Nothing in nature is wasted. It all flows back into a big system and becomes food for something else. What if humans could build like this?
That would be a circular economy.
The circular economy contrasts itself with the linear model of production and consumption.
We know that we can decouple economic growth from resource consumption. Advanced economies have been doing this for some time: producing more while consuming less. The circular economy seeks to accelerate those gains intentionally and by design.
The circular economy identifies three types of loops that can create cycling flows of energy and materials: the design loop, the biological loop, and the technical loop. To close those loops, a circular economy needs to:
Eliminate waste and pollution
Keep things in use longer
Regenerate natural systems.
©2026 Erin Rockenhaus. All Rights Reserved.
