Greenr – Accelerate the Change!

A great presentation by Biomimicry3.8 co-founder  Dr Dayna Baumeister. Enjoy! http://www.bioneerslive.org/VOD/VOD14/vod1602.html

Life’s Operating Manual :

Envision what our world would and could look like if we actually started reading and following the directions contained in “Life’s Operating Manual.” Co-founder with Janine Benyus of the Biomimicry Guild and Biomimicry Institute, Dayna Baumeister provides an eagle’s-eye view of biomimicry breakthroughs using ecological design and nature-inspired technologies that emulate nature’s profound design sophistication. She has worked in the field of biomimicry with Janine Benyus since 1998 and designed and teaches the world’s first Biomimicry Professional Certification Program.

About the Presenter:
Dayna Baumeister has worked in the field of biomimicry with Janine Benyus since 1998 as a business catalyst, educator, researcher, and design consultant. Together they founded the Biomimicry Guild, The Biomimicry Institute, and Biomimicry3.8, collectively fertilizing the movement of biomimicry as an innovative practice and philosophy to meet the world’s sustainability challenges. Dayna also designed and teaches the world’s first Biomimicry Professional Certification Program and compiled over a decade of experience into the Biomimicry Resource Handbook: A Seed Bank of Knowledge and Best Practices (2011). (www.biomimicry.net)

 

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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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In this Backyard Biomimicry 3-day workshop, you’ll collaborate with students and professionals of various disciplines to solve your region’s most pressing design challenges, drawing inspiration from the natural world – found right in your own backyard.

The workshop includes:
(All legs of the events must be registered for in order to attend)

Evening lecture:  Latest news from the world of biomimicry – donations only, all proceeds go to The Biomimicry Institute

Day 1:  Introduction to the Foundations of Biomimicry – $249

Days 2&3:  Hands-on Exploration of the Foundations of Biomimicry – $499  (Must have completed ONLINE Biomimicry Foundational courses or attended Day 1)

Please visit the Professional Pathways website for a full workshop description -
http://biomimicry.net/ProfessionalPathways/html/pathway/workshops.html

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News from the Biomimicry Group:

A press release going out on Monday, but I wanted you all to be the first to know about our very first online video contest!  We are giving away 3 seats in our upcoming Backyard Biomimicry 3-day workshops (a $750 value!) to the best 60 second video responses to “Why biomimicry?  Why now?”  Winners will be chosen from 10 finalists with the most online views by March 11.  

Vancouver, BC, San Francisco, CA, and Austin, TX will be hosting our 3-day Backyard Biomimicry workshops in April 2011.  These workshops are your first step in the Biomimicry Professional Pathway or they can be a great way to refresh or deepen your understanding of biomimicry.  At these workshops, you will learn the foundations of biomimicry with the foremost leaders in the field and connect with others in the biomimicry network.  The workshops include (all workshop legs require registration):

Evening lecture:  Latest news in the world of biomimicry – donations only (all proceeds go to the Biomimicry Institute)
Day 1:  Foundations of Biomimicry – $249
Days 2 & 3:  Hands-on Exploration of the Foundations of Biomimicry – $499

    Thanks to our Backyard Biomimicry sponsors Autodesk in San Francisco and Vinson & Elkins in Austin!

The Costa Rica Expeditions in March are open for registration – The deadline to register is February 11!

http://biomimicry.net/ProfessionalPathways

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Mark your calendar and I hope to see you there:

Season’s Greetings from San Diego Zoo Global!

We are pleased to announce the 2011 Biomimicry Conference in San Diego presented by mirasol®, a display innovation by Qualcomm. This two-day conference on April 14-15, 2011 will bring together business and design leaders to learn how and why nature will be a key driver of innovation and an economic game-changer.

Companies which design based on nature’s principles are poised to be leaders in innovation, efficiency, and sustainability. In this multi-sensory conference, you will immerse yourself in the natural beauty of Balboa Park, interact with the Zoo’s special animal ambassadors, and experience real examples of bioinspiration in action.

As keeper of the world’s most diverse collection of plants and animals, San Diego Zoo Global is collaborating with a number of companies and organizations to build the first global hub for bioinspiration.

Confirmed speakers include:

· James Burke, award-winning science historian and host of the BBC series Connections

· Matt Mason, best-selling author of The Pirate’s Dilemma

· David Schenone, Innovation Director for Advanced Concepts at Nike

· Jane Fulton Suri, Managing Partner and Creative Director at IDEO

Conference registration will open in February 2011. We recommend that you register early, as all of our public bioinspiration programs have filled to capacity.  For more information on the conference, or to be notified when registration opens, click here or visit www.sandiegozoo.org/biomimicry.

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I’m just back from Green Festival buzzing with new ideas, renewed energy and a few new connections to followup.

See if you can find the common thread on just three of the exhibitors: http://sharingsolution.com http://rentalic.com http://cohousing.org. Yes, back to my earlier post about getting more from less. I believe this is a powerful meme that needs to be spread far and wide. Today the brightest brains and deepest pockets are almost exclusively focused on creating MORE stuff. I’d argue that in many ways (though of course not all) we already have enough stuff, and intstead we need focused attention on making much better use of what we have already extracted, processed, packaged and put into use.

Technology: the web, and more particularly smartphones are central enablers. Hmm…I have a bit experience in those fields that could be put to use!

And a second thread: if we’re going to create more stuff then lets make sure folks have read Cradle to Cradle and taken a course in Biomimicry!

You’ll find my updated work-in-progress presentation at http://www.scribd.com/doc/21277439/Making-More-Use-out-of-Less-Stuff. Feedback and more examples welcome!

