Cascade Alliance

Five Headline Friday (5/4/18)

With you May the Fourth and the Five Headlines (plus one) be!

Pioneering Derry project upcycling waste and re-skilling local people

In Derry, Northern Ireland, an inspiring enterprise, the 4R’s project, which uses upcycling furniture to provide job skills and training to people who have barriers to employment.  This story highlights the importance of partnerships that made this possible:  “It was developed in 2013 as a partnership between the local council and the Resource Centre, Derry. The idea was developed by the council out of an EU Directive and the council came up with the idea that a social enterprise was the best way forward. Any money earned from the social enterprise is put back into the business to help develop it.”

Can Nonprofits Scale to Solve Community Problems?

This article provides advice on options for collaboration when nonprofits (and their donors) see opportunities to scale up or to broaden and integrate related efforts, addressing immediate needs, empowerment, root causes and advocacy.

Two major steel producers’ market reports feature emphases on role of circular economy, recycling and sustainability in steel production

This is your two-fer: This week we saw two major steel suppliers reporting about the steel market with statements about sustainable practices/environmental stewardship in the industry.  Will these market influencers impact the demand for scrap steel that affects mattress recycling?  ArcelorMittal publishes 2017 annual review – ‘Shaping the future of steel’  and United States Steel Highlights Commitment to Sustainability in New Report.

Global Circular Economy Database Launched to Coordinate Circular Innovation

Resource.co reports on Dutch-Based Circular Economy Club, which has launched another crowdsourced platform, this time to make circular economy projects visible worldwide to promote communication and collaboration.  Projects have representation in all sectors, public, private, non-profit, with the strongest showing from Europe.  Check out the database and mapping initiative here

Why Thanos From ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Gets Sustainability So Wrong

Have you seen Avengers: Infinity War? Did it make you think about sustainability?  It did for this Forbes commentator. Solitaire Townsend critiques the movie, and the Marvel Universe, from a sustainability lens.