them has an environmental impact.
Collaborating and communicating with each other can allow us to reduce, recycle and repurpose materials and resources. For this reason, we got in touch with our friends across town and discovered that our sheds could continue being useful for all sorts of things! Thanks to organisations such as Sparks Bristol, Redcatch Community Garden and BDP (to name a few) all our sheds found new homes and reduced the need for raw materials by remaining in use.
Next time we need something, we can ask ourselves: where can we source it from, and what will we do with it afterwards? The answer may be found in all the possible collaborations we can nurture across the city.
Did you know?
You might have noticed that we kept one of the sheds on King St. That’s because it has already been repurposed to become a greenhouse. The Community Greenhouse is a place for Bristol’s communities to experiment with new ways of working and connecting; to share stories and nurture ideas; to plant and grow sustainably and feed a circular economy. Learn more
