tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70216957869397547902024-02-06T22:30:24.396-06:00B-CollaborativeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-53983784141434972242016-11-13T14:34:00.001-06:002016-11-18T13:07:48.681-06:00Thoughts on Reorganization<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3qrZkQ7kr7X8oWMjYcwjsaOLabur0PJ_RdqioXMwauGI0RxO4Z5yAak7y8fPnfKLLGutjt3N-M6B-GB4cTwth6BE95aSmSZRG3L3WH67_AMnWuvo9KJ-BkYiVd9DvSdK-0E23g7dOnE/s1600/change.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3qrZkQ7kr7X8oWMjYcwjsaOLabur0PJ_RdqioXMwauGI0RxO4Z5yAak7y8fPnfKLLGutjt3N-M6B-GB4cTwth6BE95aSmSZRG3L3WH67_AMnWuvo9KJ-BkYiVd9DvSdK-0E23g7dOnE/s400/change.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by ACP at the Morton Arboretum</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>Note to the reader: this won't be a polished blog entry, because my thoughts are too raw and unformed as yet. This is a therapeutic exercise I am undertaking as I try to figure out where I and others like me fit in within this radically changed landscape. </i><br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>"Change is the only constant in life." </b><span style="font-weight: normal;">- Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher</span></h3>
<br />
I have devoted my career to sustainability and resilience. For the first ten years, I used this as an architect, and for the last five it has been as an advocate and educator. I had optimism that even though my goals were large, complex, and long-term I was helping people to see their challenges in a different way. I thought that by helping people to think differently, I could help create a movement that moved our society and our world toward a more environmentally and socially just existence.<br />
<br />
And then November 8th happened.<br />
<br />
That night, I began to realize that I have been living in a bubble. My privileged existence of contemplating large scale, long-term change cannot be realized when people are hurting and worry for how they will exist the next day. I remember hearing Wangari Maathai say that people would cut down the last tree to burn so they can feed their children. And my mentor, Dayna Baumeister, telling us that we cannot appeal to rational solutions when people are hurting, our brains simply won't allow us to process future thinking when we must deal with today's survival.<br />
<br />
I am beginning to realize more and more that environmental justice cannot occur when social justice is so far from our reach. It is sad for me to think that we as a nation and as a global community are not as evolved as I thought we were. Misogyny, racism, and elitism are far more wide-spread than I had thought they were. And as someone who heeds the warning of 99% of the scientific community that we are headed for global disruption at a scale we have never seen, I am horrified that we need to refocus - AGAIN - on short-term triage rather than long-term solutions.<br />
<br />
So where does this leave us? Where do we go from here? Here are my thoughts as of this writing.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Task #1: Build Bridges for Social Resilience</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
I will start with helping to heal my local community. We are as divided as any other community in this country: red vs blue, rich vs poor, white vs non. We all live in bubbles of our own making by the news we read, the friends we have, and the places we live. We need to find ways to build bridges, not walls and to stand up for those that feel unsafe in this changed landscape. True community resilience can only occur when we hold each other close and focus on what we have in common more so than what divides us - even those we disagree with.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"It is better to light a candle rather than curse the darkness."</i> - Eleanor Roosevelt. </blockquote>
<h4>
Task #2: Refocus Environmental Resilience, Locally</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
It is now clear that we cannot rely on outside forces to shape our destiny. We cannot rely on the federal government to make the changes we need to see - we can only rely on ourselves. As a community and as a bio-region, we must take charge of our own destiny and focus on how we can sustain ourselves and our communities as conditions change. Local governments, industries, and activists must work together to build and sustain initiatives that will help all of our citizens work together to create a socially and environmentally just place for all of us to thrive. Women and minorities (as well as our male allies) of all generations must empower each other and organize to collectively ensure the rhetoric, actions, and policies of this toxic campaign are not normalized.<br />
<br />
The forces of injustice and unsustainability have been emboldened. It is up to us to stand collectively to fight for our way of life and the future our children will inhabit. We can be a beacon of light in the darkness and others will follow our example.<br />
<br />
<b>Task #3: Continue to Learn from Nature</b><br />
<br />
Now, more than ever, we need to learn from our mentors. Those organisms and ecosystems that have survived here for millennia - through countless disturbances far greater than the ones we face now. They have learned to not only survive but THRIVE in this place, and we can do this too.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>We can learn from the lowly dandelion how to change ourselves to fit the conditions in which we find ourselves - so that when we land in less-than optimal conditions, we can grow and set seed quickly so that our information survives when we cannot. But regardless of the conditions, we will still grow, but it will be different.</li>
<li>We cannot wait for a charismatic leader to show us the way. That ancestral tribal thinking of dividing us vs them empowered the Trump campaign to victory, but it has also lead to social unrest on the scale we haven't seen for a generation. We must begin to look to new models of collective action, like the collective animal behavior of birds, bees, and bison. Through information transparency, simple, system-wide rules, and thresholds for action we can begin to self-organize and move collectively in a common direction.</li>
<li>We must also look to ecosystem models of diversity, redundancy, and multi-scale reinforcement as the mechanisms upon which resilience emerges. By welcoming all types of diversity - not only racial but also a diversity of thought, strengthening our numbers, and forming multi-generational, multi-regional coalitions, we can begin the process of building bridges and healing. </li>
</ul>
<br />
When a tornado rips through a woodland, the destruction is catastrophic and the standard way of life is temporarily halted. But slowly, the forest rebuilds. The Hindu God Shiva, the God of Destruction, opens the path to rebirth. Young trees feed off the nutrients of those that have fallen, creating a multi-generational canopy that is more resilient in the long-term than it would be had the disturbance never happened. Our strength is in our diversity, and true resilience can emerge after catastrophic events. But we must begin to reorganize now.<br />
<br />
I am deeply saddened by the turn our country, as well as many parts of the world, has taken. And while I mourn, I also see this an opportunity for mobilization of grass roots activism on a scale that is unprecedented. Now is not the time to run, it's the time to stand and fight for our country as well as be open to the changes this type of reorganization will bring. I will always believe that we are "Stronger Together" and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute my talents toward creating a better world for everyone.<br />
<br />
We can do this. Together.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-53533932560742649162016-07-07T16:01:00.000-05:002016-07-07T16:04:27.964-05:00Aspiring to be the drop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHFW1s609865wlyFqpM3pDrCtaQAfoS6Agd-9KKvWGLoACpOnxciZ9n9ScAT-0ggV5LDWVFF0KDGtOpCqrVfzTSU-OEyh5BFGLJPlIe-U4o8KQ_c0it_zCNqdxAxA67mooxnzMtaNKtw/s1600/-The+weakest+living+creature%252C+by+concentrating+his+powers+on+a+single+object%252C+can+accomplish+good+results+while+the+strongest%252C+by+dispersing+his+effort+over+many+chores%252C+may+fail+to+accomplish+anything.+Drops+of+water%252C+by.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHFW1s609865wlyFqpM3pDrCtaQAfoS6Agd-9KKvWGLoACpOnxciZ9n9ScAT-0ggV5LDWVFF0KDGtOpCqrVfzTSU-OEyh5BFGLJPlIe-U4o8KQ_c0it_zCNqdxAxA67mooxnzMtaNKtw/s320/-The+weakest+living+creature%252C+by+concentrating+his+powers+on+a+single+object%252C+can+accomplish+good+results+while+the+strongest%252C+by+dispersing+his+effort+over+many+chores%252C+may+fail+to+accomplish+anything.+Drops+of+water%252C+by.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
The owner of my gym posted this today and I've been thinking about this all day: it's an analogy for how we can make a difference by staying focused and taking actions in a slow and steady way.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>"The weakest living creature, by concentrating his powers on a single object, can accomplish good results while the strongest, by dispersing his effort over many chores, may fail to accomplish anything. Drops of water, by continually falling, hone their passage through the hardest of rocks but the hasty torrent rushes over it with hideous uproar and leaves no trace behind." - Og Mandino.</b></i></blockquote>
<div>
Many of us working for social change find ourselves pulled in many directions. I continually wonder where my time and energy would have the most effect? When does a great idea start to take precedence over the good ones, and how do I prioritize? </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have three primary goals with my work: </div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Improve the lives of people and all organisms in my bioregion;</li>
<li>Choose projects that are financially sustainable; and </li>
<li>Be physically and mentally present for my family when they need me. </li>
</ol>
<div>
That's it! It really shouldn't be as difficult as it has been to accomplish all three goals with each action I take, but trust me - it is. Most social justice initiatives do not pay at all or pay very little, so #1 and #2 can be in conflict. And accomplishing #3 is most times in conflict with #1 and #2. So what to do? Refer back to the quote:</div>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"The weakest living creature, by concentrating his powers on a single object, can accomplish good results while the strongest, by dispersing his effort over many chores, may fail to accomplish anything."</i></blockquote>
Too often, I disperse my brainpower and efforts over many tasks - see my 3 goals above! But doing so accomplishes very little. My goal for the month of July is to focus on one goal and use the time I have to work toward that end.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"<i>Drops of water, by continually falling, hone their passage through the hardest of rocks but the hasty torrent rushes over it with hideous uproar and leaves no trace behind."</i></blockquote>
I also need to remember that I am a drop. Too often, I am distracted by the latest catastrophe and rush to see how I can help with that, but my goal should be to keep focused and take actions that are slow and steady. I hope that by doing so, I will have the most impact in the long run.<br />
<br />
Peace today and always,<br />
AmyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-48781868385065249042016-05-27T14:52:00.000-05:002016-05-27T14:52:00.492-05:00Stories of a Place: Exploring Resilience Strategies at Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUAZ-LUpDWvuj2XylDZ1l4KwkaWfalkKUtgf9h4-UZ5itl_BVPBNB3vC2630PwWvJZu03A0lJ6UgK4scu_jBo6VMZgG7-909SHUzvZ6NRRbN0Rw7WE7GIjz1f8fMkdC6E22PWsE_iV2s/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQUAZ-LUpDWvuj2XylDZ1l4KwkaWfalkKUtgf9h4-UZ5itl_BVPBNB3vC2630PwWvJZu03A0lJ6UgK4scu_jBo6VMZgG7-909SHUzvZ6NRRbN0Rw7WE7GIjz1f8fMkdC6E22PWsE_iV2s/s400/cover.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
My work is centered on understanding nature's resilience strategies and exploring ways that we can learn from them to embed resilience into human systems, such as communities, businesses, and our built environment. It's a fascinating topic that continually enriches my work life, and one that I am interested in exploring at home as well!<br />
<br />
I have decided to make my home the test bed for how nature's resilience strategies can be showcased at home. Please follow what I plan will be a series of posts about my progress toward making a resilient (re)design of a suburban home, one that is inspired by the <b>"Stories of our Place!"</b><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
"Stories of our Place" is a concept I've been developing based on the <a href="http://living-future.org/lbc" target="_blank">Living Building Challenge</a> for how our buildings and landscapes can learn from the native ecologies of the land in region in order to be more sustainable and resilient. This practice involves referencing and understanding the cultural and ecological history of a location, understanding the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem_services" target="_blank">ecosystem services</a> they perform, and emulating these patterns and principles into the built environment to solve our critical challenges. <b>So what does this look like at a single-family residential scale?</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWB4ADyGW22WP04WCCQQtmt2mio5JZxeJCgPBDfOH-rbAYDWVzMnBZesdyzrxNajP16EgZXbItLQ90QPVQprnWjic52pKh2Kd0P_AaIK6LYfq_JJpC9FQsfm7wOQqnMqG1TDVn3GzItjk/s1600/HomeFront.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWB4ADyGW22WP04WCCQQtmt2mio5JZxeJCgPBDfOH-rbAYDWVzMnBZesdyzrxNajP16EgZXbItLQ90QPVQprnWjic52pKh2Kd0P_AaIK6LYfq_JJpC9FQsfm7wOQqnMqG1TDVn3GzItjk/s1600/HomeFront.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
My home sits uphill from the DuPage River in Naperville, Illinois, a town 30 miles west of Chicago. Our area was first <a href="http://www.napersettlement.org/" target="_blank">"settled" in 1830</a> by a group of families from Ohio who set up a timber mill along the banks of the river, which served was water and energy source for the settlement. As the area was "settled," it was roamed by native americans, predominately by the Potawatomi, which apparently had <a href="http://www.napersettlement.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/304" target="_blank">friendly relationships with the white settlers</a>. Native american tribes are no longer present in the area to any large extent.<br />
<br />
What started as modest homes nearly 150 years ago, many of these are being torn down in favor of larger homes, such as my own, which was built ten years ago. While the sustainability professional in me is embarrassed by the size of my home, which is way too large for our family of four, I think it is important for all building types to plan for incremental changes in order to improve our built environment. This is an increasingly pressing need because it is estimated that 80% of the buildings that will exist in 25 years already exist today. So if we are able to plan for these incremental changes, we will be able to improve the sustainability and resilience of our built environment over time and in a financially sustainable way as well!<br />
