Chicago has it all. // Great food, / incredible skyline and architecture, / and the kindest / Midwestern folks you'll ever meet. // Diversity of people and culture, / second to none. // Millions of people move to cities like Chicago / each year / to pursue their life's dreams and passions. // I know I did, / and that's because / cities are booming marketplaces / of people and companies / of products and materials, / and something not so great / -- waste and greenhouse gas emissions. // According to a 2022 World Bank report, / our beloved communities / could be responsible for 25 gigatons / of carbon emissions / and a ton / and ton of waste. // But what does this mean for your community? // Think about that building / being torn down, / maybe on the corner next to your office / or your home, / and all the wood, / and concrete, / and steel / or the office equipment / or computers / or furniture / being tossed out, / dumped in a landfill / often near the homes / of our low-income neighbors. //In United States, / 40 percent of landfill contain materials / from the construction and demolition of buildings. // This / is our linear economy. // It's bad for our climate. // It's bad for our health. // And it's a missed economic opportunity. // But we / can turn this line / into a circle. // Many connected circles in fact, // where the physical resource finds another use / and another life, / driving down greenhouse gas emissions from new manufacturing, / shrinking harmful landfill, / and creating a lot of jobs. // This disconnected / linear economy / becomes a circular one / when you transform / our concept of ownership / into a system where every person / and every business / has access / to the things others / no longer find useful. // Wood / from that building being torn down / could be a dining room table. // Bricks / could be concrete again, // and furniture / could be rehabbed / and resold to an up-and-coming startup. //