Circular Economy in Practice
Sorry! The enrolment period is currently closed. Please check back soon.
Full program description
How can we shift from a consumption-based 'take-make-dispose' economy to a model that promotes a more sustainable future?
We’d all like to live more sustainably and reuse or recycle more of what we consume. However, we face serious problems with the large volume of single-use products that can’t be recycled or reused and create vast amounts of waste. This is expensive to handle and damaging to the environment.
In this credential, you have the opportunity to examine a range of practical strategies and tools which you can adopt to reduce waste, and support the transition from a linear economy – based on consumption and waste – to a circular economy – built around sustainable living.
Together we'll explore the waste problem and its environmental impacts, examine how waste management operations can help mitigate these impacts, and discuss why circular economy practices are paramount in today's society.
This is a self-paced course which spans four weeks, with three modules and a final practical assessment in which you devise strategies to apply circular economy principles to an organisation of your choice.
This credential is particularly suitable for:
- Professionals who want to learn skills in the field of the circular economy, but will be particularly relevant to engineers, builders, architects and operation or supply chain managers working in infrastructure, logistics and sustainability development
- Businesses or government departments wanting to provide a professional development program for employees around sust.ainability and innovation
By completing this credential you will learn to:
- understand the major challenges of moving from a linear to circular economic system
- analyse and evaluate principles and practices of sustainable living within a circular economy
- examine different types of circular economy practices in the context of design, supply chain, resources, reuse and recovery
- apply system thinking in examining circular economy practices
- complete a pass/fail industry relevant assessment
Key Topics
Your learning journey includes access to the following three online modules.
Module 1 – Concept and Principles
In this module we’ll explore how consumerism is endangering ecosystems, why a circular economy could put an end to it; and material inflow and outflow, in linear and circular systems, and how the value hill concept helps designers create value through sustainability.
Module 2 – Circular Economy Practices and Tools
In this module we’ll explore why cradle-to-cradle design is so valuable for our society; the concept known as the performance economy; and the tools that help us measure the environmental benefit.
Module 3 – Innovation in Industry
In this module we’ll explore an example of a circular economy building - The Legacy Living Lab; Australian companies that are adopting the circular economy framework; the difference between waste and zero waste.
Assessment(s)
To successfully complete this credential, you have to pass a final assessment.
In this final assessment, you will apply the circular economy principles covered in this credential. The aim is to deliver a set of feasible strategies that can be applied to an organisation of your choice – that can be your own company, an organisation that you are aware of, or a previous workplace.
If you're based in Perth, you are warmly invited to join us for breakfast at our Legacy Living Lab on date to be determined. At this event you can meet your facilitators, network with others from this credential and be inspired by an invited guest speaker. But don't worry – if you can't attend we'll have a live stream on the day and ensure that a recording of the event is made available so you don't miss out.
Location: 29, Blinco Street, Fremantle Western Australia
Roberto's expertise is the theory and practical implications of applying the circular economy to products and services. He completed his PhD on the circular economy of buildings at Curtin University, where, among other methods, he applies Life Cycle Assessments to building materials and processes. Roberto and his teammates ideated the Legacy Living Lab: a moveable, disassemblable modular construction, which will foster understandings of the circular economy of building materials and components.
Atiq is a Senior Lecturer at the Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute, School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University. As a 'zero waste' expert, he applies circular economy principles in addressing waste challenges in Australia and worldwide. Author of the book "Zero-Waste: Reconsidering Waste Management for the Future".
Greg is a Professor in Sustainable Cities and has extensive experience in academic leadership. He has successfully initiated and run large-scale societal infrastructure-related projects, with the most recent being a smart cities energy and water peer-to-peer trading project in Fremantle, Western Australia.
Once you successfully complete and pass the final assessment, you'll earn a digital badge that is instantly shareable to your social networks (including LinkedIn) which showcases your new skills and knowledge mastery.
This credential provides foundation knowledge in a discipline and doesn't require previous knowledge.
You will also earn 5 credit points which are in line with Australian Qualification Framework Level 8 criteria, ensuring comprehensive theoretical and/or technical knowledge of the credential.
Curtin Credentials focus on five themes, which have been carefully curated based on what's most relevant and valuable to professionals today, and in the future. This credential fits within the following theme:
Develop positive, sustainable, resilient and inclusive traits to guide your life, career, and organisational directions. Learn what it takes to motivate and inspire in a contemporary business setting.
For more information on this, or any other questions about Curtin Credentials, email us at curtincredentials@curtin.edu.au .
*Curtin may cancel or reschedule a credential at any time and for any reason as it sees fit. The Start Date and the other details of this credentials are provided as a general guide only and may change from time to time.
✝This credential involves one day of instruction, however to pass and gain five credit points, you will need to commit further time to complete the full set of learning activities including (but not limited to) self-guided study and research, extension readings, activities and the final assessment activity.
^Learning is done completely online.
§Price subject to change. Please check price at time of purchase.