<br />
Change begins at home, as they say, so I will be showcasing the changes we make as well as the process by which we make these decisions. It is my hope that this transparency will help others as they plan to increase the sustainability and resilience of their home according to its replacement cycle.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-77113416168832143442016-04-23T12:29:00.000-05:002016-05-09T11:33:38.317-05:00A Contrast in Rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><br />I am a single drop of rain, falling from the sky</b><br />
<br />
I fall fast and hard on a single leaf at the top of the forest canopy;<br />
I break apart.<br />
My daughters fall slower and softer on the leaves below;<br />
Until they break apart.<br />
My granddaughters fall slower and softer still;<br />
Over and over;<br />
Until they either rest on the leaves or fall to the soil, ready to venture down into the soil matrix where they are pulled up to through the tree to nourish it and be released into the air once more.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div>
<b>But if I fall in the city, my story is very different.</b><br />
<br />
Instead of landing on many surfaces and being absorbed by the soil, I land on a hard roof or road.<br />
I join my sister raindrops, travelling in a fast current and speeding up as if on a roller coaster, picking up leaves, debris, trash, chemicals, and topsoil and washing them away.<br />
Faster and faster still, I travel at breakneck speed until I reach a river, and eventually the ocean.<br />
I have fed no one;<br />
I have polluted the river, the ocean;<br />
And I have drained the fertility of the soil.<br />
<br />
<b>Water left on site feeds an ecosystem;<br />Water lost to runoff feeds no one.</b><br />
<br />
But what if our buildings were more like trees, our streets more like the fertile soil?<br />
They would drink me, clean me, store me, and eventually release me to the sky again!<br />
Nourishing an ecosystem and the diversity of life.<br />
By learning from the forest, our communities can do the same.<br />
<br />
<b>WE NEED NATURE. THERE IS SO MUCH TO LEARN.</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
- Amy Coffman Phillips</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-5341285391828129492016-03-22T11:13:00.001-05:002016-03-22T11:13:08.711-05:00Alone in the WildnessI took a walk outside of a homestead farm this morning, just at daybreak. The farm is between the territory of two wolf packs, so I was warned to be on guard. As I walked, I felt my own fragility. I looked for rocks with which to defend myself or scare a wolf away, should it come to that. To be fair, I was never in any real danger - wolves don't normally encroach on human settlements unless they are desperate - but as a city gal, it had me considering my own survival more than I normally do!<br />
<br />
It made me feel as though the whole biophilia concept is a luxury for those who are safely disconnected from nature and her wildness. But after a day of workshops, talking, and deeply listening and planning, it felt good to have such clarity of thought and purpose. I was on guard, but I felt alive and alert in ways I don’t normally. And it felt amazing to be alone and quiet after a day of constant human communication.<br />
<br />
Singularity of purpose, solitude, and quiet are rarities in my life, and I treasure the moments when they come, despite the undercurrent of fear. It was life, it was wildness, and it was gorgeous.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY80WzYQiaLAVX6ubTpTy9g4EiJJ2VC6KUsFiklTAO8YS-BMEt7J67R8x60CUJBHlO0v_NgcjIOZCFROIAY4Rxk0KNbVxeVg5KYp3_J80Ia8aGRp9zGa6AhqElbnCJQES3pS-J3DCpXjo/s1600/IMG_1810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY80WzYQiaLAVX6ubTpTy9g4EiJJ2VC6KUsFiklTAO8YS-BMEt7J67R8x60CUJBHlO0v_NgcjIOZCFROIAY4Rxk0KNbVxeVg5KYp3_J80Ia8aGRp9zGa6AhqElbnCJQES3pS-J3DCpXjo/s320/IMG_1810.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlpwPnGhuhhbj-bYtFyOjn0xzNhZIBJLt9HxWMQNRke3d8HsnbofWhrIQLmzrHpapTj-1f66-lpkD__3AJiKalOx1EdPhSlBnL4YE-R5Uzn6LeNw_kgJvQ4qfgOY1t1AsKO2yNm9c_Rs/s1600/IMG_1793.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlpwPnGhuhhbj-bYtFyOjn0xzNhZIBJLt9HxWMQNRke3d8HsnbofWhrIQLmzrHpapTj-1f66-lpkD__3AJiKalOx1EdPhSlBnL4YE-R5Uzn6LeNw_kgJvQ4qfgOY1t1AsKO2yNm9c_Rs/s320/IMG_1793.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0UV9uWIGDXLr4WXTDCoqWqvcvjbM965zn5yAxxjEwN6V8aWAWi8BMU3yHE2lYZ7cDC19AQ9WC8tLbc_RxvlO24DkPyblEDg8Gz6U8Pq_FUa-19aBKhuPv-Q44i3oSrXdl3au7WjwALU/s1600/IMG_1798.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0UV9uWIGDXLr4WXTDCoqWqvcvjbM965zn5yAxxjEwN6V8aWAWi8BMU3yHE2lYZ7cDC19AQ9WC8tLbc_RxvlO24DkPyblEDg8Gz6U8Pq_FUa-19aBKhuPv-Q44i3oSrXdl3au7WjwALU/s320/IMG_1798.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeWjcO3WKCJcSu8ztWjFwAjlu_d1nv8iu6u86hbJuerpLuAXZjiSmYx0ZOCvQxRSMzDl43PCfliyU5M-IxMLTr8AnByAVNBYNTTauCozJfUp-Ll21jp6kVgYToiFOOyRZNdWZ_s4zMpQ/s1600/IMG_1804.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeWjcO3WKCJcSu8ztWjFwAjlu_d1nv8iu6u86hbJuerpLuAXZjiSmYx0ZOCvQxRSMzDl43PCfliyU5M-IxMLTr8AnByAVNBYNTTauCozJfUp-Ll21jp6kVgYToiFOOyRZNdWZ_s4zMpQ/s320/IMG_1804.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6m3o-8j1bzZ5gAyZ1E08XlRVlxeZxz_TRNURqZzh_nyFUqdV3d6fow7k3JMk07yXLyQ3We783H3bpNYSajKjO__Qw7VtuRgprJcADn-fEE3cD22BACTVJZ6_EGZ8Gz4RPZswJNOMgOA/s1600/IMG_1805.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6m3o-8j1bzZ5gAyZ1E08XlRVlxeZxz_TRNURqZzh_nyFUqdV3d6fow7k3JMk07yXLyQ3We783H3bpNYSajKjO__Qw7VtuRgprJcADn-fEE3cD22BACTVJZ6_EGZ8Gz4RPZswJNOMgOA/s320/IMG_1805.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-82050200864962229832015-09-16T13:23:00.000-05:002015-09-16T13:23:01.112-05:00A Nature Walk Among the Trees: Learning Multi-Functional Design from NatureEducators are the ultimate multi-taskers! We are required to balance the needs and interests of students, parents, and administrators while teaching to many different sets of educational standards - and keeping it interesting for students (and us)! Because of this, we are always looking to get the most out of everything we do and every lesson plan must accomplish many goals at the same time. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4o81_xXgtPiKpDBXDa59We9NMi9wtxYhkS9qXYpAAOTyipLo5486161yxsxGKBAmZYCQAtGdpt2wleG2Tf0H_yRuEMzUL_7kkUUnMhZA7LBCD7e9wxGHmnuCnPiuvIxvdG8rJEGxaVI/s1600/k-sketch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4o81_xXgtPiKpDBXDa59We9NMi9wtxYhkS9qXYpAAOTyipLo5486161yxsxGKBAmZYCQAtGdpt2wleG2Tf0H_yRuEMzUL_7kkUUnMhZA7LBCD7e9wxGHmnuCnPiuvIxvdG8rJEGxaVI/s320/k-sketch1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"It was fun measuring the tree and writing and coloring!"<br />- Camille, Kindergarten</td></tr>
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Our “Nature Walk Among the Trees” lesson showcases our simple, yet powerful approach to fit in with various K-12 standards (STEM & NextGen Science) in a fun and thought provoking session that challenges students (and teachers) to think “outside the box” and learn about science in nature in a creative new way. Looking to biomimicry’s Life Principle to “use multi-functional design,” we showcase life’s multi-functional strategies as exemplified in a native tree. For example, leaves:</div>
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<ul>
<li>provide shade, </li>
<li>transfer energy,</li>
<li>absorb carbon dioxide,</li>
<li>filter air,</li>
<li>self-cool, </li>
<li>recycle nitrogen...</li>
</ul>
...all in one seemingly simple little package! What can we learn from life’s multi-functional strategies to design products and services that perform just as well?<br /><br />Participants in our session will experience the class as their students would, learning about biomimicry’s life’s principles from a trained biomimic and learning from a curriculum designer how lessons from this course can fit within their current curriculum and fulfill requirements for a STEM and Next Generation Science Standards. Support materials will be provided that you can bring back and implement in your classroom. “A Nature Walk Among the Trees” is one of several courses we are creating to make it easy and fun to integrate biomimicry’s Life’s Principles into K-5 classes. <br /><div>
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<div>
Register for the <a href="https://biomimicry.org/network-event/8th-annual-biomimicry-education-summit/#.VfmzPPlVhBc" target="_blank">Biomimicry Educator's Summit</a> in Austin, Texas, October 4th and learn more about our educational products on <a href="http://b-collaborative.com/education.html" target="_blank">our website!</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-41884610458415774542015-07-21T14:03:00.001-05:002015-07-21T14:03:22.778-05:00Biomimicry for the Designer: 101Designers are continually looking for new and innovative ways to create beautiful, livable spaces that are environmentally responsible and, more recently, resilient to disturbances. Increasingly, designers on the leading edge are looking to nature for this inspiration, including HOK, Grimshaw and Exploration Architecture to name a few. Learn how biomimicry can contribute to the sustainability and resilience of the built environment in this short introductory video, and sign up for a <a href="http://prairielab.com/immersion" target="_blank">Chicago Biomimicry Immersion</a> through Prairie Lab to learn more!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CMI95MP23yM" width="560"></iframe>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-61946399859517773962015-06-24T11:35:00.000-05:002015-06-24T11:35:02.082-05:00Nine Reasons Why Applying Biomimicry to Built Environment Projects is a Win-Win-Win!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6zATBlqZ2fGSPjT7FlrC97sooHcQmTE5Hn476IanSr6aXAkRwdveOvz65ehfwLC_kvoBy0kyA-d5SF0RjmH4UztDvUKsk-EemDpSspZAEcL8S5sZ2MteQFOls9L-P9WacYPJPnUcRK4/s1600/shutterstock_183225236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ6zATBlqZ2fGSPjT7FlrC97sooHcQmTE5Hn476IanSr6aXAkRwdveOvz65ehfwLC_kvoBy0kyA-d5SF0RjmH4UztDvUKsk-EemDpSspZAEcL8S5sZ2MteQFOls9L-P9WacYPJPnUcRK4/s320/shutterstock_183225236.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;">Photo: </span><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1938302p1.html" style="text-align: start;">Zlicovek</a><span style="text-align: start;">, </span><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-183225236/stock-photo-green-energy-in-the-city-modern-building-covered-with-spruce-forest.html?src=NFCtUqnOURJJuT3lEoJQ1w-1-39" style="text-align: start;">Shutterstock</a></span></td></tr>
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<div>
Amy was recently asked to contribute to the Biomimicry Institute's new blog, Asking Nature. Check out her thoughts on <a href="http://biomimicry.org/next-design-innovation-built-environment-learning-nature/" target="_blank">"Nine Reasons Why Applying Biomimicry to Built Environment Projects is a Win-Win-Win!"</a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Designers in the building industry are continually looking for new and innovative ways to create beautiful, livable spaces that are environmentally responsible and resilient. Increasingly, those on the leading edge are looking to nature as a source of inspiration. Here are nine examples of how applying biomimicry in the context of the built environment can help designers, projects, and communities as they work to create naturally sustainable, inherently resilient spaces."</blockquote>
Curious to learn more? Check out the next <a href="http://www.prairielab.com/immersion" target="_blank">Chicago Biomimicry Immersive Workshop </a>THIS SATURDAY! Enter promo code <b>'BioChi10' for 10% off </b>the cost of registration!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-52741431820892446322015-05-26T00:11:00.000-05:002015-05-26T10:31:03.260-05:00Collective Resilience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHU97-1DD0nb2fl4zl4bDuEHlxsfSTwq85KYRirdU6iJNGyzskXKzBkK0QwEbr0tbrvMjXf8LtaUsWk4GzsKq2PYwq32CXiPhCiparV2JGcDLqqE4lNCVrK6FuniHXWzDOQHDbhNnfx-E/s1600/swarm-sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHU97-1DD0nb2fl4zl4bDuEHlxsfSTwq85KYRirdU6iJNGyzskXKzBkK0QwEbr0tbrvMjXf8LtaUsWk4GzsKq2PYwq32CXiPhCiparV2JGcDLqqE4lNCVrK6FuniHXWzDOQHDbhNnfx-E/s400/swarm-sm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Mention the term "swarm theory" and people typically think of <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/vijay_kumar_robots_that_fly_and_cooperate?language=en" target="_blank">robots that work together</a> or <a href="http://www.bmwgroup.com/e/0_0_www_bmwgroup_com/forschung_entwicklung/science_club/veroeffentlichte_artikel/2013/news2013_01.html" target="_blank">accident-avoiding cars</a>, but conversations I've been having recently are all about bringing swarm theory to work for human behavior. <b>In a nutshell: how can we set up structures within our businesses, organizations, and communities that incentivize individuals to work together toward a common goal? </b><br />
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I've written about <a href="http://b-collaborative.blogspot.com/2013/11/communicationissues.html" target="_blank">swarm theory in relation to communication issue</a>s in a previous entry, and building on that, how can we leverage the mechanisms behind this innate behavior to create strategic alignment for our businesses and communities? The mechanisms in swarm theory are simple: individual organisms working together to create a whole that is greater than the sum of their parts. Through information transparency, multiple sensors, and simple rules, flocks and swarms are able to leverage the self-interest of the individual to work together and mitigate disturbances, such as predation. The biological mechanisms are simple, but translating them to a human context is anything but elementary.<br />
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Perhaps you are asking yourself:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>How can I <b>grow my business</b> while keeping my culture intact? </i><i>How can my organization cut through the noise to <b>spread the word</b> on an important initiative?</i><i> </i><i>How can I <b>organize my community</b> to collectively tackle initiatives that mitigate the effects of urban flooding, crime, and climate change? </i></blockquote>
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Let's start learning from billions of years of nature's R&D and work together to bring natural solutions to work for our businesses, organizations, and communities. <a href="mailto:biomimicry@b-collaborative.com" target="_blank">Contact us</a> to learn more!</div>
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<b>Resources to learn more!</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The B-Collaborative's <a href="http://b-collaborative.com/resilience.html" target="_blank">Naturally Resilient Workshop</a>. </li>
<li>National Geographic's interesting <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/07/swarms/miller-text%20">introduction to swarm theory</a> (bit of a long read);</li>
