Volvo Cars Campaigning Against Single-Use Plastics

On March 30, 2022, the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and Johnson Controls signed an agreement that commits more than $125 million (CAD) to accelerate private sector decarbonization building retrofit projects across Canada.  As originally documented in the 2002 book, The Restoration Economy, the retrofitting of existing buildings is almost always far more green than demolishing old buildings and constructing anew.  “Investments in building retrofits are key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reaching Canada’s target of net zero emissions by 2050. The CIB’s investment will enable Johnson Controls to provide participating organizations the expertise and solutions they need to make their buildings more sustainable while creating hundreds of high-quality jobs in the skilled trades,” said Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.

What goes around comes around, according to the old saying. And in the case of the circular economy, that’s certainly true. The circular economy takes a different approach to the take-make-dispose model of consumption to which many have become accustomed. By reusing and recycling as much as possible, plus repurposing and selling on items that have outlived their initial use, the circular economy is creating jobs and generating economic activity, while easing some pressures on the environment. It’s an approach based on “designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems,” in the words of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The idea is gaining momentum and truly hitting the mainstream as a growing number of household-name brands adopt circular methods and develop products with circularity built in.