This episode features Lou, Emily Healy, and Joe Rodgers from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, exploring why circular business models struggle to scale despite individual successes. They discuss how systemic investing, capital orchestration, and thoughtful financial allocation are crucial for accelerating the transition to a resilient circular economy.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is an international charity dedicated to accelerating the circular economy to tackle global challenges like climate change and waste. Learn more about their work at ellenmacarthurfoundation.org. Subscribe for more insights on YouTube, and follow them on Instagram and LinkedIn. Please share this episode and leave a review.

...

Circular design is a hot topic, but moving beyond the buzzwords to practical implementation can be a real challenge. In this episode, we go deep with Joe Iles, Head of Design Activation at the Ellen

Circular design is a hot topic, but moving beyond the buzzwords to practical implementation can be a real challenge. In this episode, we go deep with Joe Iles, Head of Design Activation at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to unpack the essential principles and skills every designer should have in their toolkit. Joe shares a compelling perspective on circular design - it's not just about creating durable products, but rather reflecting the complex, interconnected systems that make up our world. He explores why circular design ideas often struggle to scale, despite the abundance of innovative concepts out there. He also shares the key design competencies that are crucial for driving the transition to a circular model, from systems thinking to prototyping and collaboration.  If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review or a comment on Spotify or YouTube. Your support helps us to spread the word about the circular economy. Links mentioned in this episode: • The Circular Design Guide (https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-design-guide/overview?utm_campaign=drumbeat-podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=ce_show_podcast&utm_content=&utm_term=) • The Jeans Redesign (https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/the-jeans-redesign/overview?utm_campaign=drumbeat-podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=ce_show_podcast&utm_content=&utm_term=) • The Circular Buildings Toolkit (https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/articles/circular-buildings-toolkit?utm_campaign=drumbeat-podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=ce_show_podcast&utm_content=&utm_term=) • From ambition to action: an adaptive strategy for circular design (https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/adaptive-strategy-for-circular-design/overview?utm_campaign=drumbeat-podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=ce_show_podcast&utm_content=&utm_term=)

...

Join a conversation with leaders from the nation's top environmental organizations as they address climate action, race, and health crises. Executives from Greenpeace (Annie Leonard), NRDC (Gina McCarthy), and 350.org (Tamara Toles O'Laughlin), alongside host Greg Dalton, will discuss aligning political ambitions with climate science and supporting recovery plans that bolster clean energy jobs and strengthen communities.

For more information, including upcoming events, membership, and past programs, visit the [Commonwealth Club](https://www.commonwealthclub.org/). You can also [Donate](https://support.commonwealthclub.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=298) to support their work, [subscribe to their YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/user/commonwealthclub), or follow them on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/thecommonwealthclub/).

...

As President-elect Biden prepares to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, marking its 5-year anniversary, we turn to Christiana Figueres for insights on global climate commitments. As former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC (2010-2016), Figueres marshaled 196 countries to sign the 2015 accord. She later co-founded Global Optimism to catalyze transformative climate action.

Figueres provides an overview of current climate efforts and future needs. For further details, including her work and related resources, visit her website: christianafigueres.com. Additional conference videos and presentations are available at: cclusa.org/presentations.

...

Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) has evaluated Presidential candidate Joe Biden's climate change plan. Dr. Danny Richter, CCL's Vice President of Government Affairs, notes that the plan signals climate change would be a top priority in a Biden administration.

Richter offers an analysis of the politics and policies related to this proposal. CCL welcomes your questions and reactions to the Biden climate plan.

...

Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure across America to help save California condors and Massachusetts saltmarsh sparrows. First, Jeff travels to the spectacular coastline of Big Sur, California, to

Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure across America to help save California condors and Massachusetts saltmarsh sparrows. First, Jeff travels to the spectacular coastline of Big Sur, California, to the renowned condor sanctuary of the Ventana Wildlife Society. Jeff helps prepare young condors for their new life in the wild and learns about how condors shape their environment - and how the environment shapes them. Later, Jeff travels to his home state to work alongside the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife on a mission to save a unique species of bird that only lives in salt marsh habitats of the East Coast. Video Transcript: Jeff Corwin: Our adventure begins along the central coast of the great state of California. Here, the Santa Lucia mountains rise from the Pacific ocean in a region named Big Sur. This pristine and undeveloped coastline has been described as one of the most stunning meeting points of land and sea on the planet. Circling high above is the mighty California condor. Today, the presence of wild California condors above the cliffs of this coastal state is a miracle of modern conservation.  Jeff Corwin: Look at that. Is that adult or sub-adult? Pamela Flick: Well, because we can see the white wing patch under the wing, that would be an adult condor that we see right now. Jeff Corwin: Now. So that's at least five or six years old. Pamela Flick: At least. Yeah. Jeff Corwin: Incredible. My friends, this is Pam Flick. She is of course, with Defenders of Wildlife. And what makes the story of the California condor is so remarkable? Pamela Flick: Well, Jeff, I think it's a special story because it's one of hope and one that demonstrates that it truly takes a village to save a species from extinction. Jeff Corwin: This is North America's largest flying bird. It's got nearly a 10 foot wing span, it's weighing 20 pounds plus in size. It takes a lot to keep these birds alive, doesn't it? Pamela Flick: It does. They can range over 200 miles in a single day on foraging missions. They need a lot of habitat. Jeff Corwin: So today we can come along this coast and have this spectacular moment. But this was a species that was in true jeopardy, wasn't it? Pamela Flick: Absolutely. In 1982, the entire population of California condors was just 22 individuals. At the time, the decision was made to pull all the condors from the wild to start a captive breeding program. Jeff Corwin: But they're a complex creature. It takes years and years for an adult to get to that point where it can replace itself. Pamela Flick: Yeah, at least six years. And that's one of the problems because they have such a slow population growth and they only breed once every two to three years and they only lay one egg per breeding attempt. Jeff Corwin: So Pam, how many condors do we have today? Pamela Flick: Well, the entire population in the world is roughly 500, and of that, about 300 are free flying today here in the central coast of California, in the mountains of Southern California in Baja, Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. And there are plans to reintroduce condors to the Yurok ancestral lands in Northwestern California within the next year.  Jeff Corwin: That's amazing. Jeff Corwin: Condors have been pulled from the brink of extinction, but the work has just begun. From the famous Pacific Coast Highway One, we're traveling to a protected mountain peak high above the clouds.  Well friends, get ready. You're about to experience one of my most favorite conservation projects in North America. We are working with the Ventana Wildlife Society. Their mission is to save what I consider the ambassador of the California sky. The Ventana Wildlife Society currently monitors more than 100 condors and 10 active breeding pairs. Today, senior biologist, Joe Burnett, and his team are preparing the next generation of condors for their new lives in the wild. Jeff Corwin: Joe, so what is our mission today? Joe Burnett: Today, we're going to get these tags on the birds. So this is how we'll visually identify each individual out in the field with this color number combination. But our first step, we got to get them in the nets and catch them. So let's go do it. Jeff Corwin: All right, let's go do it. This is going to be fun. Jeff Corwin: We enter an area called the flight cage. There are nine juvenile condors in this enclosure and all of them are the product of active breeding programs. Jeff Corwin: What we're trying to do is carefully trying to corral the condor. We don't want to stress it out. Jeff Corwin: But we can only work with one at a time.  Jeff Corwin: Look at the size of this bird. It's just amazing. This is a very young bird we're. Right now it has  probably an eight foot wing span. Just incredible.   Jeff Corwin: For this team, the safety of each condor is the highest priority. Jeff Corwin: I got a good grip... We've hit our character limit. Leave us a comment for the rest of the transcript.

...

Join the Commonwealth Club's Virtual Gala on November 19 at 6 pm to celebrate women's leadership in science and medicine. Learn more, register, or donate at

Read more

Email a Friend