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Student capstone and applied projects from ASU's School of Sustainability.

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A PET Circular Economy for The City of Phoenix

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The City of Phoenix is interested in bringing a plastic processing facility to the Phoenix metro area. A facility could potentially to increase the diversion rates of recyclables, allow for more efficient use of locally reclaimed material and bring new jobs to the Phoenix metropolitan economy. Contrary to the classic…

The City of Phoenix is interested in bringing a plastic processing facility to the Phoenix metro area. A facility could potentially to increase the diversion rates of recyclables, allow for more efficient use of locally reclaimed material and bring new jobs to the Phoenix metropolitan economy. Contrary to the classic “put it in the bin, we’ll take care of it” attitude presented by large recyclers such as Waste Management and Republic Services, recycling economics are complex; often both a beacon of technological advancement and a lagger with regard to spot-market capabilities. Based on interviews with elite stakeholders and industry research, this mixed method paper will examine the current PET plastic recycling market and the potential for Phoenix to increase its circular manufacturing of plastic. The final analysis will culminate in a proposed set of recommendations that could help Phoenix achieve its long-term waste diversion goals.
ContributorsPunnett, Garr (Author)
Created2018
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Campus Farm Green: A Paradigm for Regeneratively Sustainable Communities

Description

By 2050 more than a third of Tucson Arizona's days will have a heat index of 104 degrees or greater if current excessive energy use behavior continues (Climate Central 2016). During the 20th century, the water table of Tucson's aquifer dropped 200' because of excessive water use. (Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum,…

By 2050 more than a third of Tucson Arizona's days will have a heat index of 104 degrees or greater if current excessive energy use behavior continues (Climate Central 2016). During the 20th century, the water table of Tucson's aquifer dropped 200' because of excessive water use. (Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2013)
Our communities and buildings so far have not incorporated regenerative sustainability, the sustainable design and construction practices that could help avoid these problems.
Campus Farm Green, a new-home community in Tucson, is working to change that. "The Green" explores a new paradigm for developing regeneratively sustainable homes and neighborhoods that goes beyond reducing harm to the environment to helping to heal the environment. The Green has been designed to generate and return to the grid more electricity than it uses, and capture and return to the ground more water than it buys from the water utility. It does this while providing homes that can be sold for a profit at market prices.
This paper describes the challenges and solutions of the sustainably regenerative design and construction that is at the heart of The Green.
ContributorsArchangeli, Dante (Contributor)
Created2019-12-03