Greenr – Accelerate the Change!

More from FutureTense:

What can the behaviour of ants, bees and rats teach us about the way humans navigate, organise and think? And what are the parallels between swarm intelligence and the ‘wisdom of crowds’? Listen now or read the transcript.

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It’s not too late to register for the 2011 Biomimicry Education Summit (June 27-29) to be held in the biomimicry hub of Cleveland, Ohio. We have extended the deadline to this Sunday, June 19. But don’t wait ’til the last minute! Here are five reasons to secure your spot today:

1. John Warner. If you haven’t yet heard, John Warner will keynote the Summit in place of Wes Jackson, who had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts. John is one of the world’s leading experts on green chemistry. If you’re unfamiliar with John’s work, check out the video of his talk on Intellectual Ecology from Bioneers 2010.

2. Life’s Principles. The Biomimicry Institute will release an updated version of Life’s Principles, and discuss how they can be used as a tool in the classroom.

3. STEM + Biomimicry. We will have a panel discussion on Biology, Design, and Engineering: Developing the Interdisciplinary Classroom. Educators from four different institutions will share how they have garnered support for biomimicry courses that bring together biology, design, and engineering students, and about the opportunities and challenges they’ve encountered.

4. Dr. Frank Fish and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Dr. Fish pioneered whale tubercule technology. The Monterey Bay Aquarium developed and launched a successful biomimicry exhibit, featuring Dr. Fish and many other biomimicry innovators. Both will be at the summit to discuss their experiences.

5. Networking. Many of the world’s greatest thought leaders on biomimicry and education will be at the summit. Don’t miss this chance to develop relationships and learn best practices to take back with you to the classroom.

Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to learn from your peers and help shape the future of biomimicry education! Register today.

Sam Stier and Megan Schuknecht
The Biomimicry Institute

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• We launched the first Biomimicry Youth Challenge this year, and the winners in each of three categories: 1) elementary school students wrote an entire musical play using the songs on Ask the Planet!; 2) 6th graders were inspired by the circulatory system in the paws of wolves to design a self-warming boot called “Cozy Paws,” that has webs of water-filled tubes running through the rubber on the bottom of the boot. The water is kept warm by a friction-creating motor located in the heel of the boot that produces heat; and 3) high school senior Mary Furth, of the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich, Connecticut, who conducted an original biological research project on the potential of chemicals present in geraniums to act as a non-toxic inhibitor of certain garden pests, a vital first-step to establishing the chemicals’ functionality and to potentially synthesizing the natural pesticide.

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The weekly Australian radio program “FutureTense” is a regular on my podcast list, and this week they’re featuring interviews leaders in the biomimicry community, including Janine Benyus, Tim McGee (Senior Biologist at the Design Table, Biomimicry Guild), Dr Andrew Harris (Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Sydney) and Dr Tim Finnigan (Chief Executive Officer of BioPower Systems).

What can a Namibian beetle tell us about improving water collection? Or the shape of a Kingfisher’s beak tell us about the best way to design a high speed train? The idea of biomimicry—looking to nature to solve human problems—is growing as more organisations try to mimic the best from the natural world. Continue to podcast and transcript…

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