Written by daniel

COP21 has just ended and we can celebrate that the world governments have agreed to curb the rise of temperature below 2°. Unfortunately the roadmap to reach such a goal is unclear. It’s also not sufficient: it is highly probable that the few measures and commitments that have been programmed and budgeted won’t prevent the average temperature to rise above 3°, unleashing dramatic consequences for nature and human populations.

Solutions exist though, and they are sometimes just round the corner without us even noticing. Better waste prevention and management could for instance cut CO2 emission by 70%. Future of Waste organized a campaign during COP21 to highlight and help eco-entrepreneurs whose replicable and impacting solutions could contribute to make concrete steps against climate change. The global mobilization of civil society proved that any citizen can have a positive impact on such a major issue.

We hardly see the environmental, social and economic negative impacts of our current linear economy.

The resources we over consume, the social and environmental damages are barely taken into account in national and corporate financial and extra financial reports. Very few people realize the strength they have, as citizens, as consumers, as volunteers to make a shift of paradigm towards a circular economy that would not only safeguard the earth but also generate social inclusion, and employment as the club of Rome puts it on its reports of April 2015. Whether you want to save polar bears, drink clean water, provide decent living condition or strengthen local economy, you are concerned with waste management.

Environment Jedis are just round the corner

Worldwide we are building a heterogeneous network of volunteers and social entrepreneurs whose replicable and impacting solutions provide viable alternatives that anyone can support and help to scale up. Many Waste globe trotters like Circul’r, Recube, Waste me up have done a tremendous job finding them.

➹ Zam-Ké for instance collect plastic bags littering the streets of Lomé to turn them into purses and bags. They prevent the city sewage system to get blocked,

➹ In Brazil, Regina Tchelly picks up edible food that would have been thrown away, and turns it into delicious banquets. She changes the mindset of thousands of Brazilians regarding food,

➹ KmerPad in Cameroon sell cheap washable hygiene products that prevent teenage girls from droping out of school because of their periods,

➹ Winnow in England designed a software that enables commercial kitchens to avoid food waste, save money and reduce their environmental footprint,

➹ Green Bio Energy in Uganda developed a whole network of wastepickers who make affordable cookstove pellets out of organic waste, helping numerous slum dweller to create their own job,

➹ A liter of light in the Philippines invented a system to turn discarded plastic bottles into low cost lightning devices,

➹ Arnab in India uses mobiles device to track and reward separated waste segregation in communities to have better homogeneity and routing so that organic waste goes for instance to piggeries,

➹ E-Cover in Senegal turns old tires into tiles and pavings which avoid them from being burnt causing health and environmental damages

You can make a change in 2016

There are many of such inspiring entrepreneurs round the world and for sure one of them operate not far from where you live and guess what, they surely need your help and you could have a great impact on our planet’s more pressing issues. Let me illustrate teeling you the story of Thibaud Godet who’s made a tremendous change in his carreer, lifestyle and definitely contributed to make this world a better place.

Thibaud contacted us 9 month ago, He had read much about circular economy and wanted to take action. After a few skype calls to know more about his motivations, we ushered him in as Brussel’s Future of WasteCommunity developer.

Since then he has been able to bring together sustainable entrepreneurs from Brussels under the Future of Waste flag. He sourced dozens of mind blowing innovative and sustainable entrepreneurs in our community and helped them solve their challenges so that they can feel supported, benefit from media coverage, launch their crowdfunding campaign, find new business models, logistic solutions and many more. Above all, he shared his enthusiasm and competences so that many more volunteers can better understand circular economy and join the local group he created resulting in many encounters, visits, drinks.

Anna from Tale me is one of the many entrepreneurs Thibaut made us discover. The clothe renting solution she created really matches his values and he took action to help her succeed.

Since then, Thibaut has met even more innovators, developed new skills and knowledge, he has made trainings and is identified within the MakeSense community as a circular economy expert in community development. He is now working on his own sustainable food project and developing a new kind of innovation framework in Brussels. Last but not least, after our many encounters and successes, he has become not only a partner, but a friend.

What is Future of Waste?

We know at MakeSense that citizen engagement can go a lot further than voting, paying taxes and applying a few tips on how to be a better consumer. We want to rock the system by promoting social and environmental alternatives that reach everybody. This is why we created,with the support of our active sponsor SUEZ, Future of Waste, a program dedicated to cope with waste issues in any country or sector. Our community solves challenges through creative and collaborative workshops. For more than a year, we’ve been sourcing social entrepreneurs, analyzing with experts, and creating local communities to help the best initiatives to scale up and have a stronger impact, but we need your help. So join us at join.makesense.org and contact our local community developers in Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Middle East

We are committed to welcome , train, and help anybody that is willing to make a change at a local or international level so come and join us to rock the linear economy and build a more friendly, healthy and wasteless future.