Adapted from “Set your internal program guide to the positive…” in September’s issue of Regenerative Thinking in Action.
Recent research into how our brains work is increasingly proving we see what we’re looking for. The continuing story of InterfaceFLOR’s sustainability journey is a great positive to tune in to, as told in their recent update on how they’re building community wealth in the Pacific by turning old fishing net into new carpet tiles.
Adapted from “Are your beliefs limiting your effectiveness?”, published in our September newsletter.
Most human behaviour is dictated by our opinions and beliefs about the world. If we don’t examine and test them, we can end up becoming impotent, angry and depressed. In the sustainability game and especially in the media, one limiting belief I come across repeatedly is that “Sustainability requires government action.” 
(Adapted from “Copying nature – biomimicry and business success…” in our September newsletter)
Back in the 19th century the human race got hooked into chemical and mechanical engineering. We developed steam power and learned to make soap in quantity, then later fell in love with petrochemicals.
While these have been useful tools to a point, their side effects are showing up as increasingly damaging. Biomimcry is showing up as a new source of innovation for both product and systems design.
“Biomimicry is studying a leaf to invent better solar cell, or a coral reef to make more resilient company. The core idea is that nature has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with: energy, food production, climate control, benign chemistry, transportation, collaboration, and more.” Janine Benyus – A Biomimicry Primer
Mechanical and chemical engineering practices and their mindsets have been foundational in the technologies we use today – however new developments are emerging that will increasingly make these resource-hungry oldsters out-of-date.
We’ve become increasingly aware in recent decades that nature does some pretty amazing things at room temperature and ambient pressure. We use massive heat and pressure to turn non-renewable petrochemicals into Kevlar – but a spider makes a super strong web in it’s stomach AND using flies as a highly renewable input.
Physics and biology are showing up as rich sources of innovation and invention for developing not only smarter products, but smarter systems.
Biomimicry can operate at one of three levels:
This new source of design inspiration is exactly that – inspiring. Find out more about biomimicry from: http://www.asknature.org/ (Just watch the front banner cycle through different innovations to get a feel for the possible.)
Remember also that the core principle of true biomimicry is the development of solutions conducive to life. You can have a bio-inspired product like velcro – however if you make it from petrochemicals, you’re not really practicing biomimicry.
For some great examples of how biomimicry is being used in the world today, explore some of the case studies of The Blue Economy: http://www.theblueeconomy.org/blue/Innovations.html
Top 100 report 2014
It’s a chilly winter’s afternoon in my home town down under, and I’m catching up on my reading list. The Sustainia Top 100 came out last month and it’s an inspiring way to spend some time. It’s the third annual report on the practical, happening, fundamental shifts underway in how our products and services are being delivered. Continue reading
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
I was reminded of this famous quote by anthropologist Margaret Mead last week, reading the story of how the Danish island of Samsø has gone renewable and become an energy exporter. The CleanTechnica article “Introducing Samsø, A 100% Wind-Powered Island” detailed not only WHAT had been done – it also gave some fascinating insight into the HOW. Continue reading
(First published in “Regenerative Thinking in Action” – April 2014)
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
– Richard Buckminster Fuller
One of our great modern philosophers – Humberto Maturana – has commented, that we live in an age where society’s prevailing mood is one of aggression. One of the implications of this is that we can get trapped in the assumption that the way to change a system is to fight it. Continue reading
(First published in “Regenerative Thinking in Action” – April 2014)
A different aspect of the shift to regenerative thinking is the development of a group of value-sharing initiatives that leverage the Internet to deliver value. In their book “What’s Mine is Yours”, Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers identify different forms of collaborative consumption systems including:
Rachel Botsman explains Collaborative Consumption in this TED Talk:
If you’re interested to investigate further, here’s a list of some of the Australian initiatives from planetcentric.
We’re heavily habituated to owning what we need, so exploring for collaborative alternatives can be another way to leverage the opportunity side of regenerative business. If you need help in developing a new strategic perspective, then Contact Us.
Mad Scientist Radio recently hosted a special edition on The Blue Economy in Australasia with guests Dr Martin Blake and Leigh Baker. The scientists took a break from talking about SEO to discuss the exciting, regenerative potential of this opportunity-based approach to business sustainability that uncovers value and cash flow in unexpected places.
The distinctions we make in the language we use are really important. Language is what we use to invent our future. In the evolving language of sustainability, the shift towards a regenerative approach reflects not just new strategies, but a new world view that offers enormous opportunity.
I’m better with words than pictures, so it was great to find this diagram by Bill Reed late last year. It helps explain the different perspectives and the thinking behind them. Continue reading
Early in my sustainability journey I came across The Better World Handbook . The wisdom in its introduction empowered me to manage some of my emotions about “the tough stuff” and whether this sustainability thing was for me.
As I sat down to do some planning for the coming year it seemed a good time to share the Cycle of Hope and also the Handbook’s sound advice on traps that stop people from making a difference.
Continue reading
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