Our story and mission
CirAux started with a simple question: what if the money and resources a community already has could keep working for that community?
Where we started
CirAux grew out of a business model called SoCo, short for Social Connections. The idea was to bring people and local businesses together around sustainable ways of working, so that what is good for a business can also be good for its neighbors and the planet.
Our mission
We help local businesses that follow sustainable, circular practices thrive by connecting them with the people who live around them. We want resources, money and opportunity to stay in our communities, and we want kids to grow up understanding how a local, circular economy works.
How a circular local economy works
Look at the whole cycle
Follow a product from how it is made, to how it is sold, to what happens after it is used.
Swap in sustainable steps
Replace wasteful steps with sustainable ones that can lower costs for the business and the environment over time. For example, a farm can grow crops with compost made from excess.
Share it locally
Tell the community about the businesses doing this work, so neighbors can choose them and resources stay close to home.
A model worth borrowing
Carmel-by-the-Sea, a small city in California, writes its support for local character into its rules. Its zoning code does not permit drive-in, fast-food or chain (“formula”) food establishments, and it aims to encourage unique businesses that serve the everyday needs of the local community.
That idea inspires us. CirAux supports independent small businesses and hopes to help our communities choose locally owned shops, so that owning a local business stays a real part of the American dream.
Source: Carmel-by-the-Sea Municipal Code, Chapter 17.56, Restricted Commercial Uses
What we value
Local first
Independent, locally owned businesses are the heart of a community.
Circular by design
Less waste, more reuse and long-term thinking.
Honest
We only share what we can back up.
Learning for all ages
From kids to business owners, everyone can learn something new.
Let’s keep it local.
Tell us about a local business you run or love, or follow along on Instagram.