From the start of the article, the idea of a circular economy sounds promising, because as many of us well know, the solution to climate change can’t be a catch-all, and needs to be a major change. And not just in our every day habits, but we need to think bigger and get down to the root of the problem. So when the article compares the circular economy to a linear economy, it puts things in perspective, just like we talked about during lecture. I feel like waste is something that I can’t quite comprehend, just the shear quantity from the United states alone. From food being thrown out at grocery stores, to leftover clothing scraps at manufacturing plants, it seems almost intuitive that that waste should be used for a better purpose than to just be buried or burned. But with corporations worrying only about money, the environment hasn’t been a priority, which is why I’m hoping with a more circular economy, there will be an increased incentive to more sustainable business practices. 

I like the quote from the article “Nothing is lost, everything is transformed” because it represents a shifted perspective for products at the end of their life. I can relate this to my everyday life in that, I find myself not wanting to throw away nice packaging such as perfume bottles, even when I’ve used the product. I’m not super handy so I can’t think of new uses for everything, but I always with there was another option than just wasting the product, when the packing could obviously have more use. This to me feels like a real life example of something that could be transformed as opposed to just getting lost. So in the framework of cradle to cradle, if a perfume bottle was say designed with the intention of life beyond its intended use, the materials that went into that packaging could have a far longer lifecycle than in a linear economy. I feel like looking to earth and its systems itself, to come up for solutions for the changing planet is a really smart idea, that seems so simple, but has somehow been surpassed for too many years. 

Additionally, the circular economy seems really appealing to me because it goes beyond slowing down the changing of the environment, but even goes so far as to try and help the environment. Like the article explained, biodegradable consumable products will be put back into the earth, to create nutrients. In our current state of constant deforestation, nutrients seem more important than ever, and I hope to see more of these circular practices implemented in the future.

From my understanding, industrial symbiosis refers to the networks created in the process of reuse and recycling. So basically, companies or industries will create their product, and whatever is leftover and deemed useless to them, is sold to another company or industry to be reused/recycled. I feel like this is something that should be implemented on a widespread scale, because corporate waste is a major issue in terms of environmental problems, so if waste were to be reduced significantly, maybe we would see the effects of climate change be reduced. This reminds me of what we talked about in class, in terms of closed loop supply chain management, wherein the product life cycle doesn’t end, it just moves on to the next step. It kind of reminds me of the saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” I feel like the idea of recycling and reusing products has been at the forefront of the environmental movement for some time now, and has been ingrained in at least my head, from a young age. But in practice, you have to wonder if it is really this catch all solution for climate change, like we are made to believe. Recent research has suggested that there are more factors to networks than what we see on the surface, with some physical, spatial, economic, and environmental constraints presenting issues with this process. 

This paper in particular chooses to focus on the spatial aspect of industrial symbiosis. With that, it appears that a regional scale is best fit in terms of spatial awareness. While others disagree citing there can be no preferred scale when it comes to creating eco-industrial networks. The spatial issue has been researched very narrowly when compared to other aspects mentioned earlier. In Greece, their spatial scale tends to remain small, often operating at the lowest level, around local. It is not quite so often that the Greeks engage in global industrial symbiosis, however when practiced it is still able to be profitable thanks to the inexpensive nature of shipping cargo. Having less global cases makes sense to me considering you are basically shipping scraps, it would make the most sense to exchange locally or on a smaller scale, as opposed to going through the trouble of shipping. With that being said, there are certain products that are exclusively shipped at the local level, due to a variety of factors. For example superheated water isn’t shipped long distances to avoid heat loss. 

Right off the bat, reading this article about eco-innovation, the island nature of Greece sparked some thoughts for myself. While I am definitely more familiar with the effects of climate change in the US, it seems as if there could be some overlap. One of the main concerns about long term effects of climate change is rising sea levels, and with Greece being so island centered, I can see how these effects could raise concerns. Even in Florida for example, coastline is already being lost, and scientists are worried that the state may not have it forever. With that being said, it would be incredibly sad to see the same thing happen to the beautiful (and small) islands of Greece, as well as of course the mainland. Considering the country of Greece is surrounded by water, tidal and wind energy seem like a good alternative, I know while we were there, we certainly experienced some wicked wind. 

In comparison to other EU countries, Greece isn’t necessarily thriving in terms of innovation and digitization. And some of the biggest challenges for Greece at present are air emissions, exploitation of water resources, degradation of coastal areas, and loss of biodiversity. While I didn’t necessarily see these issues first hand in our time in Greece, I am also not surprised by these problem areas. Considering Greece’s economy relies so heavily on tourism, and more often than not tourism from other countries, I can see how this could take a toll on the country’s environment. From thousands of long international flights going in and out of the Athens airport, to resorts being built right on the beach, it is a tough balance to maintain. Especially following their economic turmoil in the 2000’s and post pandemic, I can imagine the country trying their best to boost tourism once again, but at what cost? Waste management also continues to be an issue for the Greeks, with trash so often being incinerated and hazardous waste not being dealt with properly. The waste management plan aims to close illegal landfills as well as other illegal sites dealing with the discardment of both regular and toxic waste. So while greece has not yet totally caught up to EU standards, they are well on their way to a more eco-friendly country, and are still thriving in multiple categories that aren’t discussed quite so often.

