April 2012

BIOMIMICRY:LEARNING FROM NATURE

Photo Credit: Gord McKenna CCABYANC

WHAT IS NATURE?

Photo Credit: WiKimedia user Hagainativ CCABYASA

Photo Credit: WiKimedia user Patriotmissile, CCABYASA

Photo Credit: Calypso Orchid, CCABYANCAND

HUMAN DESIGN

• • • • 

Mining–39 billion tons/yrHeat treating – over 1,400 °C releases 6% of GHG PackagingShipping

Photo Credits LAR: Dionatan ZibeS, CCABYANC; WiKimedia user Linguistic Demographer, public domain; FlicKr user Judy_&_Ed, CCABYANC

• • • • • 

Built to shape Created on site Uses CO2 as a building blockWaste-free450 million year old process

NATURE’S DESIGN

Stony coral

Photo Credit: NOAA, public domain

Photo Credit: WiKimedia user Jstuby, public domain

Instead of mining ancient sea beds, couldn’t we learn to make this material the way corals do?

Fossilized coral

“The conscious emulation of life’s genius is a survival strategy for The human race, a path to a sustainable future. The more our World functions like the natural world, the more likely we are toEndure on this home that is ours, but not ours alone.” –J.B.

Photo © Biomimicry 3.8, used with permission

BIOMIMICRY

WELL8ADAPTED DESIGN

Photo Credit: NASA, public domain

“Nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are Grappling with. Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers. TheyHave found what works, what is appropriate, and most important, what lasts here On Earth.” – J.B.

December 31st

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• 

All of human history would take place in the last half hour of the last day.

The industrial revolution would take place in the last 2 seconds.

Jan Feb March April May June July AuG Sept Oct Nov Dec

Earth formed

Feb 25th: life appears Feb 28th: photosynthesis evolves Aug 16th: multicellular life

22nd: plants 24th: insects

December: 2nd : amphibians 6th : reptiles 13th: mammals 18th: birds

20th: flowers

11:00 am: hominids walk 11:36 pm: homo sapiens 11:59 pm: agriculture 11:59:58 : industrial revolution

Image of human figures: NASA public domain

A BIT OF PERSPECTIVE

If the history of the earth were compressed into a calendar year…November: 15th: fungi 20th: fish

MAL-ADAPTED DESIGN

Photo Credit: TJ BlacKwell, CCABY

Heat, beat, and treat •  High temperatures •  High pressures •  Toxic chemical processes

“Human ingenuity may make various inventions…but it will never devise any inventions more beautiful, nor more simple, nor more to the purpose than Nature does; because in her inventions nothing is wanting and nothing is superfluous.”

– Leonardo da Vinci

A RECURRING THEME

Photo Credit: Leonardo da Vinci, public domain

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

Ethos Photo Credit: MarK S. Elliot, CCABYANC

Photo Credit: Denali National ParK, CCABYPhoto Credit: Kevin Conor Keller, CCABYANCAND

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

(Re)Connect

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

Emulate © Mary Hansel, used with permission

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

A MATTER OF SCALE

Form - shape, surface, texture Process - a series of opera:ons

Ecosystem – a network operating together in an ongoing cycle

Photo Credits LAR: Hans Hillewaert, CCABYASA; WiKimedia user Hagainativ, CCABYASA; Ireen Trummer, CCABYASA

CASE STUDY 8 FORM

Photo Credits LAR: Albert KoK, CCABYASA; SharKlet logo; © SharKlet Technologies LLC, used with permission

CASE STUDY 8 PROCESS

Photo Credits LAR: NOAA, public domain; Calera logo; MarK Dumont, CCABY

CASE STUDY 8 SYSTEM

Kalundborg

Photo Credits LAR: Max Baars, CCABYASA; Bruce Chung, CCABYANCASA; ©Emily Harrington, used with permission

ZERI Systems Living Machines

BIOMIMICRY IN EDUCATION

Photo Credits LAR: FlicKr user Blese, CCABYANC; FlicKr user VSFDigitalDesign, CCABY; Phil Roeder, CCABYANCAND

•  Project-based and experiential learning •  TeamworK •  NGSS Crosscutting concepts

Research has demonstrated: “four days of immersion in nature, and the corresponding disconnection from multi-media and technology, increases performance on a creative Problem-solving task by a full 50%.” Atchley RA, Strayer DL, Atchley P 2012 Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings. PLoS ONE

Photo Credit: North Cascades National ParK, CCABYANCASA

BIOMIMICRY IN EDUCATION

Photo Credit: 350.org, CCABYANCASA

BIOMIMICRY IN EDUCATION

•  USDA Hardiness Zones

3A7

•  Important U.S. timber species

•  Needles 5A10 long, in clusters of 3

Photo Credit: J Stephen Conn, CCABYANC

SEEING DIFFERENTLY

LEARNING ABOUT:

•  Scientific name: Pinus ponderosa

•  Found in low A mid elevations throughout the U.S.

Ponderosa Pine

the U.S.

•  USDA Hardiness Zones 3A7

•  Important U.S. timber species

•  Needles 5A10 long, in clusters of 3

LEARNING ABOUT:

•  Scientific name: Pinus ponderosa

•  Found in low A mid elevations throughout

LEARNING FROM:

•  Leaves create solar energy without toxins

•  Xylem transports water hundreds of feet without

fuel. •  Canopy reAhumidifies air

•  Uses CO2 as a building material

•  Expertly lightAweighted materials

Photo Credit: J Stephen Conn, CCABYANC

SEEING DIFFERENTLY

Ponderosa Pine

THANK YOU For sharing biomimicry with your students. Visit ben.biomimicry.net to access additional teaching resources.

Photo Credit: Kati Fleming, CCABYASA