As I revise for the subject that just keeps giving (see earlier posts e.g. All costs are relative) for an exam in a format that just keeps amusing, I was reminded of one of the cooler concepts we covered, biomimicry as part of a series of lectures from the Natural Edge Project.
It's not rocket science and that, my dear friends, is both its attraction and its beauty. The concept is simple - "mimic" solutions in nature to solve challenges in society which could be design, process or business based.
There are three main types of innovation derived from nature;
form - examples include shapes (see Mercedes Benz's avant garde concept vehicle inspired by a box jellyfish) and non-chemical adhesive methods (Gecko tape)
process - examples include cooling systems, filtration (including sewerage treatment) and desalination (fair to say, probably not a reference process in the various desal plants popping up all over Australia at the moment)
ecosystems - examples include feedback loops and symbiotic relationships (and everyone wants one of those..)
(Source: TNEP notes)
In an increasing energy constraint world, one of my favourite observations is that most of the products and services of nature are biotic - that means they occur at ambient temperature, low pressure and in low toxicity conditions. There are, of course, some spectacular exceptions - volcanoes, tidal waves, cyclones and bushfires, but just imagine the reduction in energy if we could make the things we needed at standard temperatures and pressures.
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Don't forget to admire the beautiful things..
Occasionally I take the advice of my family, much to their amazement. I am currently suppose to be studying for my end of semester exams but after handing in my last two assignments for the semester on Friday decided to take a couple of days away from the books to revel in the Queen's birthday long weekend. Yes, I am aware the Queen of England was born in April and strangely enough tends to celebrate her birthday then. However, June is the descent into winter for these colonies so we have a random winter long weekend in June, blame the Queen and perversely open the Australian ski season, whether or not there is snow on the Australian Alps. Except in WA where they have the Queen's birthday in September and perversely open the Perth Show but, how I have digressed..
In one of the subjects (which will be examined in the near future), we have been learning about the various types of environmental legislation in the various jurisdictions of Australia and how, if at all, it protects the beautiful things we have.
When the lecturer asked for examples of World Heritage areas, RAMSAR wetlands etc., she usually met the correct answer with, yes, you must visit there before you die. So actually, it appears I am about to be examined on the Australian Environmental Bucket List (and the processes for getting the correct Minister to approve any major acts of environmental desecration planned in the near vicinity).
So, in keeping with the theme, over the weekend instead of studying the legislation, we visited some of those sites that the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act aims to protect including The Coorong National Park. We also passed in our travels the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves and Bool Lagoon.
The strange thing is, at different times of my life, I have lived nearby all of these natural wonders and only ever took visitors there occasionally, never just went to look and admire. Just another little reminder - don't forget to admire the beautiful things while you can...
In one of the subjects (which will be examined in the near future), we have been learning about the various types of environmental legislation in the various jurisdictions of Australia and how, if at all, it protects the beautiful things we have.
When the lecturer asked for examples of World Heritage areas, RAMSAR wetlands etc., she usually met the correct answer with, yes, you must visit there before you die. So actually, it appears I am about to be examined on the Australian Environmental Bucket List (and the processes for getting the correct Minister to approve any major acts of environmental desecration planned in the near vicinity).
So, in keeping with the theme, over the weekend instead of studying the legislation, we visited some of those sites that the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act aims to protect including The Coorong National Park. We also passed in our travels the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves and Bool Lagoon.
The strange thing is, at different times of my life, I have lived nearby all of these natural wonders and only ever took visitors there occasionally, never just went to look and admire. Just another little reminder - don't forget to admire the beautiful things while you can...
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Are all alternatives equal?
I live in a quaint jurisdiction of Australia. We have a container deposit recycling scheme and a ban on the use of lightweight plastic bags. Practically that means two things;
(i) you NEVER see a recyclable container lying around as litter because an enterprising collector will have swooped it up and cashed it in, resulting in up to 85% of all eligible containers being recycled AND
(ii) everyone has to bring their own bags to the shops or purchase an alternative to non lightweight plastic.
The shopping bag discussion is worth having. The number of single plastic bag uses has fallen considerably since the introduction of the ban in May 2009. Research findings six months after the introduction found significant changes in behaviour and overall support in the community.
However are all alternatives to single use lightweight plastic bags equally better for the environment?
I was given this link as part of a Lifecycle analysis discussion recently at Uni which got me thinking. It is an old report now (December 2002) on the Environmental impact of plastic bags. On pages 36 and 37 there is a discussion about alternative bags and estimates of both carbon dioxide emissions and embodied energy. It is interesting to note the high impact of paper bags (associated with the processing requirements) and the much lower impact of reusable plastic boxes and the "green bag". The swag style is that associated with Ikea - much larger than the average shopping bag and not always suitable for lugging home the groceries.
Some food for thought this week...
(i) you NEVER see a recyclable container lying around as litter because an enterprising collector will have swooped it up and cashed it in, resulting in up to 85% of all eligible containers being recycled AND
(ii) everyone has to bring their own bags to the shops or purchase an alternative to non lightweight plastic.
The shopping bag discussion is worth having. The number of single plastic bag uses has fallen considerably since the introduction of the ban in May 2009. Research findings six months after the introduction found significant changes in behaviour and overall support in the community.
However are all alternatives to single use lightweight plastic bags equally better for the environment?
I was given this link as part of a Lifecycle analysis discussion recently at Uni which got me thinking. It is an old report now (December 2002) on the Environmental impact of plastic bags. On pages 36 and 37 there is a discussion about alternative bags and estimates of both carbon dioxide emissions and embodied energy. It is interesting to note the high impact of paper bags (associated with the processing requirements) and the much lower impact of reusable plastic boxes and the "green bag". The swag style is that associated with Ikea - much larger than the average shopping bag and not always suitable for lugging home the groceries.
Some food for thought this week...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)