<li>For a shorter experience, NatGeo created a<a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/07/swarms/swarms-photography"> picture essay</a> on the subject;</li>
<li>HBR article for a <a href="https://hbr.org/2001/05/swarm-intelligence-a-whole-new-way-to-think-about-business">Capital One</a> case study that applies swarm theory to human behavior;</li>
<li>And for an example of it applied to energy management, the <a href="http://ben.biomimicry.net/curricula-and-resources/university-curricula/case-study-regen-energy">REGEN</a> case study.</li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-1314737394182278052015-04-15T12:38:00.003-05:002015-04-15T13:07:17.072-05:00Exploring Synergies: Biomimicry's Genius of Place and the Living Building ChallengeI recently started a conversation with biomimicry friends and colleagues about the synergies between The <a href="http://biomimicry.org/global-networks/" target="_blank">Global Biomimicry Network</a>'s <a href="http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/June-2013/The-Prairie-Project/" target="_blank">Genius of Place initiatives</a> (affectionately referred to as "GoP") and the <a href="http://living-future.org/program/living-building-challenge" target="_blank">Living Building Challenge</a> ("LBC"), specifically Imperative #9: Biophilic Environment. For those of us interested in emulating nature's forms, processes, and systems in the built environment, it is an interesting area to explore! I've synthesized initial our thoughts in this blog entry, but we need to continually adapt and grow our thinking on this subject. We would love to hear your thoughts as well - please join the conversation and let us know what you think!<br />
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Here is how the <a href="https://living-future.org/sites/default/files/reports/FINAL%20LBC%203_0_WebOptimized_low.pdf">LBC 3.0 Imperative #9</a> is written:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkuSiPN_ujBN-4ZRGdQuuHHX3iWoAKbTOqS2WWWXQMUst3jpZtHSGsx2AUryk9IPIqGrZ8FTvIttxYW79I7z7GObHTX3miiV06jnyfszx_yDZIfcLyGWwC1YENvD4xBmU1-FzH1cSlyE/s1600/09_biophilic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQkuSiPN_ujBN-4ZRGdQuuHHX3iWoAKbTOqS2WWWXQMUst3jpZtHSGsx2AUryk9IPIqGrZ8FTvIttxYW79I7z7GObHTX3miiV06jnyfszx_yDZIfcLyGWwC1YENvD4xBmU1-FzH1cSlyE/s1600/09_biophilic.jpg" height="308" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living Building Challenge 3.0: Imperative #9 Biophilic Environment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Of the imperative's above, I would like to particularly highlight the following: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"(Show) how the project will be uniquely connected to the place, climate and culture through Place-based Relationships." </i></blockquote>
and <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"</i><i>The plan should include historical, cultural, ecological, and climatic studies that thoroughly examine the site and context for the project."</i></blockquote>
So what does this mean for practitioners who are interested in meeting Living Building Challenge standards while fostering an intrinsic connection to place through biomimicry? And how do we communicate the value of a regional and site-specific Genius of Place initiative without confusing people with all the "Bio" terms? (See <a href="http://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/blog/2015/01/biomimicry-bioutilization-biomorphism/" target="_blank">Terrapin Bright Green's amazing post</a> on this subject to learn more about the distinction.)<br />
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Challenges</h4>
Some of our collective thoughts initially include:</div>
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<ul>
<li><b>Biomimicry and biophilia aren't the same.</b> A good biomimicry-inspired GoP would start to assess more functional criteria, whereas the LBC "ecological study" imperative is more about data collection. If a GoP had been created for a region, we believe it could be used as the ecological study and simplify work for a project team. The important point is to make things easier for the design team and not add layers of confusion. (Kathy Zarsky & Chris Garvin)</li>
<li><b>The scales are different. </b>While the LBC imperative, as written, seems a good fit for adding GoP information at the building scale, the scale jump between building and community, where a GoP typically resides, is a steep one. We need to approach a GoP from both scales: what information is relevant and can be scaled to buildings so that it is usable by LBC project teams and what information should be included in the larger-scale Living Communities Challenge? (Kathy Zarsky & Amy Coffman Phillips)</li>
<li><b>We need a good definition of what a Genius of Place is and is not. </b>Elements include: The story of the place (what are the unique ecological, social, economic, political aspects), the historical or reference ecology (at site, ecosystem, eco-region, and biome levels), and lastly the specific functions of organisms found in that location that are responding to the variety of contexts the environment presents. However - regardless of what we all mean I think the value of both biophilia and a 'genius of place' is that it provides first the design team with a tangible tool to disrupt their traditional thinking, and integrate nature. And second it produces a result that people find more compelling or intuitively sustainable. Where I think they begin to differ most is that a genius of place ideally begins to connect the design intention to the broader world in specific ways - whereas biophilic design intentions connect the design in more abstract human centered-contexts. (Tim McGee, word for word)</li>
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Opportunities</h4>
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<div style="font-weight: normal;">
As a collective, we need to now begin exploring the following: </div>
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<ul>
<li>Develop a consistent structure for local Genius of Place studies<span style="font-weight: normal;"> to include historical and cultural frameworks in addition to ecological and climatic data, as well as a mechanism for individual LBC projects to feed back information to the GoP. Make these case studies accessible and open to the public as a part of GoP initiatives.</span></li>
<li>Write a "Pattern of Place" white paper, <span style="font-weight: normal;">modeled after the <a href="http://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/report/14-patterns/">14 Patterns of Biophilic Design</a> by <a href="http://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/" target="_blank">Terrapin Bright Green</a>. Their biophilic pattern #7: Connections to Nature is particularly relevant.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Create a framework for local networks and their affiliates to </span>offer local and regional workshops<span style="font-weight: normal;"> on biomimicry and biophilia, as required by this imperative. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;">Work with the Living Future Institute to </span>continually develop the <a href="https://living-future.org/sites/default/files/reports/LCC1_0_Final_sm.pdf" target="_blank">Living Communities Challenge</a> (LCC) standard <span style="font-weight: normal;">to include Genius of Place information.</span></li>
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In summary...</h4>
My purpose in starting this conversation was to help us think about the Genius of Place framework and be sure that we are adding the necessary components so that designers and owners interested in Living Building Challenge would also understand its value and begin to apply it to their LBC projects. What emerged from this discussion is that we need 1) greater clarification about what a GoP is (and is not), 2) we need to provide tools and workshops to help practitioners understand the process and how it can be brought to work for them, and 3) we need to continually work with the Living Future Institute to incorporate biomimicry and Genius of Place into their standards at a variety of scales. This is just the beginning...<br />
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</h4>
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</h4>
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Explore possibilities for yourself!</h4>
<div>
I began this conversation because I truly believe biomimicry has a natural place in the built environment and I continue to enjoy exploring possibilities. <b>Speaking of possibilities, join me at <a href="http://www.prairielab.com/immersion" target="_blank">Prairie Lab's Chicago Biomimicry Immersion</a>, starting April 25th! Enter promo code "PraLab10" for 10% off the cost of registration!</b><br />
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<h4>
<b><br /></b></h4>
<h4>
<b>Participants:</b></h4>
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<div>
Amy Coffman Phillips <a href="https://twitter.com/amycoffman">@amycoffman</a></div>
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Tim McGee <a href="https://twitter.com/PlumeriaTiki">@PlumeriaTiki</a></div>
<div>
Joe Zazzera <a href="https://twitter.com/joezazzera">@joezazzera</a><br />
Chris Garvin <a href="https://twitter.com/cwgarvin">@cwgarvin</a><br />
Kathy Zarsky <a href="https://twitter.com/kathyzarsky">@kathyzarsky</a><br />
Jane Toner <a href="https://twitter.com/Jane8Toner">@Jane8Toner</a><br />
Jack Mevorah <a href="https://twitter.com/jackmonn" target="_blank">@jackmonn</a><br /><h4>
<b>References:</b></h4>
<a href="http://b-collaborative.com/projects.html" target="_blank">Chicago's Prairie Project: A Genius of Place Initiative</a><br />
<a href="http://www.terrapinbrightgreen.com/report/14-patterns/">Terrapin Bright Green: 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design</a><br />
<a href="http://www2.buildinggreen.com/article/leed-offers-living-building-challenge-alignment?woo_campaign=BGB150414&woo_content=headline&utm_source=BuildingGreen.com+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=d8873807a1-BGB_2015_04_144_14_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d558b0594a-d8873807a1-157397409&mc_cid=d8873807a1&mc_eid=545a5290f3">EBN article </a>on new documentation synergies between LBC and LEED!</div>
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Biomimicry Institute <a href="https://twitter.com/BiomimicryInst">@BiomimicryInst</a> <br />
<a href="https://living-future.org/sites/default/files/reports/LCC1_0_Final_sm.pdf" target="_blank">Living Communities Challenge</a><br />
<a href="https://living-future.org/sites/default/files/reports/FINAL%20LBC%203_0_WebOptimized_low.pdf" target="_blank">Living Building Challenge</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-9747795786938215732015-04-09T11:33:00.002-05:002015-04-09T11:33:38.290-05:00How does nature manage stormwater?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRLCiW40RVKKbjQiyUk3pnKTdVgvPdXojeXbPabrEF-fpCSLaGrasVSl1Nd7E9TK6yKi5-gYlH3UG3QrjNfTXS1nZ34GzrfUqOXWPFt1nvNRK3JUVbl48QCch4w9KCGP-vGkH-E1-iMIw/s1600/stormwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRLCiW40RVKKbjQiyUk3pnKTdVgvPdXojeXbPabrEF-fpCSLaGrasVSl1Nd7E9TK6yKi5-gYlH3UG3QrjNfTXS1nZ34GzrfUqOXWPFt1nvNRK3JUVbl48QCch4w9KCGP-vGkH-E1-iMIw/s1600/stormwater.jpg" height="335" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Image and article by Amy Coffman Phillips (cross posted with Biomimicry Chicago)</td></tr>
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On a stormy day like today, we remember that water - life giving resource that it is - can cause big problems for the built environment! Maybe you are worried about your basement flooding. Or that your car will get stuck as flash floods cover roadways. Maybe you worry about water infiltrating your building, damaging finishes and inviting mold. The question we must ask is: are these problems inherent in the process of development or are they signs that we are managing stormwater incorrectly? </div>
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Through biomimicry, we can find innovative solutions to this challenge by asking the question: <b>"how does nature manage stormwater?"</b></div>
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As an architect, one of my primary responsibilities is to "keep water out" of buildings. Often, that means finding ways to <i>accelerate </i>the flow of water off the roof and away from the site. We do this with impermeable surfaces, downspouts, drainage channels, drain tile, and much more. The goal is to get water off and away as soon as possible, treating it as a waste product. But in nature, the strategy is the opposite of acceleration, but to <i>slow the flow</i>. Water is slowed in a many ways at a variety of scales. </div>
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<b>Let's think like a forest. </b></div>
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Canopy trees are the first defense: slowing the fast moving water that falls from the sky and breaking it up into smaller droplets. Then understory trees, shrubs, and ground cover further serve to break apart water drops and slow the flow until they fall to the soil and are readily absorbed by spongy soil architecture. Excess water that is not readily absorbed runs off but is impacted by logs, twigs, rocks, and other obstructions that serve to further slow this acceleration. The result is that only a very small percentage of the water that falls from the sky actually runs off to streams and rivers in intact ecosystems. </div>
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What a difference from our built environment where over half of the water that falls on site is wasted, taking soil and pollution along with it to clog waterways. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Natural_%26_impervious_cover_diagrams_EPA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Natural_%26_impervious_cover_diagrams_EPA.jpg" height="307" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Image courtesy of the EPA via Wikipedia, depicting two different types of built environment. In intact ecosystems, the amount of runoff is many times even less, although it varies by ecosystem type and local conditions. </td></tr>
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Fortunately, architects, planners, city officials, and politicians are realizing that in the process of developing our cities, we have destroyed native ecosystems and the services they provided. Through biomimicry and the "Genius of Place" process, we can begin to reverse this situation and the negative impacts we have created for ourselves. </div>
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<b>It's time to rethink the paradigm of stormwater as a waste product and look to nature for inspiration to make our buildings like trees, our cities like forests.</b></div>
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Discover innovative solutions to this and other challenges at the <a href="http://www.prairielab.com/immersion" target="_blank">Chicago Biomimicry Immersion</a>, starting April 25th at The Morton Arboretum! Be sure to enter the promo code <b>"BIOCHI10"</b> for 10% off the cost of registration!<br />
