LIHU‘E — A forum on Zoom at 6 tonight will explore the similarities between the circular economy, Indigenous traditions and the impact of both on mitigating climate change.
LIHU‘E — A forum on Zoom at 6 tonight will explore the similarities between the circular economy, Indigenous traditions and the impact of both on mitigating climate change.
Register at bit.ly/circulareconomykauai.
“Aloha ‘Aina and the Circular Economy, How Hawai‘i can Inform Equitable Economic Development” will be presented by Pua Souza and Kawena Elkington, Ph.D. candidates at the University of Hawaii’s Po‘ai Ke Aloha ‘Aina Research Lab with Professor Dr. Kamana Beamer.
Beamer has an ongoing international collaboration in the study of the circular economy in partnership with colleagues from the University of Augsburg.
This international knowledge exchange has guided recent work exploring how aloha ‘aina as an indigenous philosophy, and the circular economy as a modern economic approach, can inform each other in enacting systemic economic change and transitioning to a more-sustainable and equitable society.
A circular economy, as defined in the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, refers to an economy that uses a systems-focused approach and involves industrial processes and economic activities that are restorative or regenerative by design, enable resources used in such processes and activities to maintain their highest value for as long as possible, and aim for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, and systems (including business models), according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website, epa.gov.
The free Kaua‘i Climate Action Forums are held monthly as a collaborative effort by Surfrider Foundation Kaua‘i, Kaua‘i Climate Action Coalition and Zero Waste Kaua‘i.