What Is the Circular Economy?
Provided by: The Kid Should See This|Published on: April 27, 2021|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 10, 11, 12
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Biology, Economics
Authors: The Kid Should See This, Ellen MacArthur Foundation
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This video and article provided by The Kid Should See This explain how we could use the natural world as a model for a less wasteful economy.
- Students will learn about reducing waste through biodegradation, repurposing products, and rethinking our economic infrastructures.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video connects concepts from biology and the natural world to our economic systems and our relationship with products.
- A brief article provides links to more information on circular economies.
Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with terms such as biodegradable, compostable, landfill, and soil nutrients.
- The video does not mention our consumption habits; instead, it focuses on repurposing products and updating systems.
Differentiation & Implementation
- To demonstrate their understanding, students can write an explanation for why they think it's called a "circular economy."
- Students can brainstorm ways they can reuse, recycle, and reduce waste at home and school.
- After watching, students can design sustainable products that would belong in a circular economy.
- Other resources on this topic include this ClimateScience course on climate economics, this video on building an economy that is meant to thrive, not grow, and this video on doughnut economics.
This resource is a 4-minute video and accompanying article that explores potential methods for transforming our purchase-use-dispose economy into a more circular economy that mimics the natural world and allows us to reduce or eliminate waste. This resource focuses on updates to technologies and systems and does not emphasize other behavioral changes such as reducing consumption. Nonetheless, this resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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