Circular Triangle 2021 Year in Review
By Jared Goldman and Jennifer Hill Carrigan
2021 has been a tumultuous year to put it mildly. We swore in a new president, rolled out vaccines against COVID-19, and landed a spaceship on Mars. Circular Triangle has also been very busy in 2021. We have expanded our network of volunteers to include members from the wider Triangle community, including the local universities, allowing us to act with inputs from many different perspectives. We took several concrete steps towards increasing local capacity to accelerate the transition to a circular economy by drafting a resolution for Triangle-area City Councils and kickstarting a consumption-based emissions inventory. We also focused on several projects to create circular systems in the construction and demolition sector by launching a project with Triangle J Council of Governments, working with a local design and build firm on waste management, and supporting a revolutionary affordable housing project.
The Resolution in Support of a Circular Economy outlines concrete measures that would lay the foundations of a sustainable, local economy for the Triangle. Some of the suggestions made in our resolution are deputizing the Planning and General Services departments to create circular infrastructure, prioritizing toxic waste reduction in low-income areas, and leveraging Offices of Workforce Development to catalyze local circular business development. Using the levers of local power in this way allow for meaningful changes on a repeatable scale. Once these measures are implemented, other cities of similar sizes across the nation will be able to look to the Triangle as a leader in the sprint to circularity. Countless conferences around the world, from COP26 in Denmark to the G20 conference in Milan, have highlighted the need for cities to lead the charge in circularity. Indeed, many City Councils need to see proof of concept of measures working in other municipalities before implementing them on their own. The Triangle could set an example for cities throughout the US if they begin to implement smart, sustainable policies as outlined in our resolution.
Circular Triangle is coordinating with the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke to generate a consumption-based emissions inventory (CBEI) for the Triangle. A CBEI measures the amount of carbon generated by the consumption of goods and services of a region rather than only emissions produced there. This metric is a better representation of the total impact that individuals and industries in a geographic region have on the environment since it measures the carbon created by transporting, using, and disposing of products and services in the region. A CBEI supports the transition to a circular economy because it exposes the impact our “stuff” has on the environment. It also provides policymakers with information on wasteful local practices that can be targeted to maximize the impacts of sustainable policy. The CBEI goes beyond what Triangle municipalities currently have included in their climate action plans. For more information on CBEIs check out our recent article on the subject.
Triangle J Council of Governments is a regional planning agency with 46 member governments that help collaborative regional efforts, including things like coordinating disaster recovery and creating plans for affordable housing. This year, TJCOG began working on closing the loops on construction and demolition waste with Circular Triangle. Much of what is thrown away on a construction site has the potential to be reused, but there are not currently many systems to recover these materials. Only an average of 38% of mixed C&D debris gets diverted from landfill. Among the diverse communities making up the Triangle J Council of Governments, this issue is one that counties and cities of all sizes struggle with, especially as waste is frequently transported across city and county lines. There is a great need for collaboration regionally and across sectors, as both private and public entities interact frequently in this highly regulated industry. While this project is only just beginning, we’re excited to see the next phase in 2022.
As a local design-build firm based in Durham, Haven is uniquely positioned to address the amount of waste generated during the construction phase. We partnered with Duke graduate students and Haven to identify and break down barriers to waste reduction in the construction waste stream of a typical single-family home in Durham. The students’ findings will be incorporated into a new site waste management plan, with a goal of replicating these best practices to residential construction in the Triangle.
The revolutionary affordable housing project is Durham Community Land Trustees’ Alma Street Commons project in Durham. The project is the only affordable housing development in North Carolina to receive the prestigious Living Building Challenge certification. This means that the building will be self-sustaining in terms of water and energy consumption, be constructed with nontoxic materials, and rejuvenate the surrounding natural ecosystem. It will be built on Alma Street in East Durham, leading to quality of life improvements for residents and neighbors. Circular Triangle supported the project this year through the creation of a comprehensive communications plan that will span the lifecycle of the project. We’re excited to see the next steps and support this innovative project in the future.
As 2021 has come and gone we have all adjusted to the “new normal” in different ways. At Circular Triangle, we have taken the opportunity to conduct more events over Zoom, increase the number of initiatives we support and champion, and continue to grow our organization. We hope that 2022 will bring with it more growth of our Circular Triangle community, more discussions of circular solutions, and a whole lot less COVID-19 and greenhouse gas emissions. If you are interested in learning more about the work of Circular Triangle or joining our efforts, feel free to attend our monthly all-hands meeting on February 1st at 7:30pm, sign up here to volunteer or donate, or reach out to jennifer@circulartriangle.org. We hope to hear from you soon so we can create a circular future for 2022 and many years to come.