I absolutely loved Hydra, it was like no place I’ve ever visited, and was so cool to be able to see. The lack of cars made the island feel secluded, safe and almost a taste of the past. Not to mention a healthier lifestyle that I think should definitely be implemented in the US. My favorite thing about where I live in Charleston is by far the fact that I can walk anywhere I need to go. With cafes right outside my apartment and campus just a short walk away, it seems like the ideal situation at least for myself. Yet, with all the beauty of the island, I left with some unanswered questions. I wondered about those working on the island, what life is like there, are there schools, affordable housing, regular supermarkets, reliable healthcare. And the list goes on. How does an island that relies on often single day tourism operate? With no major hotel chains and the difficulty that comes with transportation, below the surface, I wondered how this island was operating. Especially considering how much tourism booms in the summer, and dwindles out in the off months in Greece. Even while we were there, it wasn’t peak tourism, and it wasn’t super warm yet. So with beaches being a main attraction of this island, you have to wonder how they survive during those other 3 seasons where tourists aren’t flocking to the beach. 

With that being said, while this car-less situation seems ideal on the surface, not so much when you look deeper. While the streets are clear and safe for all those who roam, the trash buildup is an issue. With only 2 garbage trucks, taking garbage to be burned. Not only are toxins being released into the air, but trash is building up months and months behind. Additionally, the sewage water is just being dumped right back into the beautiful ocean every night. 

And while beautiful and dream-like, the logistics of keeping a town like this afloat is nothing to gawk at. Quite literally, nearly everything is brought in by boat day after day. Which really makes you wonder, is the island really as sustainable as it appears on the surface? While cars are nothing to call sustainable, I wonder if a more self-sufficient economy could limit some of the time and energy used from transporting goods back and forth from other mainland islands. They even go so far as to run all their power from an outside source, which can result in catastrophic shutdowns, affecting the entire island.

During our Green Supply Chain Management Lectures, we were able to hear from 2 guest speakers, one from the US embassy and one who works in sustainability at the American college of Greece. They were both interesting and very unique, and made me feel immersed in the business economy of Greece. For the first one revolving around sustainability on campus, she discussed how these practices have come to fruition over the past few years, and how both faculty and students have taken positive steps toward sustainability on campus. One point she made that I found interesting was about the reusable water bottles. She said students recently have been carrying them around more, and just filling up at the water bottle refilling stations around campus when need be. She made the connection that reusable water bottles have been popular in the states for some time, and that this being an American college in Greece, its almost as if the American students have started a “trend” towards reusable water bottles. She said for a while, and many people still do just buy plastic water bottles from the store then throw them away when they’re done. This made sense to me because when grocery shopping, I noticed how cheap these plastic water bottles were. They were less than or around 50 cents a bottle. Meaning there isn’t much of a financial incentive to reusable water bottles, which doesn’t necessarily help this transition. But by outsiders coming in and showing a new way of doing things, practices have started to change on campus. 

Our second guest speaker came from the US embassy. I really enjoyed hearing the three women talk, because it is a field that me and many others could pursue, but maybe haven’t heard much about. Being an ambassador is a very unique lifestyle that is vastly different from what I grew up with, which made it very interesting to hear from them. Being someone who grew up in the same house her whole life, and never moved until college, and didn’t even leave the country until 2023, I can’t even imagine moving every 4 years to a different foreign country. Additionally, I hadn’t considered the business aspect of a job like that. From my prior (and brief) understanding of ambassadors, it seemed like they dealt more with governmental and policy issues, as opposed to business. So it was interesting to hear how she implements American products and chains into Greek culture. I also found it cool to hear about her experiences working with the president. While I knew it must be a lot of work to invite the President of the United States, who knew they had to even rehearse angles for pictures, and everything down to the glass of his hotel room had to be perfect. Overall I really enjoyed hearing from them, and learning about a new perspective, that I hadn’t quite considered yet. 

Over the last 3 days, I have learned the basics of supply chain management. This is my first class in supply chain management, which wasn’t something I was expecting to learn as a marketing major. But it is interesting how there are so many steps to produce everyday items, some of which are really cheap too. I think the most interesting thing I’ve learned about is how most products use materials sourced from multiple different countries. Which is crazy to think about, but in terms of sustainability, all of that travel has to use up lots of fossil fuels and other energy, which really makes you wonder if it’s worth it or not, just for really cheap prices. It has been interesting to see how the streets of Greece differ from the US. On a main street in the US, it’s filled with big box stores and department stores, with easy parking. But in downtown Athens, the stores are small, independently owned and a lot of the streets are only for pedestrians. I think the difference in consumer behavior is more sustainable especially in stores where the product is homemade, and this difference also just proves how different our ways of life are. We also went more into depth in terms of sustainability, and one of the main ways it is implemented is through a closed loop supply chain. Which differs from linear supply chain in that it also deals with what happens to the product after it’s been used and doesn’t work anymore. Linear supply chain only deals with the product from manufacturing, until it’s in the hands of consumers or at a retailer. It has been interesting to learn in this class how sustainability is being incorporated into different areas of business such as remanufacturing and industrial symbiosis. Both processes reduce waste by either fixing broken products, turning old products into something new, or selling waste to other companies for them to use in their manufacturing. Both are smart ideas, but you have to wonder why they weren’t implemented earlier when they seem so practical and obvious. During the Beer game I was able to learn alot about how a supply chain actually works, and not just in theory. I worked in the factory, and it was interesting to understand the balance between having too much inventory, and not enough, especially with the extended shipping delays. But overall by the end, I definitely felt I had a better understanding of how the supply chain operates.