Circularity Summit 2026 Recap
Thank you to everyone who joined us on Friday, June 12 for Circular Triangle’s 2026 Circularity Summit at SEEDS in Durham. This was our third summit and our second year in the community garden’s colorful indoor venue, and we’re grateful to our hosts for creating such a special (and well air-conditioned!) space. The event brought together excellent speakers and a diverse range of attendees with passion for sustainability, all made possible with the help of a slate of returning sponsors.
This was our first year referring to the event as the “Circularity Summit” rather than the more general “Sustainability Summit,” and this was a big leap. We knew that despite our year-round efforts, the term and concepts of “circularity” might not yet be as familiar to everyone we’re hoping to reach with these solutions.
That said, we found there’s no shortage of “circularity” experts in the Triangle region, whose perspectives we heard from in an incredible line-up of speakers. Our emcee for the day, Kaley Cross Warner, kicked things off with an introduction and remarks from Durham City Council member Matt Kopac. Matt, who arrived on bicycle despite the scorching weather, reflected on an academic project in India that first brought him up close and personal with issues of waste, and shared his experience of the early days of Circular Triangle’s formation.
Next, we heard from two nonprofit founders, Don Fick of Repair Cafe NC and Alexandria Glenn of Seed Sewers. Don reflected that repair skills have dwindled since our schools replaced hands-on home economics classes with end-of-year exams and college prep. He expressed disappointment in his neighbors for parking their cars in their garages - garages, he explains, are for tools! His organization looks to solve the gap in repair skills by teaching at large-scale events across six regions of the state. Alex, who has scaled her nonprofit in a short two years to an inventory of 13 sewing machines to teach a plethora of beginner sewing classes. She shared how The Scrap Exchange was an incubation engine for her vision to plant the excitement of sewing in each of her students. She went on to preview what the next chapter of her organization looks like as life takes her in a new direction. The audience had many questions to understand both program’s models and how we might grow skills in our community at scale.
Then, a panel of plastic experts including Dr. Trisha Vaidyanathan, Science Director at Beyond Plastics; Taylor Price, Global Sr. Sustainability Manager at AptarGroup and member of the Durham Environmental Affairs Board; and Madison Haley, a PhD Candidate at NC State University. The panel was expertly moderated by Anne-Elisabeth Baker. Together, they shared insight into the policy, science, and business angles of one of spiciest topics in the health field - microplastics and the chemicals carried by this ubiquitous material.
Anne-Elisabeth Baker moderates our panel, “Tackling the Plastic Problem: From Research to Action.”
Kayla O’Neill Carriker led us through an exploration of the concept of “circularity ikigai,” inspired by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s TED Talk. This video is a helpful watch if you’re seeking your place within an environmental movement. With this Venn diagram exercise, we seek the intersection of these questions:
What are you good at?
What work needs doing?
What brings you joy?
Finally, we closed the day with six door prizes, and two lightning talks. The penultimate talk came from KeAndrea McLaurin, the founder of Koral K Swap. KeAndrea got gears among folks who wanted to host their first clothing swap, and inspired those who had not previously considered the behavioral psychology benefits of bringing elevated experiences to a secondhand clothing exchange. Lastly, we heard from Mitch Sava, the new executive director of The Scrap Exchange , who similarly wants to make “used” stuff cool. Mitch shared his vision and possible paths for The Scrap Exchange to deepen its impact.
So what’s next? How can you engage deeper?
View our Instagram story highlights for some speaker quotes and notes from the summit.
Check out our upcoming events — including clothing swaps, mending workshops, and lunch & learns — on our website.
Subscribe to our newsletter for forthcoming photos from the event, and more recaps!What are you good at? (Consider your skills, resources, and networks.)
What work needs doing? (Identify the climate and justice solutions required to build a sustainable future.)
What brings you joy?
KeAndrea McLaurin tells the story of Koral K Swap and what makes it a unique secondhand clothing experience.
Kayla O’Neill Carriker introduces the concept of circularity ikigai, inspired by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.
Bryce Brooks shares her story of co-founding The ReCollective, starting with work on the Clean Team at Moogfest, an electronic music festival.
