Working Paper
Me and the Circular Economy

Me and the Circular Economy

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Leadership for me began at 18 when I (came to the United States as an immigrant) became an immigrant from Argentina in the United States. Alone, and without my family, I started a new life. My material possession were modest, my financial resources few and my English vocabulary was 100 words or less. Two years later, a visionary charitable organization transformed my life. Its founders had created a business model to convert millions of dollars of obsolete, landfill-bound industrial inventory, equipment, and supplies into college scholarships for students in need. Their idea was rooted in the principle of restoring value to end-of-life corporate waste to transforming lives. By transferring these obsolete items to colleges and universities that could use them, they created a “new economy” which turns old motors, wrenches and cabinets into a lifetime of opportunity for students who cannot afford an education. I was the first student to receive help. Today, I am President & CEO

I owe my prosperity to education – and tenacity. As a first-eye witness to the power of transforming obsolete corporate waste into a world of possibilities, I am a tireless and public advocate for the need to disrupt the take-make-waste paradigm. As I look at my office wall, I see awards and proclamations spanning corporate leadership, philanthropy, and education. These honors, awarded for what I stand, afford me the opportunity to influence dialogues across public-private sectors including my leadership roles in Corporate Social Responsibility of Greater Chicago, ReUseAlliance of Illinois, Chicago Public Media, and Robert Morris University. My life’s journey has earned me a seat of the table of thought leaders including Harvard University Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership Program and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Forum on The Circular Economy. These accomplishments keep me inspired, focused, and motivated to “pay it forward”, to help needy students prosper and thrive.

I am living proof the circular economy works. I became college educated because the circular economy removed the financial barrier that stood between the reality of my life as an immigrant and my potential. Because of my compelling life story, everything I do revolves around building and strengthening the fabric of the circular economy. As President & CEO, I lead a team that partners with corporations and business including W. W. Grainger, United Airlines, Cole-Parmer, and Warehouse-Direct to donate their scratched, dented, and obsolete inventory. Our educational partners, including 2-year colleges, 4-year universities, community colleges as well as Tribal Colleges and Universities, transform these obsolete items into scholarships by lowering the tuition bills of students who have the greatest financial need. This cross-sector collaboration has transformed the way these socially responsible businesses manage their end-of-life assets and increases the mutual benefit of the purchasing and financial aid departments working together.

I am a networker and a connector. I am a professional “cheerleader” for the circular economy and for anything that prevents waste and restores value. I tweet under the handle @donate2sustain and participate in worldwide events to promote and advance our understanding of the circular economy. I proudly participated in the Open Source Circular Economy Days https://oscedays.org/ and became part of the first city in the United States that joined this pioneering online collaboration. Helped by Edelman and TapRoot, we developed a new master narrative and human resource strategy to highlight the benefits of the circular economy as an engine for good in the world. I collaborate with social innovator Peter Burgess (www.truevaluemetrics.org) in his design of a new accounting system that will lead to a new metric system for multi-impact accounting. I lead by example and our office is the proud recipient of OfficeDepot’s Green Office Challenge Silver Award.

My journey of leadership began at 18 when I arrived in the United States as an immigrant from Argentina. Alone, and without my family, I had to start a new life. I had almost no money and my English vocabulary was limited. Two years later, I met the founders of a charitable organization that transformed my life. Their vision was to convert millions of dollars of obsolete, landfill-bound industrial inventory and supplies into college scholarships for students in need. Their idea was rooted in the concept of reclaiming value from end-of-life corporate waste by reusing these things in an educational setting. By repurposing obsolete items like old motors, ladders and mops, with colleges that could use them they created an incremental “new economy” which through scholarships enables a lifetime of opportunity for students that cannot afford an education. Thirty years later, I became the President & CEO of this organization.(150)

