Circular Economy Business Models in Iceland - Birta Kristin Helgadottir

Jul 5, 2022

“I think now, business models will have to somehow rely more on collaboration rather than competition, So, I think, and maybe, naively hope, (this) will be the future of business models…We've harnessed geothermal power for ages, and then we decided we needed to… harness the effluent stream, the excess material that comes from, for example, the geothermal resource. And from that we are developing aquaculture, agriculture, the future of food, cosmetics and, spa life. So, enhancing the quality of life tremendously.” Birta Kristin Helgadottir on Electric Ladies Podcast

On Joan's recent whirlwind tour of some of Iceland’s unique technologies and business models that help its economy run on 85% renewable energy, one of the things that fascinated her was their unique collaborative business parks that share resources in clever ways, creating miniature circular economies on each property. This seems like another way Iceland could be a pilot project for the rest of us on how to run a country on 100% renewable energy.

What are these unique business parks? Listen to Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson’s fascinating conversation with Birta Kristin Helgadottir, the Director of Green By Iceland, their public-private partnership driving their initiative to be a 100% renewable economy, conducted live in Reykjavik.

You'll hear:

• How these business parks in Iceland share products and byproducts among the tenants, creating a circular economy in each park.
• Examples of two of these unique parks and how they choose which businesses can be housed there.
• Lessons we can all learn from these creative business models.
• Why women play an important role in driving the innovations in Iceland's renewable energy economy.
• Plus, great career advice....

"Always follow your gut. You want to advance that's one thing. You want to make money, that can be a totally different thing… So you have passion… go with a gut feeling and go with your instincts, because sometimes you just go with what you think society would think is right….(And,) the traditional path towards a great career and a perfect life that there is an ideology about that, but you need to shape your own ideology. " Birta Kristin Helgadottir on Electric Ladies Podcast

You'll also like:

• Halla Hrund Logadottir, Director-General, Iceland’s National Energy Authority, on how the country has become 85% renewable energy.
• Michele Wucker, thought leaders and author of “You Are What You Risk: The New Art & Science to Navigating an Uncertain World.”
• Kathryn Pavlovsky, Deloitte Energy, Resources & Industrials, on the energy transformation and ESG
• Sandrine Dixson, Co-president of the Club of Rome (global leaders) and Ambassador to the Climate
• Jennifer Gerbi, Ph.D., Deputy Director and Acting Director, ARPA-E, the innovation arm of the Department of Energy

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