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Links for further reading:<br />
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<li><a href="http://biomimicry.org/biomimicry-research-uncovers-nature-inspired-stormwater-solutions/">http://biomimicry.org/biomimicry-research-uncovers-nature-inspired-stormwater-solutions/</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.urbangreenprint.org/">http://www.urbangreenprint.org/</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/urban-greenprint-biomimicry-applied-city.html">http://www.treehugger.com/urban-design/urban-greenprint-biomimicry-applied-city.html</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://issuu.com/hoknetwork/docs/geniusofbiome">http://issuu.com/hoknetwork/docs/geniusofbiome</a> </li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-85823922075931610092015-03-18T15:38:00.001-05:002015-03-18T15:40:18.974-05:00Design inspiration can come from the most unique and lovely of places!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nZyYySQD5wEukEK4FYkLRPxHoUsxK35HkF5o7vkJVPLa8nnxoPIL53Aaewhz4dlUGntNzyO3V_fp9VTaRoSXwCsuwl1TJe8OBc-WEXhg71bWq_-IfYj9efMqwRSv0EQxsuyNNSGtzMA/s1600/BioImmersion-card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_nZyYySQD5wEukEK4FYkLRPxHoUsxK35HkF5o7vkJVPLa8nnxoPIL53Aaewhz4dlUGntNzyO3V_fp9VTaRoSXwCsuwl1TJe8OBc-WEXhg71bWq_-IfYj9efMqwRSv0EQxsuyNNSGtzMA/s1600/BioImmersion-card.jpg" height="400" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.prairielab.com/immersion">www.prairielab.com/immersion</a></td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-10597626442350624782015-03-18T15:35:00.001-05:002015-03-18T15:36:19.419-05:00What will you learn if you sign up for the Chicago Biomimicry Immersion?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcsCsM7zAK5xLm8nAY7bj6v_nxot50VFMZ-qqoq_in1ciBgXAUD4vWhZXE-yRPr-MduoNTS_5nYBjFScy-CCa_d5f_xLYsaaVDu5biTgfvkLCdnBMNZUK2qFmb493XYHE1yP_NsXlljY/s1600/ImmersionMap-v5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcsCsM7zAK5xLm8nAY7bj6v_nxot50VFMZ-qqoq_in1ciBgXAUD4vWhZXE-yRPr-MduoNTS_5nYBjFScy-CCa_d5f_xLYsaaVDu5biTgfvkLCdnBMNZUK2qFmb493XYHE1yP_NsXlljY/s1600/ImmersionMap-v5.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.prairielab.com/immersion">www.prairielab.com/immersion</a></td></tr>
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Check out this cool new infographic to find out</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-67933987501160407692015-03-04T13:36:00.001-06:002015-03-04T13:36:20.010-06:00Chicago Biomimicry Immersion - 2015!In addition to running the B-Collaborative, Amy is a Partner and adult educator at Prairie Lab, LLC, and they are running a Biomimicry Immersion: Chicago-Style starting this April. Check out the webpage - with Amy's new video - to learn more! <a href="http://prairielab.com/immersion">prairielab.com/immersion</a><div>
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/V9L_wAHSe8U/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V9L_wAHSe8U?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-90471188313939836922014-09-24T00:32:00.002-05:002016-09-06T14:30:05.143-05:00Stories from the Prairie: Applying the “Genius of our Place” to Unlock Nature’s Strategies for Resilient, Restorative DesignNature is inherently resilient and restorative while our human systems are...not. But what could we learn about the <i>nature of design</i> by studying the <i>science of nature</i>? By exploring our native organisms and ecosystems with a biomimicry lens, we can unlock nature’s locally-attuned design strategies and begin to apply them to our context: creating buildings, businesses and communities that are inherently sustainable, naturally.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDtkHtX6lYzxBPzLICUtztCe56lqJwGAeMGQBFm0ceLGkpFEFuRVKobweBRv-o6_eWXVWYjRiTphENN_UyETwT21d8KoZ6AEvrJEcUu17iW6rEODaEGsbDQWmTJzqHu4moKSpSBJpWBc/s1600/2014_geniusofplace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDtkHtX6lYzxBPzLICUtztCe56lqJwGAeMGQBFm0ceLGkpFEFuRVKobweBRv-o6_eWXVWYjRiTphENN_UyETwT21d8KoZ6AEvrJEcUu17iW6rEODaEGsbDQWmTJzqHu4moKSpSBJpWBc/s1600/2014_geniusofplace.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lurie Gardens. Photo by @amycoffman</td></tr>
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In the other articles in this series, I wrote about the importance of connecting with nature and ways to do so. In this last (for a time, at least) article in this series, I share some stories of what I've learned in my exploration of the tallgrass prairie as well as a vision for a more sustainable and resilient world: one where our choices are based on working with and leveraging local context and energy flows rather than fighting against them.<br />
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It’s time to start thinking differently.</h4>
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Like <a href="http://www.landinstitute.org/" target="_blank">Wes Jackson</a> who was inspired by the prairie to rethink industrial agriculture to <a href="http://www.savoryinstitute.com/about-us/our-team/allan-savory/" target="_blank">Allan Savory</a> who emulates grazing for holistic land management and <a href="http://www.cdfinc.com/gerould_wilhelm" target="_blank">Gerould Wilhelm</a> who emulates the prairie in landscape design, each of these innovators look to the prairie ecosystem as inspiration for alternatives to standard practice. Doing so, they were able to (re)think standard practices, creating more low-maintenance, cost-effective, and biodiverse alternatives. And you can do this too.<br />
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Sustainable and Resilient by Nature: The Tallgrass Prairie</h3>
The Chicago region sits on an ecosystem that was forged by disturbances. From the deconstructive power of fire to the intermittent resource constraints of drought and cold, organisms of the prairie ecosystem have adapted themselves to be sustainable and resilient, naturally. What may look like a simple grassland is hotbed of <u>diversity</u>, <u>adaptability</u>, <u>resource efficienc</u>y, and <u>collaboration</u>.<br />
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Incorporate Diversity</h3>
While some may think of <u>fostering cultural diversity</u> as an altruistic virtue, in nature fostering diversity is critical for survival because it gives the ecosystem options when it needs them.<br />
A single prairie can nurture over 100 different species of plant and animal on a relatively small plot, each performing critical functions for the ecosystem, such as water management, food production, and energy generation. Species that thrive in times of drought will not be the same as those that thrive after a flood, but no matter which growing conditions or disturbances are expressed in a given season, species diversity allows these critical functions to be maintained. This rich diversity, stored in the soil seed bank, is the cultural heritage of the prairie.<br />
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<i>What if our businesses and communities could learn to embed diversity into their organizational structures and its cultural seed bank in order to enhance resilience? </i><br />
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<li>Supply chains that regularly utilize multiple vendors could be potentially less efficient, but they would have options that allow for production to continue through different types of disturbances.</li>
<li>Cross-disciplinary teams and open innovation protocols allow for a diversity of opinions and viewpoints to be heard when making critical decisions and designing new products and services.</li>
<li>Employing a variety of ways to perform critical functions in your community, such as fostering diversity in food infrastructure by supporting community supported agriculture and farmers markets in addition to industrial agriculture, build resilience into the critical infrastructure we need for survival.</li>
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By designing in diversity with cross-functional backup systems at different scales, our buildings, businesses and communities can meet critical infrastructure needs and emerge resilient through disturbances. <br />
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Build Adaptable, Resilient Infrastructure</h3>
Traditional “bricks and mortar” buildings are static and do not change with changing seasons. Prairie grasses, on the other hand, are a model of adaptability, forming a <u>strong, interconnected foundation</u> with <u>flexible structure</u> that <u>sacrifices layers</u> as conditions require:<br />
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<li>Individually, each plant is fragile, but collectively they intertwine themselves to form a dense mat, collectively supporting the deciduous plants above while forming a spongy humus that stores the vast majority of water that falls on site. </li>
<li>Prairie grasses are famous for their deep root structures, but equally of interest is its adaptable, flexible above ground infrastructure with high torsional flexibility, which allows stems and leaves to be "whipped around" by the wind, not blown over and broken. And by growing in large densities, they offer each other a shared windbreak. </li>
<li>Organisms adapted to cold climates are also prepared to make sacrifices. Plants sense changes in the environment and respond by sacrificing a portion of themselves in the form of deciduous leaves and stems. </li>
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<i>What if we radically rethought what it means to design and construct resilient, restorative infrastructure by emulating nature? </i><br />
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<li>Our buildings could harness the free insulation and protection of the earth and interconnect themselves below grade, forming vast networks of reciprocal exchange - from energy bought and sold at the building scale to neighborhood water storage and treatment plants. </li>
<li>Structures could dynamically adapt to high wind conditions by folding, moving, or incorporating flexible wind breaks to divert wind over and around the core of the structure. </li>
<li>Our building envelopes can be designed to “shed” parts of their skin to allow cross-ventilating breezes when comfortable and increase insulation levels and solar access during in colder months. </li>
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Be Resource Efficient</h3>
Our civilization's rampant exploitation of ancient sunlight in the form of fossil fuels has lead us to thoroughly alter the climate in which we live and ecosystems on which we depend. But organisms in nature do not operate this way. In order to survive, they must optimize their energy and water use by harnessing and leveraging abundant resources and energy flows while finding passive or low energy ways of performing vital functions.There are so many examples to share, but here are a few highlights:<br />
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<li>Hibernating animals, such as <u>ground squirrels</u>, lower their energy and water requirements to minimal needs in order to protect vital life functions and survive when resources such as food and water are scarce. </li>
<li><u>Spiders</u> continually rebuild and renew their webs by consuming and then using these same materials, reconstituted in their stomachs, as the building blocks for a new portion of the web. Even cooler - the bits of flies and gnats that stick to the web as they are consumed are the fuel that powers the reconstruction!</li>
<li><a href="http://www.asknature.org/strategy/f777a0792ad3bc95a91c2b42ae61bab4#.VCJDs_ldXpo" target="_blank">Dog ticks </a>harness water from humid air in order to survive for months in prairie fields without access to water or a blood meal. They secrete a salt solution from their mouths which absorbs water vapor from the atmosphere before being reabsorbed through the mouth. </li>
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<i>What if our buildings and infrastructure could look to nature’s energy strategies and run on renewable sources while using less resources overall?</i><br />
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<li>Beyond the ubiquitous setback mode for mechanical systems, all systems could embed the ability to <u>“go dormant”</u> when not in use, from electrical outlets that minimize plug loads to entire portions of a building that shut down when not in use. </li>
<li>Structures designed for deconstruction could be <u>continually renewed and rebuilt </u>as needed on site as needed, using energy generated on site.</li>
<li>Buildings could be more <u>passively dehumidified </u>prior to entering a building, saving energy costs. Additionally, water absorbed as humidity could be used to supplement water demand uses, such as sinks and toilets. Check out <a href="http://www.hok.com/thought-leadership/genius-of-biome/" target="_blank">HOK's Genius of the Biome report</a> for more great ideas such as this!</li>
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Foster Collaborative Relationships</h3>
We think of nature - and ourselves - as being inherently competitive. But while competition is prevalent and a driver of species differentiation and innovation, innumerable examples of collaboration exist alongside. In community ecology, <u>decentralized networks</u> of nutrient exchange, guilds for <u>resource partitioning</u>, and <u>decomposers </u>tell the story.<br />
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<li>Mycorrhizal fungi, which live in and among the roots of most plants, cultivate decentralized, multi-scaler networks of connections to exchange nutrients not only between themselves and the plant but between different plants as well. </li>
<li>To minimize competition for resources, <u>pollinators</u>, such as bees, birds, bats, and insects form guilds that partition their use of common resources and stagger their availability across geographic locations and time of day. For example, some will forage only in the morning, while others in the afternoon or at night. Some will travel large distances while others only in the immediate area.</li>
<li>From the waste of their leftover food to the decay of their death, all producers and consumers produce waste, but this waste is broken down as food for an entirely different category of organism: the <u>decomposer</u>. Earthworms, fungi, and billions of bacteria take what could be waste and break it down as food for themselves. In nature, waste truly equals food, so maybe waste isn't such a bad thing if you know someone will benefit from it!</li>
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<i>What if our buildings and businesses looked at the systems that surround them as collaborators when looking to perform vital functions? </i><br />
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<li>Form reciprocal networks to exchange data, water, energy, and ideas.</li>
<li>Phase growth and development to create resilience to changing resource availability.</li>
