Once the exclusive domain of the Boy Scouts, the concept of recycling has become a given in everyday life. Woe unto the careless consumers who ditch their aluminum cans or newspapers in the trash.
Our capacity to re-use goods has grown as well. We drive on asphalt made from used tires. Manufacturers construct toys for kids from recycled plastic milk jugs. Wearing recycled clothes is cool now—it doesn’t mean that you forgot to do laundry.
Of course, “recycling” requires the start of a “cycle” in the
first place.
REITs are now attempting to initiate new, virtuous cycles by expanding their sustainability platforms beyond the conventional objective of cutting energy consumption. Their efforts are reaching into areas such as water conservation and composting food scraps.
Given the growth of such programs, it won’t be long before these new cycles start to feel recycled.