See Watch Video button below for recording of this event
The Speaker
Rubbish Ideas is a UK-based sustainable design consultancy which designs, makes, and sells only products and services which support the circular economy
Connor Bryant
is a circular economy entrepreneur, campaigner, and speaker. He co-founded Rubbish Ideas and is CEO of The Rubbish Project, and as the names suggest both companies are focused on creating a rubbish (waste) free world.
The Rubbish Project is a Belgium-based company working with the major producers and consumers of disposable single-use packaging to re-design their business model and create a closed-loop system for packaging
The Talk
Connor shared his knowledge and experience of the circular economy and gave knowledgeable answers to a torrent of questions. The main points he covered were:
- The resources of our planet are finite, so we need to get used to re-using them rather than throwing them away.
- The circular economy is based on a hierarchy of principles:
- Reduce – use less, think before you buy
- Rethink – new ways to live, driverless cars and shared tools
- Re-use – keep it and use it again or pass it on to someone else
- Repair – mend it or take it to a repair cafe.
- Recycle – the end of the road. Only if none of the above possible.
- What we can do. Follow the rules above. Before you buy something, Google it to see if you can find a recycled version or a repairable one. Seek out ethical suppliers and call out unethical ones.
Tips from the talk for you to follow
During and after Connor’s talk, some audience members found the time to share a range of tips about ways to take part in the Circular Economy. Please keep the ideas coming – sufopmail@gmail.com
Refresh!
https://www.refreshwycombe.org/
Chiltern Shopping Centre High Wycombe, Bucks
10.30 to 3.30 every Saturday
A ‘scrap store’, run by Wycombe Environment Centre, full of rolls of fabric, paper, and lots of other lovely things that would otherwise have been thrown away. You can buy them at low prices to use in your own craft and other activities. At the moment only open on Saturdays. If you’d like to volunteer, we could open more!
Other Wycombe activities including a Repair Café can be found at http://www.wycombefoe.org.uk
Ethical clothing
Baukjen for ethical clothing online – “disrupting the fast fashion model”often including garments made from recycled materials; some available to rent.
Who Gives a Crap
Paper recycled for use as lavatory paper. Half of profit goes towards building toilets where they are needed in the world. Lots of scope for gifts for your environmentally conscious friends.
Fairphone
A smartphone where you can replace individual components when they break. They also exchange your old phone for a gift voucher and claim to pay attention to working conditions.
Ethical Consumer Magazine
https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/
An online subscription magazine which scores consumer products, shops and brands against a range of criteria including environment, people, animals and politics.
Triodos Bank
An ethical home for your current account. “Our mission is to make money work for positive change.”
Connor himself suggested we take a look at this:
Precious Plastics
Learn and share how to recycle, build and work with plastic. Could be a terrific add-on where there is already a repair cafe.
Two minute Precious Plastics video
Speak up for our Planet 