<li>Form collaborative relationships with third parties to form district energy and urban agriculture coops. Buildings and services co-locate so that the waste of one becomes food for another, incorporating these functions at many different scales.</li>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">For more information on collaborations in nature, check out this fantastic video by <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/crash-course1/cc-ecology" target="_blank">Crash Course Ecology, "Community Ecology: Feel the Love."</a></span><br />
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What this Means for Resilience and Restorative Design</h3>
Many designers are looking to make their buildings, communities, and organizations more resilient but don't know what that means or how to go about doing it. By looking to nature’s strategies at a variety of scales, from organism to ecosystem to biome, we are able to look at patterns and apply them to our context at the scales in which we operate. These patterns, and many others, can be found in <a href="http://biomimicry.net/about/biomimicry/biomimicry-designlens/lifes-principles/" target="_blank">"Life's Principles",</a> developed by <a href="http://biomimicry.net/" target="_blank">Biomimicry3.8</a>. Using this tool and then referencing the ecosystem that most closely resembles the climate in which we currently operate, we are able to emulate lively attuned strategies to optimize energy use, use readily available resources, and collaborate toward a more sustainable, resilient future.<br />
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What is your story?</h3>
Many more examples await as you begin to look. This article showcases some of the stories I’ve learned by exploring the prairie through a biomimicry lens. What is your story? There are so many organisms, so many ecosystems on this beautiful planet of ours. Let’s continue to add more. What can you learn from the genius of your place?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-52813471514849931872014-08-05T09:00:00.000-05:002014-08-14T15:46:27.380-05:00Learn from Nature: Activities for Exploring Nature's GeniusAfter reading last week's entry, you may be thinking - I've found time to get outside, but what do I do now? <a href="http://b-collaborative.blogspot.ca/2014/07/reconnecting-with-nature-exploring.html" target="_blank">Last week</a>, we focused on the importance of getting outside and exploring nature as a part if your regular routine. This week, we will focus on what to do when you get there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="http://www.jennifermariephotography.net/" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.jennifermariephotography.net</a> for @amycoffman</td></tr>
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One of my favorite memories of the <a href="http://biomimicry.net/educating/professional-training/bprofessional/" target="_blank">Biomimicry Professional program</a> was that time spent in nature was built into course requirements. We called them "iSites" and every term I had a dozen or so structured exercises to complete. Some are simple <a href="http://b-collaborative.blogspot.com/2011/08/being-present.html" target="_blank">observational exercises</a> while others are more <a href="http://b-collaborative.blogspot.com/2012/07/learning-about-erosion-control-from.html" target="_blank">specific studies</a> of particular components of an ecosystem. I have documented my contributions on this blog, so please browse the archives for <a href="http://b-collaborative.blogspot.ca/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=22" target="_blank">2011</a> and <a href="http://b-collaborative.blogspot.ca/search?updated-min=2012-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&updated-max=2013-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=23" target="_blank">2012</a> to see for yourself!</div>
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When I first started this practice, I had no idea what I was doing. As an architect with little training in the sciences after graduating from high school, it was a daunting task to go out and observe something I felt I knew little about. That's why these exercises are so powerful - they give us a chance to quiet our minds and focus on one aspect of what we observe. With this focus, we are able to see things from a fresh pair of eyes and start to ask questions. And this is the practice of biomimicry - observing nature with an eye for how things work so that those lessons may be applied to our challenges.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Reconnecting with the Genius of Place </b></h3>
One of the most powerful things you can do when going outside is to try and understand the "genius of place" where you are. Alexander Pope, in his landscape treatise of 1731, coined the term “Genius Loci”, or genius and spirit of a place, as an important principle in landscape design, where designs should always be adapted to their local context. In a world of multi-national corporations and replicated portfolio buildings, however, many local differences are overlooked or even forcibly overcome in an effort to maximize efficiency, sacrificing the biodiversity of a region and causing a multitude of unintended consequences, from flash flooding and the heat island effect to global climate change. <br />
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Life in a particular ecosystem, however, has adapted to its environment and fits in seamlessly. Each ecosystem and biome is unique, so organisms in these areas face distinct challenges for resource availability due to climate constraints, local resource limits, and expected disturbances. By emulating how life has responded to these constraints, as well as the abundances found in the area, we can begin to design structures that do not interfere with local biodiversity, build energy generation systems that leverage free resources such as sun and wind, and optimize manufacturing processes to respond to environmental conditions without taxing the ecosystem services on which they depend.<br />
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<h3>
Learning to Observe</h3>
There are many activities you can do to start observing the genius of your place, but one I like to use is a simple observational exercise. Go to your favorite spot in a natural environment, such as a forest or prairie. Bring your sketchbook and camera and find a comfortable place to sit, one where you think your could sit or slowly walk for about 20-30 minutes. Close your eyes for a moment and breathe. Calm your mind. When your are ready, open your eyes and observe.<br />
<ul>
<li>Observe your <u>context</u>. Is the area hot or cold, humid or dry, or seasonally variable? What other climate conditions do you notice and how has life changed itself to adapt to life here? What are resources that are abundant and which are scarce? What are disturbances to which life has become adapted?</li>
<li>Now observe the diversity of <u>organisms </u>you see. What are the strategies and functions organisms use to responded to the climate conditions, resource availability, and disturbance? For example, what plants to you see? Why do you think they grow here? For example, do they have large, broad leaves to capture scarce light at the forest floor or small, thin ones to minimize drying on an open plane?</li>
<li>Are there any other <u>patterns </u>you see? As a rule of thumb, when most of life in a region uses similar strategies, it's a good bet that that strategy is well-adapted to the region, minimizing resources and energy required in the process!</li>
</ul>
Take notes, draw diagrams, list patterns - each of these observations can begin to help you draw insights to these larger questions:<br />
<ul>
<li>How has life adapted to your climate? </li>
<li>What resources does it depend upon and how are they acquired? </li>
<li>How does life manage adversity, like freezing temperatures, drought and flooding?</li>
<li>Most importantly, what can we learn from nature to design and build in more regenerative and resilient ways?</li>
</ul>
No matter how you approach your outdoor observation, structured exercises give framework and focus with a tangible outcome to time spent observing nature. Knowing how nature has adapted to live here will give us insight into design more sustainable and restorative buildings, communities, and business systems.<br />
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<h3>
Envisioning a Regenerative Future</h3>
What if everything we make, build or deliver in a region could perform just as well as the ecosystems they inhabit, cleaning air and water while using free energy? Imagine your city, rather than sitting on and dominating its natural environment, fitting in snugly within its ecosystems, one indistinguishable from the other. What if designers, when developing a property or improving a community, could use a tool to plug into their site assessment that provides an analysis of the energy flows and biodiversity of a site? They could leverage this information when making more locally-attuned siting, landscape, water and energy decisions for the project. What if companies looking to create or upgrade sustainable products and services could tailor not only their product selection but also their manufacturing processes to the needs and available resources of each region? This would allow for greater local market penetration and optimize energy and resource management. <br />
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This may sound like utopian dream, but it is achievable if we reframe our perspective by looking to the “genius of our place” through a biomimicry lens. Biomimicry networks across the world are undertaking and coordinating a series of Genius of Place initiatives to assist local industries in embedding nature’s strategies into their design guidelines, planning policies, and resource management protocols to name a few. The architecture firm HOK released an online <a href="http://www.hok.com/thought-leadership/genius-of-biome/" target="_blank">Genius of the Biome</a> as a reference for designers working in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biome#mediaviewer/File:Vegetation.png" target="_blank">temperate deciduous forest</a>, which encompasses most of the east coast of the United States.<br />
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<a href="http://biomimicrychicago.net/" target="_blank">Biomimicry Chicago</a> has initiated the <a href="http://biomimicrychicago.blogspot.com/p/prairie-project.html" target="_blank">Prairie Project</a> with the following goals:<br />
<ul>
<li>Collaborate with local individuals, companies, and institutions to share research, maps, information on energy flows, expertise, and resources;</li>
<li>Generate new, biomimicry specific tools, guidelines, and translations; and</li>
<li>Aggregate and share useful information and patterns into one simple interface, thereby making the “genius of our place” accessible and useful to the public at large.</li>
</ul>
Connect with us and join the movement! Anything is possible when we work together.<br />
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<h3>
Next up:</h3>
What can the Chicagoland region learn from the tallgrass prairie?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-21075979627916138572014-07-29T12:50:00.003-05:002014-10-09T15:16:53.810-05:00(Re)Connecting with Nature: Exploring Biomimicry in Our Local Ecosystems<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whenever I talk about biomimicry, I am usually asked a question along the lines of “how do I get started?” And the answer is remarkably simple - you start by going outside. Going for a walk through your local ecosystem, setting aside all that you need to do, reawakening your natural curiosity, and experiencing nature’s genius is a powerful act that will change your perspective on nature, your place in it, and forever alter the path of your career and life.</span><br />
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I recently had the opportunity to lead a biomimicry walk through the tallgrass prairie reconstruction at the Chicago Center for Green Technology, and I want to share some of the stories I tell when walking through the local ecosystems with a biomimicry lens. This article is the first in a series that explores the importance of reconnecting with nature, and how that simple act can have multiple benefits for the humans species to lead more sustainable, resilient, and connected lives. <br />
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Fostering Connections</h3>
The practice of biomimicry is all about making connections. As biomimics, our purpose is to build bridges between biologists and designers. We create connections between the language of biology to the language of design by looking at function so that we can design more sustainable and resilient products and environments. <br />
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Perhaps more importantly, however, we are also rebuilding bridges between humans and the entity we call “nature.” By calling on our innate “biophilia,” or love of nature, we are fostering connections between all creatures of the world with whom we are inextricably connected and interdependent. <br />
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<h3>
A Changing Landscape: Urbanization and the Need for (Re)Connection</h3>
A strong connection with nature used to be something that we as a species depended upon. We needed to know where to find food, which areas to avoid, and how to get home after a long hunting expedition. As we have moved to more urban “hive” centers and constructed walls to protect us from the elements and predators, we have largely lost this connection to place. <br />
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We now have structures to protect us from wind, rain, and snow; fixed windows that block out the breeze in favor of “efficiency;” and food and water that shows up at the local market or in our home with little to no connection to where these essential elements originated. As human populations rapidly urbanize, we need to consciously consider the actions we take in the design of our buildings and cities to foster connections with nature that encourage healthy, productive lives. <br />
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<h3>
Nature in Place</h3>
Few of us have jobs that allow us unimpeded access to the outdoors, and many of us are scheduled so tightly that it is hard to find time to eat and sleep, much less walk through and observe natural habitats. So given these constraints, how can we go about fostering connections with nature?<br />
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In my work as a biomimic focused on embedding nature’s resilience into human systems, a deep pattern emerges throughout most of life on this planet: if you want something to be resilient (i.e. stick around for the long haul through many disturbances), you need <u>options </u>and <u>backup</u> at <u>multiple scales</u>. So if you want to reconnect with nature and have this be a part of your life, you need to find many different ways to do it. Let's look a little deeper at what this could mean.<br />
