How Cleveland's Circular Economy Programs Help Reduce Waste And Build Jobs

In Lithuania, building owners looking to retrofit to improve energy use, reduce heating costs, and lower carbon emissions, can make use of a lending approach that pairs grants and loans. The grants are intended to offset the expense of the loan and can act as a first-loss guarantee for investors.

The Connecticut Green Bank's Solar MAP+ program acts as a "public developer" that bundles, finances, and directly develops solar projects for schools and municipalities that private developers avoid. To date, they've installed nearly 54 megawatts of solar, programmed to save $57 million in energy costs.

Vienna’s public housing is affordable, full of economically diverse residents, and extremely popular. The housing units are open to almost anyone, as 80 percent of residents qualify, and once you sign a rental contract it doesn’t expire even if your income increases. Plus, the rent can only go up based on inflation if it increases by 5 percent in a year.

Through sponsorships and government investment, the Leboku festival in Ugep, Nigeria, has become a global tourist attraction that brings economic benefits to the town. The ancient festival celebrates the yam harvest with contests and performing arts.

La Cosmopolitana Foundation in Colombia offers courses that teach people to live in harmony with each other and nature. The classes focus on sustainability and helping rural communities to work together to create circular economies. Small fees make the classes largely accessible.

A community-led nonprofit restarted New Orleans’ bike-sharing program Blue Bikes with a focus on affordability and equity after a for-profit company ended it during the pandemic. The founders used the bike stands and tools left behind from the original program, the city provided spaces for the bike racks, and the funders provided money for a fleet of bicycles.

The Chicago Tool Library allows members to borrow a wide variety of tools through a pay-what-you-want-membership model.

The Kansas City Streetcar provides fare-free transportation for residents, which helps to get them downtown and promote more economic development. The fare-free streetcar also makes transit more equitable by removing barriers for low-income passengers and improving mobility for people with disabilities.

Bamboo is growing in popularity as a cheap, sustainable building option that can replace hardwoods and other common construction materials.

Feldheim, Germany, built an entirely self-sufficient, decentralized energy grid with funding from residents, the European Union, and the state. They produce their energy with wind turbines, a solar farm, and agricultural waste.