Greenr - Accelerate the Change!

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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I met some of the enthusiastic folks from San Diego at the Bioneers conference in October and so I’m really pleased to see their efforts moving forward:

	Subject : Biomimicry and the San Diego Zoo Date : Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:01:00 -0800 From : “Helen Cheng” <HCheng@sandiegozoo.org>

Happy New Year!

Thank you for your interest in biomimicry in San Diego.  San Diego has been a hotbed of biomimicry activities in 2008, and we would like to share just a few highlights.

For an introduction biomimicry and the San Diego Zoo’s activities in this area, attached is an article from the January edition of ZooNooz.

Partnership with the City of San Diego
We are delighted to announce the San Diego Zoo’s partnership with the City of San Diego to promote biomimicry in the San Diego region.  The City of San Diego is a biotech, clean tech and high tech hub; it houses top-notch research and academic institutions; is a biodiversity hotspot; and is an ideal place to work, visit and play.  San Diego is the natural hub for biomimicry, and we look forward to building biomimicry education and services in this community.

Biomimicry Education and Awareness
The San Diego Zoo has entered into a year-long partnership with High Tech High in which students are designing biomimetic invention based on plants or animals.  The San Diego Zoo recently sponsored students from High Tech High to attend the Bioneers conference in San Rafael, CA, to learn more about how biomimicry is being applied in industry.

We offer a variety of educational programs for high school and college students at the Zoo or Wild Animal Park.  From introductory presentations to day-long interactive workshops that teach biomimicry in a hands-on way, students will learn how nature can help them in their future careers.

Corporate Retreats
The San Diego Zoo offers corporate retreats with a focus on green business practices and biomimicry.  Companies can choose modules that introduce sustainability and/or biomimicry, go on special biomimicry tours, and even participate in interactive exercises that train researchers, designers and engineers to think about problem-solving in a different way.  These retreats can be held at the Zoo or at our LEED Certified conservation research facilities.

For more information on any of our programs, please visit zoobiomimicry.org.  You may also call or email us at the contact information listed below.

San Diego Sustainability Business Forum

Wednesday, February 4, 2009
8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Price: $50 per person

Presented by ESI, the San Diego Natural History Museum and others

Learn how to increase green practices and profits in a day-long forum for leaders of small- and medium-sized businesses.

DESCRIPTION: Can your company’s bottom line and business practices both be green?

Fred Krupp, author of Earth: The Sequel, begins this forum with an important talk about our energy future. This second-annual sustainability forum is designed to help leaders of small- and medium-sized businesses improve their bottom line while making choices that help protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the natural habitats that make southern California such a desirable place to live. This day-long meeting will include panel presentations, case studies, discussions, practical break-out sessions, and fascinating information about new practices, innovations, and technologies that can make your company greener, more competitive, and more profitable. Lunch included.

For more information, visit https://tickets.sdnhm.org/public/show.asp

Thank you for your support of biomimicry and sustainability in San Diego!

Helen Cheng
Office of Conservation Finance
Zoological Society of San Diego
PO Box 120551
San Diego, CA 92112-0551
Tel: (619) 557-3927
Cel: (619) 517-3216
hcheng@sandiegozoo.org

Jon Prange
Venture Business Office
Zoological Society of San Diego
(619) 231-1515 ext. 4587
(619) 231-0249 fax
jprange@sandiegozoo.org

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I first visited San Francisco in 1985 on my way to Boston for MacWorld Expo. I returned a few months later for the west coast MacWorld. Little did I know that key pieces of the ‘revolutionary’ Mac technolgy were demonstrated in same convention center almost two decades earlier, on December 9th, 1968. It has since come to be known as the Mother of all Demos and today hundreds of tech luminaries gathered to honour the brilliant man behind that demo, Doug Englebart.

On December 9, 1968, Dr. Douglas C. Engelbart and the Augmentation Research Center (ARC) at Stanford Research Institute staged a 90-minute public multimedia demonstration at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco. It was the world debut of personal and interactive computing: for the first time, the public saw a computer mouse, which controlled a networked computer system to demonstrate hypertext linking, real-time text editing, multiple windows with flexible view control, cathode display tubes, and shared-screen teleconferencing.

It changed what is possible. The 1968 demo presaged many of the technologies we use today, from personal computing to social networking. The demo embodied Doug Engelbart’s vision of solving humanity’s most important problems by using computers to improve communication and collaboration.

Today was another great reminder of why I moved to San Francisco! 

Full coverage via Google News and Technorati, plus an interesting mindmap/timeline. (Unfortunately much of the coverage focuses on the mouse, but Doug the mouse was just a tiny piece of the puzzle he was solving.)

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Many years in the making, The Biomimicry Institute’s Ask Nature portal will be formally launched tomorrow, but a few lucky visitors to Autodesk’s booth enjoyed a preview presented by the Janine.

Just one example: Janine and the team have identified 78 strategies nature uses to reduce drag. Incredible!

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I’m headed to Boston tomorrow for the annual GreenBuild conference and expo. I have two agendas, first to find a few more innovative solutions for our home project, and second to be on hand for the launch of the Biomimicry Institute’s “AskNature” database/portal:

Autodesk, a leader in design innovation technologies, has announced the sponsorship of AskNature.org, the world’s first biomimicry database, featuring biology-inspired design strategies. Architects, designers and engineers can access and harness nature’s billions of years of evolution through this free, online public-domain library, filled with some of nature’s best strategies, organized by function and explained with illustrations and in language relevant to designers. Continued…

And if you’re attending GreenBuild, let me know and lets connect!

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I posted about Open Source Sustainability a few months ago, so I was pleased to read about an upcoming event:

We are gathering together a large community of like-minded groups and people, called the Open Sustainability Network (OSN), to work on overcoming barriers to openness and collaboration. Our first conference will be at San Francisco State University on October, 18th-19th and admission is free.

To register for OSNCamp 2008 see: http://osncon.eventbrite.com

For more information: http://opensustainabilitynetwork.org

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The Biomimicry Guild will be leading a pre-conference session at West Coast Green in San Jose September 24, 2008.  This special lecture and workshop session will be facilitated by Rose Tocke and Taryn Mead, Biologists at the Design Table. The focus will be an introduction to biomimicry in the built world coupled with hands-on exploration of the principles and practice of biomimicry.

You can read more about, and register for, this session and the West Coast Green event here:

http://www.westcoastgreen.com/program/2008/pre-conference.php#biomimcry

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