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<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li>At the <u>individual scale</u>, do you and your family have <u>visual and/or walkable access to the outdoor</u>s every day? For example, every occupied room in your home and office should have a window that looks to a natural space. And don't worry, city dwellers! A natural space could be a tree, a park, a water body, or a balcony with potted plants. It's amazing what you will see when you plant a few native plants outside your window. Or inside! Every day, spend a few minutes just observing what you see around you and try to find patterns in what you see. For those of you who live in less populated centers, spend time in your backyard or in your garden. Put out bird feeders to encourage wildlife to visit, and have your morning coffee while listening to the birds. Find ways to exercise outside instead at the gym, whether it be a bike ride, a run, or stroll. In a nutshell, find ways to do the things you will do anyway, but consciously observing the world around you at the same time.</li>
<li>At a <u>community scale</u>, many larger metropolitan areas have larger natural areas where inhabitants can spend a day on the weekend just being outside in a natural setting. Local parks, forest preserves, arboretums, botanical gardens, rivers, lakes, and other recreational areas are great ways to get outside, especially when combined with some background knowledge on the ecosystem you are exploring. Locate local nature preserves and spend afternoons biking through a prairie or picnicking in the woods. In the winter, local natural history museums, aquariums, and snow covered woods are great ways to experience the beauty and resilience of nature on a regular basis. Take natural history classes through local nature organizations and read nature guides to understand local ecosystems. And for those who live in areas that lack these kind of natural spaces, join local governance boards that work to encourage the formation of nature preserves. Nature starts small and builds from the bottom up, so emulate this in your community activism.</li>
<li>At a <u>regional scale</u>, find ways to incorporate experiences in nature into your longer excursions and vacations. Are there national parks or other points of interest that you can vacation to? If you enjoy camping, are there natural areas that you can spend a few days to a week exploring nature at a deeper level? Even if camping isn’t your thing (no shame in that!), staying at an inn and going on day hikes or excursions is a great way to go “back to nature.”</li>
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<h3>
Fostering Connections</h3>
The practice of fostering connections with nature is integral to our survival as a species. The systemic disconnection from nature that we have experienced in the last 200 years has hurt us both physically and spiritually. If the walls we construct, both literally and figuratively, have served a disconnection that has hurt our chances of survival as a species, the process of reconnecting ourselves with nature will be our salvation. By starting to reconnect ourselves with the rhythms and flows of the ecosystems we inhabit, we can begin to make smarter, more environmentally responsible decisions - ones that will allow us to fit in with the natural environment again.<br />
<i><br />This article is first in a series exploring how we can connect with the genius of our place every day. Future entries will focus on what we can learn from nature, particularly Chicago's native tallgrass prairie ecosystem, to transform how we design, from buildings to business systems. </i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-83119146138661383722014-05-07T15:19:00.001-05:002014-10-09T15:17:23.469-05:00Dormancy as an Energy Strategy: Learning from our Native Prairie<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.6em; margin-top: 1.6em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">
It’s been a long winter! Can you remember last summer’s lush green prairies when looking at them today, just emerging from their brown and dormant stage? As we drag ourselves out of our own winter dormancy and into the full light of spring, let’s take a moment to consider how our buildings and businesses can begin to emulate the biomimicry Life’s Principle to “Leverage Cyclic Processes” by embedding the ability to automatically respond to local conditions.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">By understanding how ecosystems, like our native tallgrass prairie, are attuned to local conditions, we can begin to design buildings that optimize resource allocation while being more responsive to user needs. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg2pPzSQy6IfJ3R4kSFCOGz6_fhWH1EBxVAVMniiSE48in7F0iTioCgkxGNYoIuG-E8l0IkhPb83utocdspMyLdmsBBVPraOWnH9_21Tth4SXkA89BnoRODal9a9BD6_BiO92f5iL1Ns/s1600/abiotic+condition+resilience.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCg2pPzSQy6IfJ3R4kSFCOGz6_fhWH1EBxVAVMniiSE48in7F0iTioCgkxGNYoIuG-E8l0IkhPb83utocdspMyLdmsBBVPraOWnH9_21Tth4SXkA89BnoRODal9a9BD6_BiO92f5iL1Ns/s1600/abiotic+condition+resilience.jpg" height="246" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fbffee; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">Read more at </span><a href="http://www.prairielab.com/dormancy-as-an-energy-strategy-learning-from-our-native-prairie/" style="background-color: #fbffee; color: #888888; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 21.559999465942383px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Prairie Lab, LLC's, Lab Rats Blog</a><span style="background-color: #fbffee; color: #2b2b2b; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 21.559999465942383px;">!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-61011577144212268222014-04-27T22:24:00.003-05:002014-04-27T22:28:29.296-05:00Top 10 things kids can do to connect with nature!<div style="direction: ltr; margin: 0pt 0in 8pt; unicode-bidi: embed; word-break: normal;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AMMI8texac0uVBwhw11dDUVWL4mAvdB5_SDIMH5uGcrk6omzDBeDYF_Myv5VzbssBMpLrw3CXyWbQbuHVLTWKSdUcRgoGDbveqljaGeQsM6z9CX9ipubX5TsFX7-Jb052ZGT5JJScDs/s1600/Kids10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1AMMI8texac0uVBwhw11dDUVWL4mAvdB5_SDIMH5uGcrk6omzDBeDYF_Myv5VzbssBMpLrw3CXyWbQbuHVLTWKSdUcRgoGDbveqljaGeQsM6z9CX9ipubX5TsFX7-Jb052ZGT5JJScDs/s1600/Kids10.jpg" height="215" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Get outside and explore. </span></b>Enjoy the outdoors by going for walks, meeting animals at the zoo,
and taking hikes through the woods.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Ask
lots of questions. </span></b>Be curious about the world around you – ask and answer lots of
questions.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Show and tell. </span></b>Pick up objects in nature – leaves, pine cones, feathers – and ask
what they are and what they do.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Take only what you need. </span></b>Buy less stuff, reuse what you can, and recycle when you are done
with it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Celebrate the seasons. </span></b>Celebrate the change of the seasons by picking seasonal flowers for
your parents.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Limit screen time. </span></b>Connect with friends and family by going for walks, playing games,
and playing outside –away from a screen.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Grow your favorite foods. </span></b>Start a garden that grows some of your favorite foods and share
them with your family.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Let
bugs be. </span></b>Bugs are our friends, so be careful with them when playing outside
and catch and release them from your home.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Turn waste into food. </span></b>Collect kitchen scraps and compost them outside – they make great
food for your garden.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Make an animal friend. </span></b>Find an animal to be friends with and share your experiences with
them – we are all a part of nature!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">Content developed by The B-Collaborative for Nature’s Next: Raising
Kids Connected with Nature. All rights reserved. Contact biomimicry@b-collaborative.com or visit
www.b-collaborative.com/education.html for more information. </span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-36726823489372959172014-01-02T13:52:00.001-06:002014-01-02T14:01:31.189-06:00Waste is Normal?? Lessons from a Bird Feeder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My husband has become a birder. He hung up a bird feeder on our back porch and every few minutes or so I catch him looking outside to see who is munching away on his treats. He checked out a bird field guide from the library and keeps telling me the names of the various finches, sparrows, and our beloved cardinals that pay us a visit. His love for the birds is a treat for me to see because as a lifelong asthmatic with allergies to "everything alive", he doesn't get many opportunities to interact closely with nature. But his bird friends are perfect - he can enjoy them, learn about them, and they don't stay in his house and make him sneeze!<br />
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I can't remember the names of the bird species that pay us a visit (my memory is notoriously terrible), but remembering the names of the species isn't as appealing to me as trying to figure out how they work and what lessons we can learn from them. So what is my main takeaway from observing our bird friends so far? </div>
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<b>Waste is normal. </b></div>
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This observation is a bit shocking to me. It flies in the face of all sustainability theory I've read and practiced for the last fifteen years, so so how can I observe that waste is normal? Because it is, when you look at component parts in isolation without seeing the larger system. <b>Not every species can consume the entirety of the resources that are offered. Sometimes, there is waste, but this waste is readily taken up by another component, resulting in a zero-waste system.</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div>
Take for instance, the tiny little finches that perch on the feeder for extended periods of time. These slovenly fellows pick though the opening, pulling out any seeds that are too big and dropping them on the ground in order to find the Goldilocks seeds that are just right for them. But this is only a part of the story. The larger seeds that are discarded by the smaller birds are consumed readily on the floor by the squirrels that wait patiently for the seeds to drop like manna from heaven. They break open the larger shells, usually the sunflower seeds, and eat the yummy treat inside. And they leave the shell. The shell is wasted by the squirrel. But, the shells that remain drop to the soil below and, when it's warmer, the soil microbes will begin to break down these shells to make food for the plants and structure for the soil. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>The waste of one is truly food for another. </b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This basic principle of ecology is something we have trouble emulating in our human systems. We are one component of a system - the finches, for example. We are sloppy and inefficient and we make waste, which is normal and expected, if not ideal. Our bodies and systems are not sophisticated and efficient enough to process every component of a resource. And we wouldn't need to be, if there were squirrels or microbes around to take that waste and use it as energy to fuel its own processes. In nature, there is no waste, because one organism will always find a way to adapt and capitalize on excess energy in a system. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>So the way I see it, our options are: </b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><b>become more efficient in processing resources,</b></li>
<li><b>find partners and collaborate to use waste energy as fuel, or </b></li>
<li><b>BOTH! </b></li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
We start by making our processes more efficient - this saves resources, energy, and money. But when it is not possible to use every bit of a resource, we then look for partners and collaborators who can use our waste as fuel for their own processes. Take the concepts of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_ecology" target="_blank">industrial ecology</a> and apply it to a variety of human applications! We can support services that pick up our food scraps and compost them into fertilizer (as <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-01-13/news/ct-eng-talk-food-scraps-20110113_1_food-scraps-compost-pickup-service" target="_blank">Chicago's Collective Resource</a> does), companies that use take-back protocols to recycle our used goods into new products (such as <a href="https://www.interfaceflor.com/default.aspx?Section=3&Sub=4&Ter=8" target="_blank">Interface's ReEntry Reclamation program</a>), and services that recycle usable building materials into new projects (such as <a href="http://rebuildingexchange.org/" target="_blank">Chicago's Rebuilding Exchange</a>). And these are just the services that exist! Innovators around the world are developing products and services to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, mine landfills for useful materials discarded long ago, and capture "waste" heat and particulates from buildings and smoke stacks. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>You can do this too! </b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Start by viewing your waste as a resource and then try to think of partners and collaborators that could use these resources as fuel for their business - eliminating waste to the landfills and lessening energy requirements at the same time - a win-win! Let's harness our human cleverness so that we no longer compartmentalize our resources and processes but integrate them into a larger, complex system, benefiting not only ourselves but the rest of the creatures with which we share this planet. </div>
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<div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-75418522248621932022013-12-19T13:22:00.000-06:002014-10-09T15:17:47.024-05:00Learning Resilience from our Immune Systems!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://gcps.desire2learn.com/d2l/lor/viewer/viewFile.d2lfile/15539/4628/cartoon.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://gcps.desire2learn.com/d2l/lor/viewer/viewFile.d2lfile/15539/4628/cartoon.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
