Blue Zero Week 2 Update: Affordability Accelerator @ Impact Hub Austin

This Isn’t Me

Back 15 years ago I was leading an international M&A boutique firm. Most days I would complain to my administrator that so many homeless people were asking me for spare change. One day she made me promise that tomorrow I would ask the first person who asked me for spare change their first name.

Matthew, 52 years old. A. Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Six months prior he was an engineer with Motorola in suburban Chicago. Married, two children, a home in the suburbs. Motorola laid him off. No one would hire him, not even McDonald’s. After 3 months his unemployment ran out. Six months after he lost his job his home went into foreclosure. His wife took their 2 children, filed for divorce and left. He had nowhere to go but the streets. No money, no opportunities, no family, no hope. When I asked him his name he said “Matthew”. And he said “this isn’t me”.

This week we made substantial progress on what Blue Zero Homes can do to create a solution that addresses affordable housing, employment, repurposing goods heading into the landfill, and offering hope to people that need it.

With limited time to create a solution that works we have decided to use a circular economic methodology to design our solution. Our design will identify impact hotspots in the Austin metropolitan area and identify circular opportunities for their housing stock, with the ultimate goal being a business model that is waste-free and regenerative by design.

A circular economy model is inspired by nature’s own ecosystem, resilience and longevity. Waste does not exist in nature. A circular economy ensures an economic system where no materials are wasted. Instead, they are managed in closed loops. Products are designed and built so that after consumption they can be reused, refurbished or repurposed. This means rethinking our products, services and business models. On a material level it means working with regenerative materials. Leftovers and so-called “waste” become the input for the next production cycle until we reach our zero waste goal. The circular economy model also offers a framework for collaboration. It empowers us to co-create, co-shape, co-design and co-own. We need to act fast and time is not on our side. Solutions to our current problems need to be systemic and be adaptable locally. Open source is the right tool to spread Circular Economy practices fast. And we wish to inspire local and global communities to join this process and create real change, one that will have real positive impact.

A circular economy works uniquely, and by design, in the space between governments, businesses, communities, thinkers and individuals — forging powerful partnerships and delivering ground-breaking initiatives to support more sustainable economies and society.Working with hundreds of businesses and local authorities, trade associations and charities to deliver change, and turns thinking into action. It inspires those who have the power to effect widespread change and its influence is driven by evidence, insights and skills.

How do we get the attention from governments, companies and investors to make this project a reality? Consider this: We are missing a tremendous opportunity to unlock trillions in economic value and create a lasting positive impact on the environment. Building a more circular supply chain includes expanding convenient access to curbside single-stream recycling for any resident, ensuring there is efficient sorting and processing capacity for more materials, and developing markets for a variety of end uses with value.

The upside of building a circular supply chain has dramatic social, environmental, and economic benefits, including:

  • 30 million more households with access to convenient recycling
  • 80 million tons of material recovered from residential single-stream recycling — a lift of 4x
  • 250–350 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent reduced
  • $7 billion in new revenue opportunities from recycling for cities and recyclers
  • Innovation in processing technologies and business models
  • $2 trillion-plus in annual U.S. revenues generated by circular manufacturing

At Blue Zero, an estimated 90–95% of our building materials can be reused. As recycled materials are much less impactful than virgin materials — for example, the making of a ton of steel from recycled raw materials costs 75% less energy and CO2 compared to new steel — this value increases even more.

We need help from many people to make this work. Here are our immediate needs:

  1. Build 3 structures on rented land in Austin. The total cost would be underwritten by corporations or individuals. The structures are 2 homes (about 350 sf2) and a small office. Each structure would cost approximately $39,000.
  2. Identify 2 individuals who are unemployed and have attempted to find full-time employment OR 2 people who are on welfare and would work very hard to become independent
  3. Locate sources of non-electronic materials destined for a landfill that could be repurposed.
  4. Build a team of professionals, educators and corporations to help create a viable business for the 2 people.

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