Author Archives: Elaine Butler

Thank god for business! I’ve given up on personal action as a force for change in the world. Not enough people care enough for it to have any real impact. Most people don’t want to change how they live, they just want something to change the outcome of the decisions they want to make. AndContinue reading “Newsletter – October 2021”

Same old, same old. Sorry to rain on parades here but I’m sick of webinars talking about how important sustainability is! We get it! We agree! Now how the heck do we do it? Don’t tell me why I should do it, tell me how I can do it! Stop inviting on guests to talkContinue reading “Newsletter – September 2021”

Every time I check my phone there seems to be another bad environmental news story breaking. In July the EU green deal launched with make-or-break warning for the climate crisis and then, this month, the IPCC’s announced that unless we halve our emissions by 2030 and reduce them to zero by 2050 we’re facing aContinue reading “Newsletter – August 21”

When I read the result of the inaugural Hamburg Climate Futures Outlook first systematic attempt to assess the plausibility of various climate futures I was depressed. According to it’s authors it says that achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is feasible and possible but not plausible given the lack of progress on interventions and social changeContinue reading “Newsletter – July 2021”

Circularity in Ireland is like a game of chicken at the moment. Companies are waiting for the government to bring in binding obligations before jumping and the government is waiting for business to start delivering circular solutions before putting demands on voters and the market. We’re starting to see words in policy documents move fromContinue reading “Newsletter – June 2021”

Welcome to the inaugral newsletter of the Circular Design Institute. The aim of the newsletter is to give you a quick summary of the latest developments in circular and sustainable design and manufacturing from around the world. Let’s dive in. What Design Can Do reveals    85 Design Ideas for a Waste-free future  UK startupContinue reading “Newsletter – May 2021”