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Congratulations to the San Diego Zoo, The Biomimicry Institute and Qualcomm/mirasol for putting on a GREAT conference in San Diego today.  The room was full and the event brought together a terrific cross-section of academia (students, teachers, professors), entrepreneurs (like me!), city officials (inc. Mayor of San Diego giving the opening keynote) and biologists (most notably the extraordinary Janine Benyus).

The zoo is promoting biomimicry to help its conservation efforts. If humans learn that nature is a treasure trove of engineering solutions perfected over millions of years, then conservation and environmental protection will take on commercial value, the reasoning goes. Continued at NC Times…

More on the event at http://www.sandiegozoo.org/conservation/biomimicry/ and I expect there will be additional stories in the coming days http://news.google.com/news

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A great list of collaborators and sponsors for the 2009 Biomimicry Symposium  – mark your calendar!

From : “Helen Cheng” <HCheng@sandiegozoo.org>

The San Diego Zoo and the Biomimicry Institute are pleased to announce the 2009 Biomimicry Symposium in San Diego, presented by mirasol^®, a display innovation by Qualcomm.

The symposium will be held Oct. 1-2 in Balboa Park, and online registration will open on Monday, Aug. 17, at 9am PDT.  It is expected to sell out quickly. Please visit www.sandiegozoo.org/biomimicry for more information and to register.

This 1.5 day symposium will include talks by local and national leaders in the field of biomimicry, as well as a biomimicry bus tour of the San Diego Zoo and an Invention Convention highlighting real examples of nature-based solutions and designs.

Symposium highlights:

1. Our featured speakers include nationally-renown experts, Janine Benyus, Jay Harman and Chip Heath.

- Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.  She recently was awarded a UN Champion of the Earth Award presented by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

- Jay Harman is a serial entrepreneur and inventor. His latest company, PAX Scientific, uses nature’s streamlining geometries to design energy efficient, quiet, and ecologically friendly technology.

- Chip Heath is a Professor of Organizational Behavior in the Stanford Graduate School of Business. His research examines why certain ideas survive and prosper in the social marketplace of ideas, and he co-authored the best-selling book titled Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.

Our Education panel features an international group of educators who have taught biomimicry both formally and informally. They will provide practical insight and advice on biomimicry education.

Our Business panel includes members of the business and government community who have been involved in the development of biomimetic inventions and can talk about the practical aspects of commercializing nature-based products.

2. Our presenting sponsor is mirasol^®, a display innovation by Qualcomm.  Additional sponsors include Jump Associates, Bioneers, Pax Scientific, InterfaceFLOR, Charles & Diane Smith, Corning, UCSD Sustainability Solutions Institute, UCSD Rady School of Management, UCSD Division of Biological Sciences, and UCSD Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Conference partners include the City of San Diego, Envision Solar, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego State University, and the UCSD von Liebig Center.  For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Helen Cheng at hcheng@sandiegozoo.org or 619-557-3927.

3. Participants will be treated to a special biomimicry bus tour of the San Diego Zoo, then stroll through a mini Invention Convention to see real examples of biomimetic designs and products. If you have biomimetic technology and would like to exhibit your product in this Invention Convention, please contact Helen Cheng at hcheng@sandiegozoo.org or 619-557-3927.

4. Scholarships will be available on a limited basis to students, educators and non-profit organizations. Please visit http://www.sandiegozoo.org/conservation/biomimicry/registration/ to download an application form.

We hope to see you there!

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From: Ben de Vries <bendevries1968@gmail.com>
Subject: Your invitation to a work party

Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009, 11:50 AM

This is the invitation:

WORK PARTY!

March 2010

Tropical location, from Florida ~$300 round trip, passport required. If enough people get on the same plane a group rate is possible.

We will be doing work on a permaculture site in the caribbean. Probable work includes building dams, water management features, shade features, and given time, garden expansions. The rainy season should just be over, so there is a good possibility of crops to take in (and eat). Seafood is readily available locally.

What’s in it for me?:

1. a tropical work vacation in the caribbean (lose the winter blahs!)

2. food & accomodations (mostly vegetarian)

3. field experience

4. a letter of reference, if desired

5. your work becomes credit for future stays at an ecovillage site YOU HELPED BUILD

6. a community and workspace WE create

Many places actually CHARGE for this sort of experience, calling it a ‘retreat’ or some such. I don’t feel this is fair, as I want to include young people who don’t have much money to spare. What concerns me is motivation- if you have it, that’s what I want to see. I am against ‘exclusive’ events, and want to include those with motivation but not huge bank accounts. Work or money- but I don’t feel comfortable asking for both. I have been short-ended on occasion because I didn’t have enough money and I am not going to do that to anybody.

In all likelyhood, there will be very interesting people with much knowledge to share with you. Some possibilities for future projects might be encountered from other participants. I can’t make promises- there is no certainty, only opportunity.

The way I see it, with nearly 15 months to plan, save $100 a month in a cookie jar and by next march you will have PLENTY to make sure you have a good time. Locally it is also a good place to get SCUBA certification, and some of the best reef diving in the western hemisphere I am told. I understand it is also the location of the dolphin communication project workshop in may, although we are not affiliated. If you save more, you can extend your stay and explore the surrounding area, etc.

I certainly hope in a years time to see the best and brightest at my door. There will be much to do, and much we can create together. We can coordinate planning as we have plenty of time.

DO respond quickly if you are interested, as I want to gauge how much accomodation space I will need to build. (at least by august 1 this year please).

If you are putting together a crew, please collect resumes or a short essay from each participant for me.

I think people who have worked on previous projects with me have been pretty happy about it. I am quite sure one or two will show up for this one.

–
Ben de Vries
Certified Permaculture Designer

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