Leaders in Energy and Alexandria Emerging Technology Center Co-host the Workshop “Sustainable Manufacturing: Building a Circular Economy in Washington DC/Baltimore MD/Northern Virginia Region"
Contact:
Janine Finnell, Clean Energy Ambassador and Founder
jafinnell@yahoo.com
Barbara Englehart, Director, Business Sustainability
703-963-8924
barbara.englehart@gmail.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alexandria, VA, February 26, 2015 – To support businesses and governmental organizations in the development of a circular economy, Leaders in Energy and Alexandria Emerging Technology Center will co-host a workshop to examine the potential for companies to manufacture products in a sustainable manner to advance a 21st economy that operates most efficiently, similar to nature where materials cycle and flow. The workshop will be held at the Alexandria Renew Enterprises facilities on Thursday, March 19, 2015.
Today’s industrial linear processes, the “take, make, dispose” model, are putting the planet’s resources, our ultimate supply chain, at risk. A circular economy transforms that model with a holistic approach to the design and use of products, materials, and resources to maximize their value. It offers economic benefits to businesses through opening new routes for revenue and maximizing profits, as well as creating new jobs, building resilience in local economies, and market competitiveness.
With 6 million manufacturing jobs lost in the United States between 2000 and 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing is essential to job creation, at all skill levels. It spurs innovation and contributes to balanced budgets and balanced trade, community resilience and cultural richness. The Brookings Institution has found manufacturing is also essential to the development of a sustainable US clean economy, which is nearly “three-times as manufacturing-dependent as the overall economy.”
Leaders in Energy and Alexandria Emerging Technology Center want to make our contribution to the deep and lasting success of an American manufacturing renaissance. “Let’s make, use and re-use what we need locally, in circles of shared, lasting prosperity for all people and our planet,” says Silvia Leahu-Aluas, Leaders in Energy Director of Sustainable Manufacturing and Principal Owner of Sustainable Manufacturing Consulting.
“We see this as an opportunity to help companies grow their business and their bottom line,” says Barbara Englehart, Director of Business Sustainability for Leaders in Energy.
“How can we make circular economy practices a reality in our local area by adapting from others who have been implementing these ideas successfully? We will explore these topics and others.” says Janine Finnell, Founder & Clean Energy Ambassador, Leaders in Energy.
“The Alexandria Emerging Technology Center is honored to co-host this event with our friends at Leaders in Energy,” says Tim Bagley, President of Alexandria Emerging Technology Center. “We believe that a focused, regional effort centered around sustainable manufacturing can have an enormous beneficial impact on our regional economy,” he says. “We all know the importance that manufacturing has in the creation of jobs and wealth and there has never been more urgency than right now to create a clean industrial revolution that can drive economies of every scale,” says Bagley.
To attend the event, please register at: www.leadersinenergy.org.
After the workshop, please join the Happy Hour at Connect113, South Columbus Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.
Leaders in Energy
Leaders in Energy is now part of the Circular Economy Global Network Map which is managed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Leaders in Energy engages professionals who delight in thinking about, discussing, and collaborating on energy, environmental, and sustainability topics through online and in-person networking events. We seek to attract like-minded individuals who are passionate about dialoguing, collaborating, and seeking solutions to energy, environmental and sustainability challenges. Through its 1,200 + member LinkedIn site and monthly professional networking events in the Washington, DC area, the group collects and exchanges ideas and information to build a specialized network of professionals who are interested in making a difference through transformative leadership and actions. Circular economy is part of this transformation.
Alexandria Emerging Technology Center
The Alexandria Emerging Technology Center’s (AETC) mission is to connect the local and regional business community, entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, citizens and governments to incubate, educate, showcase, and integrate new and emerging technologies to drive wealth creation and improve quality of life by reducing our collective impact on the environment.