Session 3: How the Circular Economy Improves Sustainability

Rather than produce, use, and discard products, today’s economy must save resources by producing, using, reprocessing, and reusing resources, then creating new products in a Circular Economy.

Anica Landreneau, Director of Sustainable Design, HOK Architects, will briefly define the term “Circular Economy,” so that we may apply the term clearly to various sectors and businesses during the panel.

Panelists in specific sectors of the Circular Economy will then describe how this resource-conserving model applies to (1) the food recycling industry, as set forth by Walker Lunn, Founder of EnviRelation, a hotel food waste composting company, and a serial entrepreneur, (2) the battery recycling industry, as told by Eric Lundgren of Big Battery, (3) the renewable energy industry, exposited by renewable energy lawyer Carolyn Elefant, then (4) back to Anica Landreneau for the Circular dimensions of the construction and real estate industries. There will be lively discussion among the panelists from the different sectors, which will utilize the fact patterns of different industries and companies to refine and advance the meaning of “Circular Economy” in theory and practice.

MODERATOR:

Chuck Schilke
Director Emeritus, Graduate Real Estate Programs, Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University; CEO, Intergreen Real Estate and Environmental Consulting; Innovation Summit Sustainability Track Chair
Chuck Schilke is a real estate, corporate, environmental. and energy lawyer based in Washington DC. He is also a real estate developer, financier, strategist, and educator. He has practiced law in firms mostly in the Washington DC area, but also on Wall Street and in Boston. Read full profile…

PANEL:

Carolyn Elefant
Changemaking Energy Lawyer, Patron Saint of Solo/Small FIrm Practice, Author, Blogger & Legal Influencer at MyShingle.com
Carolyn Elefant is a veteran energy and eminent domain attorney with more than two decades experience. Following graduation from Cornell Law School, Carolyn launched her legal career as an attorney-advisor at FERC. After leaving FERC, Carolyn worked for several premier national energy practices in Washington D.C. Read full profile…

Anica Landreneau, ASSOC. AIA, LEED® AP BD+C, WELL AP, BREEAM
Senior Principal, Global Director of Sustainable Design, HOK
Anica leads HOK’s global sustainable design practice, serving on the firm’s board of directors and design board. Based in Washington, DC, Anica manages the successful development and implementation of sustainability strategies on local and worldwide projects, working with both public and private sectors clients on regional, campus, portfolio and building scale projects, including existing building stock. Read full profile…

Eric Lundgren
Founder & CEO, BigBattery, Inc.
Eric Lundgren is an American social entrepreneur, innovator, and advocate best known for recycling electronic waste. He is the CEO of BigBattery, Inc. and Founder of IT Asset Partners (ITAP, Inc.), both electronics reuse, and Hybrid Recycling companies. As a social entrepreneur, Lundgren’s life purpose is to create sustainable energy and recycling solutions for the world. Read full profile…

Walker Lunn
Managing Member, Devoured Logistics, LLC
Walker Lunn is an environmental, technology and hospitality entrepreneur. A 2003 graduate from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, Mr. Lunn launched commercial food waste composting operations servicing Washington DC, Philadelphia and Atlanta between 2003 and 2010. He has consulted to the World Bank and Conservation International, developed a real-time waste removal pricing and bidding platform that minimized trucking mileage associated with waste collection, and co-authored the first hotel-specific sustainability report for the Willard InterContinental. Read full profile…