Circular Cities Asia

17/01/2025

🌟 Celebrating Joshua's Published Story in Esquire PH! 🌟

We’re thrilled to share that Joshua Mendoza, a passionate storyteller from the Circular Cities Asia "Circular Stories Programme", has had his inspiring article published in Esquire Philippines! 📰✨

In his story, Joshua shines a light on Tagpi-Tagpi, a circular initiative transforming the lives of women in Negros Oriental. Through upcycling clothes and providing training in sustainable entrepreneurship, Tagpi-Tagpi empowers marginalised women, helping them create new opportunities and build brighter futures.

Take Rebecca’s story: once delivering water to households with a wooden cart, she’s now gaining the skills and confidence to start her own business—right from her home on Apo Island. 🏝️💪

This story isn’t just about success—it’s a call to action. By championing initiatives like Tagpi-Tagpi, we can build a more inclusive and sustainable future. 🌍

🎉 Join us in celebrating Joshua’s achievement and the incredible impact of his story. Share this post to inspire others to support circular solutions that empower communities! 💚

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Dev Albao

📖 Read the full story on Esquire PH!

The Circular Cities Asia Circular Stories Programme is an innovative initiative empowering youth to tell impactful stories about circular economy solutions in their communities. Through the program, participants are guided in identifying compelling narratives, equipped with storytelling tools, and m...

11/01/2025

🌟 Kyla's Story of Sustainability Featured in Esquire PH! 🌟

We’re excited to announce that Kyla, a talented young writer from the Circular Cities Asia Circular Stories Programme, has had her incredible story published in Esquire Philippines! 📰✨

Kyla’s article highlights the inspiring efforts of Brgy. San Rafael, a small community in Iloilo City, Philippines, that’s leading the way in circular economy innovation. At the heart of their efforts is Tiange sa Basura, a unique material recovery facility where recyclable waste can be exchanged for essential goods like salt, coffee, and canned food. ♻️🌾

But that’s not all—this community transforms waste into products like pillow fillings and handcrafted souvenirs, turning trash into treasures while promoting environmental responsibility. Their work has even caught international attention, with ASEAN representatives visiting to learn from their success! 🌍🏆

Kyla’s story is a testament to the power of grassroots solutions and the potential for communities to lead the way in sustainability.

🎉 Let’s celebrate Kyla’s achievement and share her story to inspire others to embrace and support circular economy practices! 💚



📖 Read the full story on Esquire PH!

The Circular Cities Asia Circular Stories Programme is an innovative initiative empowering youth to tell impactful stories about circular economy solutions in their communities. Through the program, participants are guided in identifying compelling narratives, equipped with storytelling tools, and m...

08/12/2024

🌱 Empower Your Campus with Sustainable Solutions! 🌏

At Circular Cities Asia, we’re partnering with universities to inspire innovation and sustainability through the Circular Campus Programme (CCP). 🎓

Through engaging workshops and student challenges, CCP equips students with practical tools to address real-world issues like reducing waste, improving energy efficiency, and managing resources responsibly.

🌟 Want to know more?

Explore how universities are driving impactful projects with CCP and learn how your campus can participate.

👉 Read our blog: https://www.circularcities.asia/post/how-circular-innovation-helps-universities-achieve-their-sustainability-goals

🤝 Let’s collaborate to grow these opportunities together!
📩 Contact us to get involved.

Circular Cities Asia is a purpose led organisation building a community that accelerates circular innovation in Asian cities. For more information visit our website.

03/12/2024

📚✨ Celebrating Tradition Through Innovation!

Meet Noelle, a brilliant storyteller who brought sustainability to life in two powerful ways: an illustrated storybook and a compelling feature article.

In BULIlit’s Path to Purpose, she explores how Antipolo’s traditional suman packaging, made from biodegradable palm leaves, embodies circular economy principles.

In Unwrapping Sustainability, Noelle reveals how this time-honored practice inspires modern packaging innovations while supporting local livelihoods.

🌱 Discover how thoughtful traditions can create lasting impacts for people and the planet.

🤝 Want to empower young changemakers? We’re accepting sponsors for 2025! Contact us to partner.

📖 Read More and Get Involved!

https://www.circularcities.asia/post/bulilit-s-path-to-purpose

https://www.circularcities.asia/post/unwrapping-sustainability-the-circulareconomy-with-natural-food-packaging

Noelle Anne Santos Cubacub | September 17, 2024As a child, my family's occasional trips to Antipolo City were always marked by two distinct memories: the towering Antipolo Cathedral and the irresistible aroma of freshly made suman. Long before the Antipolo Cathedral was recognized as an Internationa...

26/11/2024

🌍 Innovation Driving the Circular Economy: Our Most Popular Blog!

Curious about how innovation is transforming sustainability? Discover how Circular Cities Asia empowers young changemakers through education, collaboration, and practical solutions to waste challenges. Learn about the Circular Campus Programme and the impact of rethinking business with a circular mindset.

📖 Read our top blog to see how we’re closing the circular economy education gap and inspiring scalable solutions.

💡 Ready to make a difference? Contact Suzanna Pomeroy at [email protected] to join our mission!

👉 Read now!

We need to reinvent and reconfigure systems to meet new models and demands of sustainable development while forging a circular economy.

24/11/2024

🌿 Shining a Light on Tagubanhan: A Student’s Journey to Create Change Through Storytelling 🌏

Meet Lady Kyla Balibagoso, one of the inspiring participants in the Circular Stories Programme and student at Central Philippine University - CPU 🌟 This talented young storyteller stepped out of her comfort zone to create a documentary showcasing the resilience and commitment of the Tagubanhan community to ecological sustainability.

