Circular Movement is featured in Tunisia

The Circular Movement is winning the world! The Circular Challenge, an action carried out in partnership with Tec de Monterrey, in Mexico, was presented at the Global Engineering Education Conference - EDUCON 2022, held in March, in Tunisia. The event took place from March 28 to 31 and is a world reference in the area of engineering. Amazing, huh?

The article sent by the institution comments on the results of the action, which aimed at fostering the generation of ideas by undergraduate students from the first semester in different courses for the implementation of solutions to real local problems, based on the principles of circularity. In all, students have submitted 35 proposals, focused on solving the problems of life with an ethical outlook, respecting dignity, rights, contributions, and circumstances. The students' proposals included concerns about poverty, inequality, climate change, food, and waste management.

Winners of the Circular Challenge in Mexico

The idea of the winning team involves the manufacture of railings and signage with recycled plastic and their installation throughout the busiest avenue in downtown Mexico City, to improve the pedestrian experience of people with disabilities in the city. Video is available here

And look how cool: The winning team, consisting of 5 people, is currently receiving advice from Monterrey Technological Social Business Accelerator to make its proposal a reality! The students' comment to the institutional journal CONECTA was: "We hope that our project will contribute towards the well-being of people who need it most by building wheelchair ramps, handrails, and Braille signage. Our project intends to tackle two important problems for Mexico: waste and pedestrian mobility, contributing to a more inclusive country, helping our environment and creating a circular economy."

“Education is the accelerator that can help bring circularity to the core of society and the economy; an education that works in parallel on two vectors: awareness and technical training. Circularity cannot be limited to a matter of conscience; it must be incorporated into the day-to-day operation of companies and this transformation must be measured in clear metrics. A strategic synergy between industry, foundations and universities such as that offered by Circular Movement can help shorten implementation times and integrate the concept and technical knowledge for implementation into the minds of young students”, evaluates the Teacher Dr. Maria Elena Olvera, Director of the Department of Sustainable and Civil Technologies at Tec de Monterrey.

"The Circular Movement is made by people, institutions and governments who believe in the urgency of the transition between linear and circular economy. Having a project showcased at an event like Educon, which brings together professionals from all over the world, as a reference in a work of education for circularity, brings immense pride and privilege. Only together we can change the reality of our planet", concluded Vinicius Saraceni, the coordinator of the Circular Movement.

WHAT IS CIRCULAR ECONOMY?

The Circular Economy proposes a new look at our way of producing, consuming, and disposing, in order to optimize the planet's resources and generate less and less waste. In other words, an alternative model to the Linear Economy - to extract, produce, use and discard - which has proved to be increasingly unsustainable throughout history. In the Circular Economy, the goal is to keep materials in circulation longer by reusing them until nothing becomes waste! For this model to become a reality, we all have a role to play. It is a true collaborative circle, which feeds itself, and helps to regenerate the planet and our relations.