Learning From the Environment to be More Sustainable
How can a fungus inspire a more efficient train network? Could coral reefs inspire the next skyscrapers? The answers to climate change and a more sustainable future could be all around us.
Illustration by Caitlin Noble.
Biomimicry, here meaning the imitation of the living, is the practice of observing processes in nature and applying them to areas of human design. This can facilitate the design and development of more efficient and sustainable products and systems. By taking cues from the natural world, everyone from scientists to architects and product designers can tap into the knowledge of an R&D lab, 3.6 million years in operation. This bypasses lengthy research stages, trial and error and instead, offers up blueprints mapped out by natural evolution. It can help us to develop technologies and products that are powered by local, natural resources and waste very little.
Whilst the term biomimicry was first coined in 1982, it has garnered more attention in recent years, partly thanks to Janine Benyus and her book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature (1997).
“Biomimicry is about valuing nature for what we can learn, not what we can extract, harvest, or domesticate. In the process, we learn about ourselves, our purpose, and our connection to each other and our home on earth” - Biomimicry Institute.
When considering a sustainable future, there are major issues that need addressing, like energy, water, transport, construction. Biomimicry has applications in countless sectors, construction being one example. Currently, construction accounts for 2.8bn tonnes of global CO2 emissions. Concrete, by far the most prolific building material, creates one tonne of carbon for every tonne of concrete produced. If concrete were a nation, it would be the 3rd largest polluter, just behind China and the US. Therefore, it is in our environmental interest to explore cleaner, more sustainable alternatives. Consider a coral reef, a building block of marine environments, home to numerous species. Its structures are made of calcium carbonate (or limestone). Producing building material in this way means that carbon can be sequestered within buildings, approximately half a tonne of carbon for every tonne produced. This produces carbon neutral (or carbon-negative) structures, saving the release of climate-warming CO2.
In a sustainable city, transport uses less energy, is faster and uses efficient networks. Research shows that the key to efficient transport networks could be found in yellow slime mould. In research conducted in 2010, the single-celled organism (Physarum polycephalum) was presented with oat flakes, a food source, arranged in geographical patterns mimicking the cities around Tokyo. The slime mould then grows outward in search of food, engulfing the oat flake cities. When it retracts it leaves a series of channels, linking the food areas in the most efficient pattern. Such systems may be helpful in designing information networks for early warning signals for natural disasters.
Not only can biomimicry help in the fields of design and technology, but it can also inspire more theoretical systems. A large focus within the field of sustainability at the moment is the circular economy, inspired by the cyclical nature of ecosystems. For example, in a forest ecosystem, a tree will absorb water and nutrients from the soil and provide a habitat for birds, bats and other animals. Once the tree’s life ends, the decaying wood feeds a host of invertebrates, microorganisms and fungi. The energy and the resources that the tree gathered are returned to the ecosystem to be repurposed and reused. In nature, nothing is wasted. This is in opposition to the linear processes found in business and production, where resources are extracted, products manufactured and transported using fossil fuels. Once the product reaches the end of its lifecycle, it is then discarded in landfill. Conscious businesses are now looking at a more circular approach, designing products made from natural and locally-sourced materials, that can easily be recycled and create the basis for new products, a concept termed cradle-to-cradle.
When faced with a problem as mammoth as climate change, there is a tendency for humans to try and better it, outwit it and beat it with technology. This attitude disconnects us from our humanity and from our place in the planet’s diverse ecosystem. If we are to combat climate change, we need to work towards being more adapted to our home, Earth. What better teachers than the plants, animals, organisms and ecosystems that have also made Earth their home.
“The point is not to impose a pattern of our own making and disrupt natural patterns, but to remain ever mindful that human cleverness is subordinate to nature’s wisdom” - Wendell Berry.
For more information on how nature inspires new understanding and innovation, check out the AskNature website.
Thank you to Caitlin for her beautiful illustration. You can find more of her work on Instagram @caitlinniamhillustrations
Gideon Marriott
Gideon is currently studying for his MSc: Sustainability at the University of Salford. Based in Greater Manchester, Gideon found his passion for conservation and the outdoors whilst WWOOF-ing and living in Canada. Since then, he has volunteered as a National Trust ranger and in his spare time likes to practice green woodworking and traditional crafts.
You can find out more on Instagram: @gideonmarriott