My daughter and I have been sick with the flu for a week now. This is a typical fate this time of year when viruses linger in the air. But last night as I told her the story of her immune system, I was grateful to my biologist <a href="http://b-collaborative.com/collaborators.html" target="_blank">collaborator, Maria O'Farrell</a>, who during the creation of our "BEND, Don't Break" Naturally Resilient workshop, taught me all about my immune system so that I could tell it to my daughter. The story I told her goes a little something like this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Once upon a time, there was a virus. This virus came into our house on the hands of a little boy, otherwise known as brother-the-carrier-monkey. He picked it up at school by touching something and then touching his eyes or mouth. He then came home and touched many things in our house. Meanwhile, this virus was not alone - it was busy invading our cells and having babies and its babies were having babies, until there was virus all over our house...and in our bodies. And we got sick. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But then, an amazing thing happened! We fought back! Our bodies have an immune system - something akin to a police force that is always running throughout our bodies to determine which parts are "me" and which invaders are "not me." When the police (white blood cells) find something that is "not me," or just not right, they send out a signal to other police cells to see if they found an invader too. If they both have an invader - and know that others do too - they pass a threshold for action and tag the invader for destruction! Then, the police cells go for backup. They go back to police headquarters (the closest lymph node) and replicate themselves (but a new and improved version that can better fight the invader!) who then return in full force to attack the virus and they beat it up until it explodes! And this is happening all over your body and will keep happening, until all the virus is dead. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So you see, your body is resilient! By looking out for potential problems, knowing when there is enough of a problem to react, and learning from experience, your body is able to not over react or under react to potential harm, but your response is, like Goldilocks, just right. Think about what it would be like to not have an immune system! We couldn't live on this planet because we literally swim in viruses in the air like a fish swims through plankton in water. Now think about THAT as you go to sleep tonight!"</blockquote>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What can we learn about resilience from our immune system?</span><br />
<div>
Our immune systems are our body's adaptive strategy to respond to disturbances that we know will happen, but we don't know when and we don't know how bad it will be. And there is quite a bit we can learn about resilience from adaptive immune systems.<br />
<br />
What instances can you think of where we know a disturbance will happen, but we don't know when and we don't know how bad it will be? This makes me think of economic fluctuations, talent migration<br />
necessitating personnel changes, energy and maintenance costs fluctuations, and other cyclical and<br />
expected disturbances. By looking at nature through the lens of antigen invasion in an adaptive immune system, we can begin to create human systems which effectively adapt to changing conditions and result in effective, efficient information exchange coupled with a regulated response and held in balance by feedback loops. I could go into more detail, but again, I have the flu and the resources usually allocated to my brain are currently being rerouted to my immune system.<br />
<br />
Want to know more? Talk to us about our <a href="http://b-collaborative.com/resilience.html" target="_blank"><b>"BEND, Don't Break Naturally Resilient Workshop"</b></a> where you can learn more about this and other biological phenomena and apply nature's lessons to your business or organization! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-91578605043164642472013-11-19T14:06:00.002-06:002013-11-19T14:06:32.549-06:00Resilience in the Midwest: How does nature buffer high speed winds?<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Those of us who live in the American Upper Midwest have it pretty
good. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Although we rarely take the time to acknowledge it, </span>comparatively to other more vulnerable regions in the globe, we are living in an ideal location. W<span style="font-family: inherit;">e live in the breadbasket and grow more than enough food to feed ourselves.
We’re well above sea level, so we will not be affected by anticipated sea level
rise. And we have the world’s largest accessible freshwater body – the Great
Lakes – in our back yard. But, we still have our own forms
of adversity with which we need to contend - and the tornado that flattened
homes outside of Peoria, Illinois, this weekend proves that </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">even inland areas must adapt to the
challenge of increasing storm intensity</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.trbimg.com/img-1384821735/turbine/chi-tornado18flat-20131118/1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-1384821735/turbine/chi-tornado18flat-20131118/1024" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #444444;">Chris Walker, Chicago Tribune, Nov. 18, 2013</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">According to the </span><a href="http://www.chicagoclimateaction.org/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Chicago Climate Action Plan</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, it is likely our
region will experience a variety of </span>disturbances<span style="font-family: inherit;">, including </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">s</span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">tronger,
but infrequent, storms causing wind damage, widespread flooding and/or
intermittent drought. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the wake of the recent tornado that wrecked communities across
Illinois, let’s start with wind damage – </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">how
can we make our homes and infrastructure more resilient to damaging wind
speeds? </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">As an architect and biomimic, I believe the answer can be found by
looking at how our neighbors, the native organisms that have occupied this land
long before we have, solve the same challenge. We can start by asking nature!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">How does nature...buffer high
speed winds?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Every time there is a large storm event, we see absolute devastation
of our human habitats. There are no metrics to measure the wildlife populations before and after strong storm events, such as tornadoes, but it's safe to say that native populations have adapted themselves to survive and thrive through a variety of disturbances</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. By looking to native
organisms and patterns found in nature, we can begin to think of new and innovative ways of surviving high wind speeds in our built infrastructure. </span>Some patterns we find in nature include:<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.trbimg.com/img-1384821754/turbine/chi-tornado18trees-20131118/1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.trbimg.com/img-1384821754/turbine/chi-tornado18trees-20131118/1024" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #444444;">Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune, Nov. 18, 2013</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Find Safe Shelter.</b><br />
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many </span>animals, such as birds and bees, can <a href="http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/storms/animals-predict-weather2.htm" target="_blank">sense barometric pressure change</a>s<span style="font-family: inherit;"> in the wind and </span>instinctively<span style="font-family: inherit;"> move to the relative safety of their nests and colonies. </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Just as we go into our basements to escape a tornado, burrowing animals</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> retreat to their homes below grade and leverage the safety of the ground to protect themselves from flying objects. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">All buildings in the Midwest should </span><b style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">incorporate a safe place within the structure</b><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"> for building inhabitants to take evasive measures to protect themselves. These areas of refuge should have structure reinforced to provide protection from torsional wind stresses without collapse.</span><a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/06/07/189520177/strengthening-buildings-in-tornado-alley" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank"> Structural best practices</a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"> that protect the safety of inhabitants must be written into the building codes and retrofit guidelines must be widely available.</span><br />
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Be Flexible.</b><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Native trees and prairie grasses cannot outrun a tornado, so they found a way to bend or adapt to the wind rather than fighting against it. <a href="http://www.asknature.org/strategy/8cd0058a113581f19d0812fe6c789509" target="_blank">Trees incorporate torsional flexibility</a> into the structure of the trunk to lessen the need for the structure to bend (bend too far and it breaks). <a href="http://www.asknature.org/strategy/f7aa59c10ab0a5d41bcdea6a7572b82b" target="_blank">Grasses also have high torsional flexibility</a> so that they can be "whipped around" by the wind, not blown over, which risks breakage. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Architects and structural engineers could take cues from the trees to <b>design flexible structures</b> that are nimble and can move with the wind rather than fight against it. Or, do the opposite: emulate a stone and build a concrete bunker that deflects wind up and around it. </span><br />
<br />
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Build Smart (and Temporary?) Structures</b><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">. </span><br />
<span style="text-indent: -24px;">Shelter in nature is ephemeral - it is very often here one season and recycled the next. While the idea of building temporary (and readily recycled) homes and buildings will be hard to construct given our economic system, there are instances where building an ephemeral enclosure (for example, inflatable stadiums or pop-up shading for plazas) is more efficient, resilient, and economically viable than spending the resources to build permanent enclosure. </span><br />
<span style="text-indent: -24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -24px;">When a structure must be as permanent as possible, consider the </span><a href="http://www.asknature.org/strategy/698133c31ed7dd71140f9be4e80be356" style="text-indent: -24px;" target="_blank">branching design of a tree </a><span style="text-indent: -24px;">that lessens breakage by tapering in size as you move up to adjust for the force of the wind caught by the leaves. Trees build up and protect the trunk on which they depend, but the smaller, taller branches are often a sacrificial layer that can be lost as long as the central core remains intact.</span><br />
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Rebuild.</b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Of course, no strategy is 100% foolproof. Very often, components of even the most resilient systems will fail because the disturbance is just too great. And just because individual components fail, as long as there are <b>backups and different options (functional redundancies and diversities)</b>, the system will emerge resilient to disturbance. Ecosystems, in fact, are stronger after disturbance and </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">destruction</span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"> because of all the new shelter, nutrients, and ecological niches that open up after the storm. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">Our communities and structures can be the same. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">By </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">leveraging disturbance as an opportunity to rebuild in more resilient ways,</span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"> we can create buildings and communities that truly emulate nature: by building on what works and recycling what didn't. </span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">To learn more about resilience as applied to human systems, check out our "BEND, Don't Break" Naturally Inspired Resilience Workshop at <a href="http://www.b-collaborative.com/resilience.html" style="color: #777777; text-decoration: none;">http://www.b-collaborative.com/resilience.html</a>.</b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-56994199104271735232013-11-18T09:00:00.000-06:002013-11-18T11:00:41.916-06:00Communication...issues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhPvPc_veedxTKSTfeMAT4ETKa_Vxw2S2921q-mSk3g6wDWc2oRmKxeIX3QT-zgS6zaFyjkmq9lpuWtmbFq8fF7i2FqCUjdAT-wm2X2IayKQqwR40xfMFYVkRDAONASDiKay-RYrFaRo/s1600/failure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhPvPc_veedxTKSTfeMAT4ETKa_Vxw2S2921q-mSk3g6wDWc2oRmKxeIX3QT-zgS6zaFyjkmq9lpuWtmbFq8fF7i2FqCUjdAT-wm2X2IayKQqwR40xfMFYVkRDAONASDiKay-RYrFaRo/s400/failure.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_261882170"></span><br />
Indulge me for a minute as I complain about something that is clearly a first world problem: communication breakdowns between me and my communications provider (the irony is not lost).<br />
<br />
After years of paying a ridiculous amount of money to have multiple carriers provide what has become a basic service in our society - communication services - I chose consolidation: a non-diversified, less-resilient strategy, but much, much cheaper. When ordering the service, I thought I had asked all the right questions - how much will it cost now, how much in the future, what channels will I get, how fast will my internet be, can I keep my old number, etc. I did what I thought was my due diligence to make sure I was ordering what I needed/wanted. But the cost I was quoted did not include some services, such as HDTV, that they consider to be an upcharge and I consider to be "basic," so much so that I didn't inquire about it assuming it was included and they didn't offer this information as the upcharge that they consider it to be. This lack of transparency about the baseline assumptions of our conversation lead to a communication breakdown and annoyance on the part of the consumer, namely me.<br />
<br />
