SPOTLIGHT

CIRCULAR ECONOMY & CREATIVE REUSE

Local and regional circular economies are the design challenges for the 21st century, they call for the redesign of just about every “thing” our modern economy has to offer, providing a powerful solution for mitigating the impact of industrialization on our planet's ecosystems. From products and packaging, to production processes and consumption patterns, to imbedding resilience into the built environment, the circular economy provides a foundation that promotes resource efficiency, creative reuse, and local manufacturing within defined regions to reduce our environmental footprint, unleash economic diversity within the supply and demand chains, and to open up the creative opportunity for regenerating local ecosystems.

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IS THE NEXT INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION!

Seattle is emerging as a global leader in leveraging circular economy initiatives by opening up pathways for local and regional entrepreneurs to come forward with viable solutions to the messy reality of waste management, and zero-waste industrial design. Some of these initiatives offer mentorship programs, grant money, and gateways to investment capital to scale their operations for greater impact, while others educate to activate.

The goal of this years spotlight is to share the work of circular economy professionals, to amply their voices, and to explore the vast economic potential that a circular economy wields.

THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

 The Georgetown Steam Plant is the great exhibit. It represents the transformative power that creative and adaptive reuse can have on breathing new life into retired industrial buildings. As the first Science Fair evolves into an annual event, our goal is to document and showcase the progress being made towards its transition into a Duwamish Valley Community Center, SHTEAM educational HUB, and a unique event venue for future generations to explore and enjoy. 

SHARE YOUR WORK. JOIN THE FUN!