Williams

At its core, the circular economy aims to minimize waste, maximize resource efficiency, and promote the continual use and reuse of materials.

Cardboard to Community Gold: Building a Biological Circular Economy in Diamond Valley

Leave a Comment / Circular Economy Series /

Cardboard is everywhere in our waste stream — moving boxes, delivery packaging, food cases, and online shopping parcels. It’s light to transport but bulky to landfill, and its recycling value drops fast when it leaves town. But what if, instead of exporting cardboard, we transformed it here into products that enrich our soil, retain water,

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Community members walking together in a public green space, reflecting everyday connections that support a healthy, resilient community.

What It Means to Govern a Sustainable Community

Leave a Comment / Civic Tool Series /

Sustainability is often framed as something governments must create. In reality, the most durable sustainability already exists long before policy enters the conversation. It lives in households that repair rather than replace.In residents who conserve water because they understand its limits.In communities that value long-term thinking over short-term gain. The role of governance is not

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Everyone is part of the Community

Context: January 21, 2026 Council Meeting Observations from Council:

Leave a Comment / Council Debrief Series /

Context: January 21, 2026 Council Meeting The reflections below are drawn from the January 21, 2026 Regular Council Meeting of the Town of Diamond Valley, which I attended in person. Council meetings are where much of the Town’s long-term direction quietly takes shape — not only through motions and votes, but through what is acknowledged,

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collecting glass bottles/jars (often in separate bins or depots) to be crushed into "cullet," melted, and reformed into new products like bottles, insulation, or road paint, saving energy and resources

From Waste to Weight-Bearing: How Glass Can Build a Local Circular Economy

Leave a Comment / Circular Economy Series /

In most recycling systems, glass gets a rough deal. It’s heavy, expensive to transport, and often down-cycled into low-value uses — or worse, it ends up in the landfill. But in communities like Diamond Valley, Alberta, that weight becomes an advantage when we rethink glass as a local resource, not waste. Right now, municipalities and

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Looking West along Sunset Blvd. in winter

Diamond Valley — 2025 Council Record on Planning

Leave a Comment / Council Debrief Series /

A Sustainability-Focused Synopsis Why Planning Matters in a Sustainability Context At the municipal level, planning is the bridge between long-term sustainability goals and day-to-day decisions. It is where climate risk, water security, housing form, infrastructure capacity, and fiscal reality are meant to converge before capital dollars are spent or land is committed. A review of

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buildings save energy and water, improve comfort, reduce long-term costs, and shape healthier communities

What Is LEED — and Why It Matters to Everyday Life

Leave a Comment / LEED Series /

If you’ve ever heard the term LEED and wondered “Is that just an environmental label?” or “Does that affect me at all?” — you’re not alone. LEED shows up in conversations about new buildings, municipal projects, schools, and even housing developments. Yet for something that quietly influences how our communities are built, it’s often poorly

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Dec 17 Council Agenda — Sustainability Lens Assessment

Leave a Comment / Council Debrief Series /

Big Picture Summary The Dec 17 agenda is heavily budget-centred, and as such it represents one of the most consequential sustainability decision points of the year. Overall, Council is making several strong moves toward fiscal and infrastructure resilience, particularly around water, waste, and flood mitigation, while simultaneously reducing soft capacity (community programs, communications, outreach) that

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