Promoting the concept of the circular economy has become even easier.
The “useREuse” game app is designed for anyone looking to create a self-sufficient community with a circular economy. It focuses on minimizing environmental impact while enabling residents to meet their needs by maximizing the use/ reuse of internal resources.
Approach.
When people hear the phrase “ecological use/reuse of resources,” they often think of activities like waste recycling. However, if we consider community members as a valuable resource, can they also be "reused" sustainably? The answer is yes, but only when the community fosters communication, recognizes each other's potential, and actively utilizes it.
Before seeking external funding, specialists, or other resources for a project, start by exploring the resources within your own community.
What Problems Does It Solve?
Expert evaluation of environmental projects.
Application:
Before launching an environmental project or during its design phase, gather key stakeholders from the community. Use the game to discuss potential risks, as well as the positive and negative impacts the project may have on the community or specific groups within it.
Leverage this feedback to either strengthen your project or decide to abandon it if necessary.
Development of eco-settlements.
Application:
Gather prospective eco-settlement participants or those committed to starting one, and host a series of interactive games. These activities are designed to model the environmental, social, and economic challenges that eco-settlement members may encounter. By engaging in collaborative problem-solving, participants can explore potential scenarios, strengthen group dynamics, and develop skills essential for successful, sustainable community living.
Use the feedback to develop an eco-settlement strategy and prevent future conflicts.
Post-war community reconstruction.
Application:
Bring together active community members, urban planners, and municipal managers from a community impacted by war or a natural disaster. Facilitate a series of integration games using the application to identify internal resources in the community that can be reused to reboot the community.
Use the feedback to develop a strategy and plan for post-war community recovery.
Checklist.
The “useREuse” app is designed as a complementary tool to the “World of Communities: Accelerator III”, not as a standalone game. It includes:
Scenario "Circular Economy Community" (double-sided, 1 pc.).
Game Role "Ecopreacher" (double-sided, 1 pc.).
Life Circumstances Card (1 pc.).
Online Course "I am an Eco-Preacher".
What is the “Circular Economy Community”?
It’s a community that can reintegrate the waste it produces back into production through recycling. This process creates a closed-loop economic system where resources are reused, and money stays within the ecosystem.
Turning waste into a resource, transforming an old library into a coworking space, fully utilizing a community’s human resources, and ensuring that money circulates within the community are key principles of the circular economy.
In such a community, the Eco-Preacher plays a vital role. This individual possesses a practical, hands-on understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, "eco" in this context goes beyond environmental care. It also refers to an understanding of the broader "ecosystem" — the social, economic, and environmental conditions that shape and influence life within the community.
An Eco-Preacher is
someone dedicated to educating others about ecology and sustainable consumption. They develop programs aimed at helping people adopt environmentally conscious lifestyles and reduce their environmental impact. This role can involve creating and leading lectures, courses, or blogs, and producing various content that raises awareness on ecological issues.
This person not only teaches about ecology and sustainable consumption but also works to bring these eco-friendly practices into daily life by incorporating habits like sorting waste, conserving natural resources, changing eating habits, and using products made from recycled materials.
Eco-preachers help communities gradually adapt policies and procedures in line with humanity's progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. This profession is considered one of the most promising for the future.
Development Team
Nataliia Harasivka
Project Manager
Mykhailo Voytovych
Game Design Consultant
Taras Tymchuk
Concept Author
Khrystyna Larchenko
Online Course Author
Oleksandr Bashnyak
Designer
Funding.
The “useREuse” app was developed as part of the project "Youth Cluster in the Community: Gamified Acceleration Program for Finding and Engaging Youth in the Life of Their Community," implemented by the NGO IPID within the framework of the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Program, with financial support from the European Union.
The views, opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this document are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Program or the European Union.
I want this app for myself.
You can download and use the “USEreUSE” app for free with the “World of Communities: Accelerator III” package solely for non-commercial purposes, provided that the developers are informed in advance about such use at: au.gro.cow%40emag