Circular Economies and Closed-Loop Food Systems

Jonathan Pereira, executive director of the Chicago nonprofit Plant Chicago, explained what a circular economy is and how it differs from linear production and consumption. Drawing on ecological concepts of producers, consumers and decomposers, he critiqued recycling as energy-inefficient, argued for product-to-service models and stressed equity in disinvested communities. He then described the Plant, a Chicago building housing about 20 food businesses, with its aquaponics demonstration farm, mushroom and spent-grain reuse, and a planned anaerobic digester. About twenty minutes of audience Q&A followed.