This problem illustrates a key point for resilience in human systems: <b>one of the most common forms of disturbance in our business and economic systems involve communication breakdowns, and mitigating these disturbances is key to resilience of those systems. </b><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Communication disturbances occur frequently and most of the time have little impact on company operations, but these seemingly<span style="font-family: inherit;"> small annoyances can accumulate and cause trouble for a company in aggregate. I may be able to brush off this one instance of not being told the whole story, but if this becomes a pattern of upcharges that greatly affect how much I pay for this service, my provider will lose my business and likely many others. This would represent a threat to the long-term survival and resilience of this company's business. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Using the biomimetic process of looking to nature for inspiration, we can look to collective animal behavior and </span><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/07/swarms/miller-text" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">swarm theory</a> <span style="font-family: inherit;">to deduce that <b>transparent communication strategies and common baseline system-wide rules are one of the building blocks for resilient communication in organizational systems. </b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/The_flock_of_starlings_acting_as_a_swarm._-_geograph.org.uk_-_124593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/The_flock_of_starlings_acting_as_a_swarm._-_geograph.org.uk_-_124593.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"self-propelled particles" via <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-propelled_particles" target="_blank">wikipedia</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/07/swarms/miller-text" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Swarm intelligence</a> in <span style="font-family: inherit;">collective animal behavior allows relatively simple creatures, such as individual birds, ants, or bees, to form complex, adaptive, decentralized flocks and swarms based on simple, system-wide rules for responding to local information. This collective behavior allows the group to maintain cohesion in the face of disturbance, such as predation, by continually broadcasting their location (information transparency) and maintaining a </span>consistent<span style="font-family: inherit;"> distance from the others</span> (dynamic response) <span style="font-family: inherit;">while avoiding predators (responding to locally available information). </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So how could my issue with my </span>communications<span style="font-family: inherit;"> provider have been avoided? </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">By looking to swarm theory and nature's communication strategies as guide, this miscommunication could have been avoided by simply incorporating<b> i</b></span><b>nformation transparency </b>into their sales and marketing protocols<b>. </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Because every customer will have differing assumptions for what is considered a standard service, sales associates should be equipped with a series of questions that seek to understand the customer's needs and can recommend a package that is right for them.</li>
<li>The recommended package should clearly spell out what is and is not included in the service and include consistent, transparent pricing information. </li>
<li>This information should be available in a variety of locations and formats, including online, over the phone, and via marketing materials. </li>
</ul>
If I were to sit down with their sales strategist, I'm sure we could come up with many more solutions that address communication issues and begin to embed resilience into their communication structures, making their customers happier and their business model more resilient to future disturbances. I acknowledge that their business model is based on beating their competitors on price and that the practice of upcharging is likely crucial to their bottom line. In the end, however, they are in the business of customer service and happy customer that maintain their service are critical to their long-term survival beyond their immediate growth needs.<br />
<br />
<b>Can you think of an instance where a communication failure proved costly to your business? </b><br />
<br />
By looking to nature, you can begin to dream up solutions that allow your business or organization to be more resilient to disturbances, even minor ones.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="color: #444444; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To learn more about resilience as applied to human systems, check out our "BEND, Don't Break" Naturally Inspired Resilience Workshop at <a href="http://www.b-collaborative.com/resilience.html" style="color: #777777; text-decoration: none;">http://www.b-collaborative.com/resilience.html</a>.</span></b><br />
<b style="color: #444444; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="color: #444444; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="color: #444444; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">References:</span></span><br />
<br />
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<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Chandra, Ashik. </span><a href="https://mospace.library.umsystem.edu/xmlui/handle/10355/23223" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Synergy between biology and systems resilience</a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">. MS thesis. Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, 2010. Google Scholar.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Miller, Peter.</span><a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/07/swarms/miller-text" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank"> Swarm Theory. </a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">National Geographic Magazine. July 2007.</span></li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-25635209344028409992013-11-14T10:41:00.000-06:002013-11-14T10:50:35.296-06:00If there ever was a case for community resilience......it would be the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2184339/" target="_blank">The Purge</a> with Ethan Hawk. Have you seen it? My husband and I rented it last night and it got me thinking about this idea of personal resilience and how it falls short when you need it most.<br />
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The premise of this film is a dystopic America where crime and poverty are minimal because everyone is given a free pass one night a year to commit any crime they want, including murder, to purge themselves of pent up aggression and hostility they feel during the rest of the year. </div>
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There are two types of people in this society - those that commit the acts of aggression and murder and those that hole themselves up indoors waiting for the night to be over. Most of us would put ourselves firmly in the second camp - we'd stockpile food and water, build the best security systems to protect ourselves and our property, and hold our families close as we ride out the night and hope to survive. This is the premise that interested me about this arguably flawed movie (at the end of the film, my husband and I were laughing at it's implausibility that fundamentally misunderstands humanity, but this is a spoiler free zone so I will save that discussion for those of you who have seen it). </div>
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To me, this movie illustrates that the focus on survivalism and personal resilience at the cost of everyone else deprives us of our humanity and is fundamentally impossible to achieve.</div>
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<b>How does survivalism deprive us of our humanity?</b></div>
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In The Purge, a man was wounded and calling out for help in the street but no one would help him because that would mean sacrificing their personal safety for the sake of another. They would rather watch someone else die to save themselves. Of course, self-preservation is a natural base instinct, and watching the movie we were yelling out - "don't open the door!!!" But what would I have felt like the next morning to open up my safe home and see a man lying in the street knowing I could have helped him if I hadn't been so cowardly? I'm not sure I could have lived with myself. </div>
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This example is far fetched, of course, but when our societal structures break down to such an extent that this is the only way to survive is in lieu of someone else, this indicates a loss of our higher nature that we call our "humanity." When we focus on our own survival and those of our immediate family at the cost of everyone in our community, we risk living in a society that will sacrifice us to save themselves. In short, when a community is comprised solely of survivalists, there will not be anyone around to save you when your survival measures fall short.</div>
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The other thing this movie illustrates to me is that individual survivalism and resilience is an illusion and impossible to achieve. We can construct steel doors to cover our windows, video surveillance to anticipate threats, and guns to shoot to kill anyone who crosses the line, but these are artifices of safety - they are illusions. If we hole ourselves up in a perceived fortress, what happens when those illusions fall away - the steel doors are ripped off their hinges, the building starts on fire, or a natural disaster floods or blows the structure away? In every system, there are points of weakness, and those points of weakness will lead to the failure of the system if there is no backup. In short, a system without redundancies is weak system that is doomed to failure. </div>
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And our communities are our backup resilience system - the people and societal structures we can rely on when our individual measures fail. I can prepare my family and my home to weather disturbances, both natural and man-made, but without a community to support me in this effort, I will never be truly resilient. </div>
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<b>Systems need redundancies in function at different scales in order to be resilient. </b></div>
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For example, access to safe food and clean water is a necessary human need and a critical function that must be maintained through disturbance. I can stockpile food and water, but my neighbors need to do the same. Community pantries, municipalities, and religious institutions should also do the same, as should statewide and federal governments. Food and water should be stored in different areas - from the flatlands to the hillsides, in concrete structures and in mobile ones, dry goods as well as frozen. By ensuring that this vital function for survival is performed by multiple parties, in different ways, at multiple scales, the resilience of that function is ensured. And the safe exchange of these resources between parties at different scales is critical to the resilience of our human systems. </div>
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The movie The Purge is a fun romp and despite its terrible ending, I did enjoy it. And it made me want to form strong connections with my neighbors, so that's a good thing!</div>
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<b>To learn more about resilience as applied to human systems, check out our "BEND, Don't Break" Naturally Inspired Resilience Workshop at <a href="http://www.b-collaborative.com/resilience.html">http://www.b-collaborative.com/resilience.html</a>.</b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021695786939754790.post-9371362134780840692013-10-01T14:59:00.000-05:002013-10-01T14:59:24.362-05:00Blog Post: Resilient Communities on the EdgeHow can we learn from ecosystems in nature to design more resilient communities? The B-Collaborative founder, <a href="http://b-collaborative.com/collaborators.html" target="_blank">Amy Coffman Phillips</a>, wrote an article on this topic for The Resiliency Institute, a local suburban permaculture advocacy group. <a href="http://www.theresiliencyinstitute.net/resilient-communities-edge/?fb_action_ids=543544835720289%2C543203122421127%2C543179632423476&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%22543544835720289%22%3A1422844484594820%2C%22543203122421127%22%3A164152863789692%2C%22543179632423476%22%3A152422384967970%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22543544835720289%22%3A%22og.likes%22%2C%22543203122421127%22%3A%22og.likes%22%2C%22543179632423476%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D" target="_blank">Read the article</a> and let us know what you think!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwgX7goe0UEgbz5-aVXKWXrb_6z8NC8trpC_goFQ9f-q1xE_uRnHhPNgpGfweZMjXFTdaWBmdvlhDDJMuM-Qk2hNl24qHE6LedS6F-ohXSqECdo0c3aRdLL4YlPQBDdDlqMz2xAp285k/s1600/Blick_vom_L%C3%B6ns_Turm_HemmelsdorferSee_Ausfluss_aalbek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNwgX7goe0UEgbz5-aVXKWXrb_6z8NC8trpC_goFQ9f-q1xE_uRnHhPNgpGfweZMjXFTdaWBmdvlhDDJMuM-Qk2hNl24qHE6LedS6F-ohXSqECdo0c3aRdLL4YlPQBDdDlqMz2xAp285k/s320/Blick_vom_L%C3%B6ns_Turm_HemmelsdorferSee_Ausfluss_aalbek.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ecotones in Nature (creative commons image credit: wikipedia.org)</td></tr>
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"Studies have shown that America has become much more polarized in the last twenty-five years in terms of race, socioeconomic status, and particularly political world views. These divisions have been exacerbated by structural forces, such as fragmented news media, increasing disparity of socio-economic conditions, and indoctrinated societal world-views, to name a few.</div>
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Each of these barriers are complex and interrelated, but if you accept we have inadvertently created these structural barriers that serve to disconnect our communities, we should be able to identify and break down these barriers as well. Doing so would foster interconnected, resilient communities that are able to resolve disputes and weather disturbance more effectively than is possible today.<span id="more-1348"></span></div>
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As a biomimic and architect, I look to nature for inspiration to design buildings, communities, and cities that function more like a healthy ecosystem – rich with interconnections, diversity, and mutualisms. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about ecotones. Until last year, I wouldn’t have even known what that term meant, but now I see them and think about the parallels between ecosystem communities and our human communities every day. So what is an ecotone and what could we learn from ecosystems in nature to inspire more <b>diverse, interconnected, and resilient communities?"</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.theresiliencyinstitute.net/resilient-communities-edge/?fb_action_ids=543544835720289%2C543203122421127%2C543179632423476&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%22543544835720289%22%3A1422844484594820%2C%22543203122421127%22%3A164152863789692%2C%22543179632423476%22%3A152422384967970%7D&action_type_map=%7B%22543544835720289%22%3A%22og.likes%22%2C%22543203122421127%22%3A%22og.likes%22%2C%22543179632423476%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D" target="_blank">Click here to continue reading</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11814568810932448901noreply@blogger.com0