Charlotte's Innovation Barn Finally Opens, Promoting A Circular Economy Charlotte's NPR News Source

Table Of Content

• Aquaponics
• Tours of the Innovation Barn
• Charlotte’s Innovation Barn Now Open
• Free Tours at Innovation Barn, hub of Charlotte’s Developing Circular Economy
• INNOVATION BARN: New development to turn Charlotte's trash to treasure
• Charlotte's Innovation Barn Finally Opens, Promoting A Circular Economy
• Building Charlotte’s Circular Economy: Shaping Tomorrow, Today

You can shop for some of the products of Innovation Barn at the cafe. The shopping bags on the top shelf are made from brewery’s grain bags. The Innovation Barn has interactive exhibits for youth, and a beer/wine/coffee bar for adults to enjoy. Hart says she has no shame in dumpster diving for her masterpieces. It’s just one example of how she upcycled items that usually went to landfills. City leaders believe the Innovation Barn is the first bold step forward, so it's already invested $2 million in the project.

Aquaponics

When the vegetables absorb the nutrients they provide the fish with fresh, purified water. This system requires very little water, since it’s repeatedly recycled. Innovation Barn is the city’s first circular living lab, which aims to eliminate waste and continual use of resources. It’s part of a big initiative by the City of Charlotte to go zero waste. “It is really to show the public what a circular economy is and how you can start diverting waste from the landfill,” Aussieker says.

Tours of the Innovation Barn

That's known as "linear economy." In the "circular economy," the goal is zero waste, with everything being reused, either by the business itself or by others. I visited the site in June to see what Aussieker and her two staff members had accomplished in Innovation Barn’s first 10 months. The team has welcomed eight tenants, created nine jobs, hosted 1,000 tours and 7,000 visitors, and arranged 2,000 volunteer hours. They’ve hosted events like “Trash Talk,” a monthly series about recycling, and “Circle Up,” networking sessions for people interested in sustainable business. But projects like Innovation Barn, which opened in September 2021, are committed to trying.

Charlotte’s Innovation Barn Now Open

— Charlotte is a city built on banks but city leaders believe it can become the first place in the country to build its economy around trash. The Innovation Barn is encouraging all businesses and Charlotte residents to become involved, saying it's all about a "positive society-wide" benefit. Public tours of the facility are offered twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Crown Town Compost turns waste into nutrients - Spectrum News

Crown Town Compost turns waste into nutrients.

Posted: Tue, 02 Aug 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]

You must register online prior to visiting for a public tour. As a keystone of the five business plans outlined in the Circular Charlotte report, Envision Charlotte is creating the Materials Innovation Lab – named the Innovation Barn.

For example, The Bulb gathers excess produce from stores and distributes them free of charge, to communities with food insecurity. Then The Bulb gives their leftovers to Crown Town Compost, who composts the scraps to create compost for gardens. "There are opportunities with trash. We can create jobs, we can create products and Charlotte can be known for that," Aussieker said.

The Innovation Barn, located at 932 Seigle Ave. is ground zero for Circular Charlotte, a joint project with the City of Charlotte to transition Charlotte to a circular economy. The Innovation Barn is a combination of entrepreneurial businesses, zero-waste initiatives, and a space to convene groups in order to learn more about and implement circular projects. The City of Charlotte owns the building and Envision Charlotte (non-profit organization) manages, designs, and implements the programming within. The Innovation Barn, designed by Progressive Companies, features a restaurant, coffee shop, retail spaces, education and community event space, and flexible incubator spaces that will change over time. Transparent walls throughout the building “exhibit” activities so visitors and colleagues may witness innovative circular businesses at work. The Innovation Barn, located at 932 Seigle Ave. is ground zero for Circular Charlotte, a joint project with the City of Charlotte to transition Charlotte to a circular economy.

Charlotte's Innovation Barn Finally Opens, Promoting A Circular Economy

It trains homeless people as baristas, and then uses the proceeds of the shop to help them get housing, transportation, therapy and higher-paying jobs. Glass bottles are collected from venues like Spectrum Center. Then the glass goes through a crushing machine and a screening machine. This produces sand of different coarseness, which can be used in gardening, art and other projects.

The Innovation Barn will be a model for Charlotte's grand plans to become the first city in the U.S. to become trash-free. "There's opportunities and resources for jobs and economic mobility all within our trash, which is kind of crazy," Aussieker said. She leads the nonprofit heading up the development that will turn Charlotte's trash into treasure. A new development is opening on Seigle Avenue later this year that could turn your trash into everything from bricks to leather to phone cases. As of June, Innovation Barn was more like a business incubator for sustainability enthusiasts. The first thing I see when I enter is a row of 20 aeroponic towers of lettuces and herbs.

Amy Aussieker, the executive director of Envision Charlotte, says it’s like a forest. The vision imagines labs that will create leather from fruit peels and 3D printers that will turn plastics into phone cases and building bricks. The building used to be known as the city's old horse barn but soon it will be called the city's Innovation Barn. — The Innovation Barn is a building on Seigle Avenue that was once a city of Charlotte horse barn over 100 years ago.

The City of Charlotte owns the building, while Envision Charlotte is responsible for managing, designing, and executing its multifaceted programs. "When we were designing the barn, the idea of the circular economy was important," Hamilton said. Traditional businesses take raw materials and turn them into products that eventually wind up in landfills.

In the event that all spaces are called for, street parking is available along Otts St. We are also conveniently located close to a CATS bus stop. — A former horse barn in Charlotte is being transformed into a zero-waste facility boasting cafes, retail stores, and more. Located on Seigle Avenue, the building is the first of its kind in the United States and seeks to create a circular economy. Soldier flies will break down waste behind a glass case and food will be harvested from a garden for a restaurant and a beer garden. The city has spent nearly $5 million to renovate the old building on Seigle Avenue in the Belmont neighborhood. It's a joint effort withEnvision Charlotte, which will manage the building as a showcase for what it calls the "circular economy."