Hi! I’m Michelle Tulac.
I’m a systems-thinker with a background in life sciences, anthropology, and design.
I’m the founder of MerMaven venture studio and The Circular Social advisory.
I believe humanity’s ecological role is to steward and safeguard the ecosystems that make life possible and to create a future where we meet the needs of all within the means of the planet.
MerMaven is a venture studio, specializing in design for a regenerative circular economy. We collaborate with leading experts, including Mother Earth, to create products and experiences that promote health and well-being. Our nature positive approach includes conservation and restoration efforts, as well as immersive experiences that showcase the wonder of nature through science and play.
The Circular Social is a network of circular economy expert advisors. We empower and equip founders and funders with a deeper understanding of circular principles and practices. We offer guidance and evidence-based insights for designing products, services, and businesses that have positive environmental and social impact. Curious to learn more? Want to collaborate? Say hello and let’s chat!
Why this work matters
To prosper in the long term, we must redesign the global economy. Nature plays a crucial role in the economy, but it has been overexploited and undervalued. To halt and reverse biodiversity loss, we need to fundamentally transform the way we produce, use, and consume our products.
In a circular economy, driven by design, waste and pollution are eliminated so these direct threats to biodiversity are reduced.
When products and materials are circulated in the economy, the need for production from virgin materials is reduced.
Economic activity can, and needs to, actively rebuild biodiversity and regenerate nature.
Switching to renewable energy is not enough to achieve climate targets. How we manage resources, how we make and use products, and what we do with the materials after use are key levers for change and for cutting greenhouse gas emissions—that’s where circularity comes in.
Eliminate waste and pollution to reduce GHG emissions across the value chain
Circulate products and materials to retain their embodied energy
Regenerate nature to sequester carbon in soil, ecosystems, and products