upcoming event! Share and repair fair

Join the Town of Canmore and the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley on Friday, May 9, 2025 from 4pm-9pm at Elevation Place for a fun, educational day promoting a circular economy Canmore.

What is a Share and Repair Fair? 

This is a FREE community event that promotes circular economy and waste reduction through free repair, share and reuse services, workshops, and presentations.

What will the day look like? 
There will be a free clothing swap, workshops, light snacks, on-site repairs and more.

What should I bring?

• Bring in clothing or shoe items that require small repairs. We will have sewers available to help mend and sew minor repairs.

• Bring gently-used clothing donations for the clothing swap. Please take home as many items as you would like as well!

Workshop schedule coming soon! Patagonia Repair, Food Waste 101, and more!

RSVP for free to save your spot and be entered to win a prize!

Interested in volunteering? Click below to sign up for a volunteer role.

What is a circular economy?

In our current system, we take materials from the Earth, make products from them, and eventually throw them away as waste – the process is linear. Often this linear economic model is referred to as a “take-make-waste” system.

In a circular economy, we stop waste being produced in the first place and nature is regenerated through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting.

The circular economy is based on three principles, driven by design:

• Eliminate waste and pollution

• Circulate products and materials (at their highest value)

• Regenerate nature

What is a doughnut economy?

Circular economy and doughnut economy are two different but complementary models of how economies can be reformed. They both share a common concern for accounting for nature and well-being in economic decision-making, but they have different focuses and scopes.

Doughnut economy is a framework for sustainable development that was proposed by Kate Raworth, an economist and author. The doughnut model is a simple but powerful visual tool that shows the minimum and maximum boundaries that humanity needs to respect in order to thrive.

Another way to think of it…

You have likely heard of the 3R Framework (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) developed for the 2008 Circular Economy Promotion Law of the People’s Republic of China.

The extended 9R Framework is a more nuanced understanding of Circular Economy process. It includes the previous R’s and adds to them. Within this 9R Framework, there is a hierarchy or ranking of the various Rs in the R Framework, with Refuse being the most desirable or first solution and Recover being the least desirable or last solution:

• Refuse: How can we make a product redundant by abandoning its function or offering the same function in a different product?

• Rethink: How can we make the product’s use more intensive? For example, sharing a product or product as a service?

• Reduce: How can we increase efficiency in manufacturing and use so that we consume fewer natural resources and materials?

• Reuse: How can we find new users or owners of products that are still in good condition? For example, the sale of secondhand goods.

• Repair: How can we repair and maintain products to prolong the original functionality?

• Refurbish: How can we restore old products and bring them up-to-date?

• Remanufacture: How can we use parts of discarded products in the manufacturing of new products with the same function?

• Repurpose: How can we use the discarded product or its parts in a new product with a different function?

• Recycle: How can we process the products to obtain the same or lower grade quality materials?

• Recover: As a last resort, how can we incinerate the product for energy recovery?

Indigenous perspectives on Circular Economy

“Circularity has been a way of life for millennia for Indigenous peoples worldwide. The practice of crop rotation, sustainable hunting and gathering practices along with recycling has long been a part of our traditional way of life. A circular economy has never been a detached concept, but rather a complete way of life. The natural world, now commonly referred to as the “environment”, is not viewed as a separate entity but one, interconnected aspect of the whole.” - Star Horn, Kanien'kehá:ka artist

How to participate in a more Circular Bow Valley

There are many ways to participate in a circular economy in the Bow Valley. Here are some examples:

SHARE

• Biosphere Institute has a tool lending library including fruit pickers and energy efficient equipment.

• Canmore Library of Things: Toys, games, puzzles, kits and more are available to rent through your Canmore Library membership.

• Banff Library of Things: Free to all Banff and ID9 residents to borrow a variety of rarely-used, expensive, or hard-to-find items. Open M-F 10am-6pm, weekends 11-5, donations needed.

• Banff Sports Equipment Lending Program: Available at the Fenlands for a variety of sports and activities for Banff residents.

REPAIR

• The Outdoor Gear Doctor specializes in clothing and gear repair.

• Kumpfy Shoes is the Bow Valley's only shoe repair service.

REUSE

• Canmore Public Library hosts clothing swap-o-rama events! Check out their events page for details.

• See ideas for places to reuse items here.

Curious to learn more? Explore the map below to find more examples of circular economy in the Bow Valley!

Banff’s First Share and Repair Fair

On Sunday, October 20, 2024, the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley and the Town of Banff hosted its first Share and Repair Fair. We convened sixteen local organizations and businesses across the Bow Valley, and over 200+ community member attended to share, connect and learn about how we can all contribute to a circular economy in Banff.

HIGHLIGHT: Banff Borrows Reusable Cup Program

Banff is a National Park community looking to achieve a destination-coordinated approach to reusables. As a Banff resident or visitor, be a part of the solution by participating in our reusable cup program.