Swine Waste-to-Energy (Loyd Ray Farms) | Sustainability | Duke

Swine Waste-to-Energy (Loyd Ray Farms) | Sustainability | Duke

ByThe Circular Economy Team

Loyd Ray Farms (LRF) is an 8,600-head feeder-to-finish swine operation located in Yadkinville, North Carolina. Traditional waste management systems on swine farms store waste in open-air lagoons that release methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times stronger than carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. To reduce these greenhouse gas emissions, produce renewable energy, generate carbon offsets, reduce odor, and minimize the overall environmental impact of the swine farm, an innovative waste management system was installed at the farm.
The project was made possible through the collaborative efforts of Duke University, Google Inc., and Duke Energy, and grants received from the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the NC Division of Soil and Water Conservation’s Lagoon Conversion Program. The system generates carbon offsets for Duke University, while all renewable energy credits (RECs) generated by the project are contracted to Duke Energy for their project partnership. The electricity generated is either used onsite by the swine-farm facilities, the innovative system, or is fed back into the grid.

Reframing the Curriculum: Design for Social Justice and Sustainability

Reframing the Curriculum: Design for Social Justice and Sustainability

ByThe Circular Economy Team

Reframing the Curriculum is a practical, hands-on guide to weaving the concepts of healthy communities, democratic societies, and social justice into academic disciplines. Developed for future and practicing teachers, this volume is perfect for teacher education courses in instructional design, social foundations, and general education, as well as for study in professional learning communities. The author outlines the philosophies, movements, and narratives shaping the future, both in and out of classrooms, and then challenges readers to consider the larger story and respond with curriculum makeovers that engage students in solving problems in their schools, communities, and the larger world. The book’s proven method for designing units gives educators across grades and disciplines the tools to bring sustainability and social justice into experiential, project-based instructional approaches.

Can Chemical Recycling Technology Solve the Plastic Pollution Problem? | Emerging Tech | TechNewsWorld

Can Chemical Recycling Technology Solve the Plastic Pollution Problem? | Emerging Tech | TechNewsWorld

ByThe Circular Economy Team

The current use of plastics is not sustainable due to the tremendous amount of discarded plastic waste accumulating as debris in landfills, oceans and other natural habits across the world. Mechanical recycling, which as related to plastics is also called back-to-plastics recycling, has been used since the 1970s. However, the quantities of recycled plastics vary geographically. Lately there has been a noticeable uptick in buzz around chemical recycling technology as a potential solution to the plastics crisis. Meanwhile, critics point to drawbacks which include environmental health risks, inefficiency in terms of the amount of waste plastic that becomes new plastic, and high costs.