I owe my success to education – and my own tenacity. I am an example of the potential of transforming obsolete corporate waste into something of real value. I am a tireless advocate for the need to disrupt the take-make-waste paradigm and replace it with a more efficient circular economy. My office’s wall is full of awards spanning corporate leadership, philanthropy, and education. These reflect what I stand for, and afford me the opportunity to influence dialogues across multiple sectors. These include leadership roles in Corporate Social Responsibility (Chicago), ReUseAlliance (Illinois), Chicago Public Media, and Robert Morris University. My life’s journey has earned me the privilege to attend Harvard University Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership Program and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Forum on The Circular Economy. These opportunities keep me inspired, focused, and motivated to “pay it forward”, to help needy students so that they may progress and prosper. (150)

I am living proof the circular economy works. I became college educated because a practical application of the circular economy removed the financial barrier that stood between the reality of my life as a young immigrant and my potential. Because of my personal story, everything I do revolves around empowering the circular economy. As President & CEO of a NGO, I lead a team that partners with corporations and businesses including W. W. Grainger, United Airlines, Cole-Parmer, and Warehouse-Direct to donate their obsolete inventory. Our educational partners, including 2-year colleges, 4-year universities, community colleges as well as Tribal Colleges and Universities, transform these obsolete items into scholarships by lowering the tuition bills of students who have the greatest financial need. This private-public collaboration is transforming the way socially responsible businesses manage their end-of-life assets, and multiplies the resources these educational institutions have to offer their students by increasing campus efficiencies. (150)

I am a networker and a connector. I am a “cheerleader” for the circular economy and for anything that prevents waste and reclaims value. I tweet under the handle @donate2sustain and participate in worldwide events to promote and advance our understanding of the circular economy. I proudly participated in the Open Source Circular Economy Days https://oscedays.org/ and became part of the first city in the United States that joined this pioneering online collaboration. Helped by Edelman and TapRoot+, we developed a master narrative and human resource strategy to highlight the benefits of the circular economy as an engine for good in the world. I lead by example; our office is the proud recipient of OfficeDepot’s Green Office Challenge Silver Award. Our warehouse facility operates under zero-waste principles. We promote circular economy concepts with our strategic partners including Armstrong (ceiling tiles), Domino Plastic (plastic), and Paper Recovery (paper & packaging materials). (150)

Innovation is the cornerstone of what I do professionally and it has transformed the way we accomplish our NGO’s mission. Five years ago, I lead an important innovation initiative at our organization by turning unusable obsolete inventory into cash. The cash raised from sales to recyclers and third-party reuse partners, goes back to help needy students in the form of supplemental financial aid. Since launching the program, we have distributed $1.4 million in the form of scholarships for needy students at more than 50 colleges and universities in the United States. These cash scholarships, awarded in addition to the inventory scholarships generated by the college’s use of donated corporate inventory, has helped fund the education of almost 500 needy students and has given them the opportunity to become contributing members of society. These scholarship recipients have become teachers, engineers, medical assistants, social workers, accountants, police officers, writers, journalists, and musicians. (150)

I am passionate about helping others. I am goal oriented and fortunate to have high energy. Therefore, it is natural for me to be a role model for the circular economy as the story of how two obsolete motors transformed my life is part of who I am. For more than 30 years, I have been advancing the concept of the circular economy by piecemeal to a wide audience – one story here, one story there, one good deed here, one good deed there. In the process, I have led the growth of our organization to change the lives of 10,000 needy students and inspire others to join in. I have helped develop our Board of Directors and enjoy recruiting dedicated supporters, mentors, and sponsors. I have spoken at school graduations, been chosen Outstanding Alumna of the school that gave me the scholarship that made my college education possible and more. (150)

Thought Leadership
I am proud to have been a co-leader in organizing Open Source Circular Economy Days in Chicago in June 2015. This global event engaged dozens of practitioners of the circular economy in 25+ countries around the world. We provided live-streaming and encouraged different communities in Chicago and Indianapolis to join us in a conversation about best practices and collaboration regarding circular economy models. Looking ahead, I am collaborating with two strategic partners to develop a new metric for measuring the impact of circular-economy models. This is an initiative to address the issue of ineffective metrics for important outcomes such as quality of life, socially responsible profitmaking, and the impact of these activities have on the environment. I believe that by entering a competition such as The Circulars Award we are helping educate and mobilize the business community, spread the word across sectors, and celebrate true champions of the circular economy. (150)