Here’s what she had to say about her journey:

"What resonated with me most was connecting with the community. Listening to their stories, understanding their challenges, and witnessing their dedication to the environment was truly inspiring. It reinforced my belief that real change starts with individuals and communities, and I hope these stories encourage others to take action for a better future."

We’re so proud to see young changemakers like Lady Kyla harness the power of storytelling to inspire awareness and action. 💡✨

📽️ Discover her journey and watch the documentary here: https://www.circularcities.asia/post/protecting-tagubanhan-island

Let’s celebrate the power of youth innovation and storytelling for a sustainable future! 💚



Credit:

WRITER: Lady Kyla Balibagoso
LEAD VIDEOGRAPHER: Jasper Angelo Chin Nobleza
VIDEOGRAPHER: Wilfred Dorilag
EDITOR: Charisse Pingul

21/11/2024

🌟 Reflecting on our work with Devyani Bhattacharjee and MovingWorlds 🌍

Last year, we had the privilege of working with Devyani, an expert volunteer from SAP , through the MovingWorlds platform. Devyani helped us refine our brand voice, messaging, and website content—a transformative experience for our team.

One of the most impactful exercises we did together was answering the question: "What is the GOOD that we bring to the world?"

Here’s what we discovered:

✅ We bring the concept of circular innovation to a diverse range of universities in many locations
✅ We design tools and activities that make the complex concepts of the circular economy easy to understand
✅ We empower the next generation in Asia to turn environmental waste challenges into entrepreneurial opportunities
✅ We encourage young people to explore local problems deeply and create solutions tailored to their contexts
✅ We provide students with opportunities to connect internationally and compete on a regional scale

A heartfelt thank you to Devyani Bhattacharjee for sharing her expertise and helping us better articulate our mission and impact.

If you share our vision and want to join us in accelerating the circular economy through youth innovation, we’d love to hear from you. 📩 Contact us today!

[email protected]

18/11/2024

🌟 Empowering the Next Generation of Storytellers for Sustainability 🌍

At Circular Cities Asia, we believe in the power of storytelling to inspire change. That’s why we successfully ran a program for young people in Southeast Asia, teaching them the fundamentals of impactful storytelling with a focus on sustainability.

One of our standout participants, a team from RMIT university, wrote an inspiring story about their campus sustainability leader. Their piece highlighted the innovative initiatives taking place on campus and how they’re driving meaningful environmental change.

Read their story here: https://www.circularcities.asia/post/all-about-u-in-sustainability

By equipping youth with the skills to share these stories, we’re not only amplifying their voices but also fostering a deeper understanding of circular economy principles and their role in creating a sustainable future.

✨ Want to make a difference? Join us in supporting our programs that empower young people to become champions of the circular economy. Together, we can create a brighter, more sustainable world.

📩 Contact us today to learn more or to get involved!

13/11/2024

🌍 Last year, Circular Cities Asia was approached by GIZ,German International Cooperation to partner on an initiative to engage youth in the Western Visayas to develop innovative circular economy solutions that tackle pressing environmental issues. Together, we launched the Circular Connect Competition! 🌱

The competition challenged students to create real-world solutions to address plastic waste, marine litter, and waste management. The students participated in workshops, boot camps, and engagement events, all designed to inspire and guide them as they developed impactful solutions.

🏆 Top Projects:

Sustainify, La Consolacion College – An app for better waste segregation and disposal
Eco-Visionaries, Central Philippine University– A project to clean up Iloilo City’s waterways
UPgrade, University of the Philippines - Visayas – A new integrated system for waste segregation in Miagao

The competition culminated in a National Stakeholder Forum, where these student teams presented their solutions to stakeholders, including government officials, businesses, and NGOs.

Read more about how these young innovators are shaping the future of sustainability: https://www.circularcities.asia/post/circular-cities-asia-empowering-youth-through-circular-economy-innovation

If you're interested in partnering with us or learning how to get involved, please reach out! Let’s work together to inspire action and build a circular economy. 🌱

11/11/2024

🚀 Exciting news! We recently had the opportunity to collaborate with a fantastic team of SAP professionals through a mentoring program organised by MovingWorlds. This unique initiative was designed to support social enterprises like ours in scaling our growth and impact.

The volunteer mentoring team included three exceptional professionals:

Jason Luo, an Enterprise Architect specialising in Data and Analytics, who volunteered to contribute his time and skills to a social cause that aligns with his values.

Minne Bosma, a Project Manager in the ANZ Project Management Practice, focused on SAP Cloud Product implementations who was driven by a passion to support causes like ours.

Felicity Zare, a Customer Success Partner with expertise in SAP Ariba, who helped us streamline our corporate sector value proposition and develop clear, actionable visions.

Working alongside Suzanna Pomeroy, Director of Circular Cities Asia, the team supported us in identifying and prioritising our key customer segments, developing value proposition canvases, and designing targeted pitch decks to elevate our outreach and engagement.

The insights, knowledge, and expertise they brought to the table were invaluable, allowing us to refine our strategy and amplify our impact in the circular economy space.

"I joined the volunteering program to contribute my time to a social cause I care about and to broaden my horizon by working on a different project than I do in my daily work life. It was inspiring to hear Circular Cities Achievements so far and hope we could contribute in a practical way to the future of CCA."Minne Bosma

We’re deeply grateful to MovingWorlds and SAP for offering this incredible opportunity, and we’re excited to apply all the lessons learned to our mission moving forward!

🌍