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In the loop

In the loop for longer – buy refurbished

In keeping with Circular Economy principle two: Keep products and materials in use for as long as possible, refurbished computers make for a great example of this. One of the companies operating in this space is Recompute. The company blurb is printed below …

Recompute provide a socially responsible, and sustainable technology purchasing alternative. 

Recompute Certified Refurbished Products aim to deliver the highest quality pre-owned computers and laptops. Our quality control starts from our selective procurement process that ensures only the highest quality products are offered for sale. Once in our hands, they go through a meticulous refurbishment process. Each Recompute product goes through a systemised process for refurbishment which includes:

  • Functionality testing
  • Thorough cleaning and sanitisation
  • Examination with key inspection points
  • Reload of the operating system. 
  • Like New Packaging — Securely repackaged for safe shipping with appropriate cables and chargers. 

Covered by our industry-leading warranty and change of mind return policy, with extended warranties also available.  Recompute Certified Refurbished Products offer substantial savings on a range of handpicked business-grade computers, laptops and servers.

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Upping the anti

An essential aspect of the Circular Economy is upcycling – being able to take what is and imagine it as being something more. If the first principle is to design out waste, then, here we have a great example of how to turn three forks into hooks to hang new ideas from.

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Waste and Circular Economies
 
An in-conversation session with Veena Sahajwalla, leading expert in the field of recycling and smart materials. Waste needs to be re-imagined as a feed stock for remanufacturing into new products, but only after industry has gone through the process of redesign, to minimise the amount of waste produced in the first place. .
 
Presented as part of Lake Mac STEAM Week – September 1, 2022

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REcycling plastic ‘waste’

Petroleum plastic is one of the errors of judgment made by the human species. Recycling discarded containers, then remanufacturing them into more stable products is one way to keep them from doing damage to other innocent species. Resourceful Living is one small business having a go at this process

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REpurpose for palings

A good example of keeping old wooden fence palings in circulation is to imagine them performing another function. In other words, applying a basic circular economy principle, RE-PURPOSE, to extend the utility beyond the original function of providing privacy around a backyard. Rethinking, Redesigning palings into items of furniture, including outdoor settings keeps them out of landfill and locks up the carbon stored within.  See The Paling People.

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Promoting natures ways of doing business 
With nature as our primary exemplar and teacher, it wasn’t hard to talk about how we might shift our thinking from rubbishing the earth to respecting the earth during the Living Smart Festival and Living Together Festival, held at Speers Point Park on 24 & 25 September. 

We (MHCS) partnered with Warners Bay Sustainable Neighbourhood Group to advocate for a less wasteful society that practices the 9 R’s, with a particular emphasis on R4 – Repair and the Repair It Cafe events held every month or so, at Warners Bay Theatre. R3, R5, R6 and R7. (see IMAGE below) were also referred to as we engaged with people who called in to for a chat – including Costa Georgiadis (ABC Gardening Australia host). We have a few others to add to this suite, especially the need for Redesign, which could be linked to R1. From the very beginning, waste needs to minimised when any product is being considered and designs drawn up. In other words, well before any thought of launching into the marketplace, or should we say foisted upon the earth – read Munibung Hill.

We have said it before and we will continue to repeat it over and over…Munibung Hill is a living example of zero waste, of regenerative design, of living in symbiotic relationships within ecosystems that are constantly in a state of renewal, producing abundance and beauty sufficient for all the needs of those living within the carrying capacity of Munibung Hill. Living within the goldilocks zone of not-too-much, not-too-little, just right for the time and place and space.

The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken sets out the principles, while Biomimicry by Janine Benyus describes how to do it.

“Doing no harm is fine, but not good enough”, said Ray Anderson, Interface CEO. “We have to be restorative to make good the damage we have done.”  

MMM … Issue 34, October- November 2022