Marvelous Magic Mushrooms

Mcdonough and Braungart propose a radical shift in the way we think about design. An industrial revolution moving from a "cradle to grave" approach towards a more sustainable "cradle to cradle" method. Ideally following nature's "upcycle" wherein, the idea of waste is non existent, with all parts able to be re used in any form to benefit the whole.

A prime example of this idea of design being "a signal of intention" is evidenced by Far West Fungi in California. They are growing mushrooms in brick shaped containers, and after harvesting the edible mushrooms they dry the thin, white, rootlike material known as mycelium. After being dried the mycelium, which is already shaped and tightly packed due to the growing containers, takes on the form of a "super brick." These bricks are non toxic,fireproof, and mold and water resistant. They also trap heat better than traditional fiberglass insulation, and are stronger, pound for pound, than concrete. Not only is this a no waste building material, but to grow the mycelium corn husks are used as fungi food. This is important because neither humans nor other animals can eat the husks making them essentially a waste byproduct of corn. While this is a fledgling idea, and not yet a full scale production, other companies have begun marketing "mycoproducts." Ecovative, a New York based company, has a mycelium alternative to styrofoam used in packaging. After use the product can be put in your garden for compost.

Mcdonough and Braungart propose that we design "products and systems that celebrate an abundance of human creativity, culture and productivity" and leave an "ecological footprint to delight in." I think that the examples of Far West Fungi and Ecovative embody these design ideals and are great examples of a step in the right direction.

Cycles

Life as we know it is based around cycles.

The cycle starting with photosynthesis uses sun light as energy to convert CO2 +H2O into Sugars and O2. Then humans and other living organisms use Sugars and O2 in respiration to produce energy, H2O and CO2. When a tree falls in the forest bacteria and fungi are already on the scene and start feeding off and breaking down the plant material. Leaving the elements and nutrients in a simplified form, ready for the next young tree. All of these systems work together. They cannot be isolated from one another. They build together, like a storm gathering momentum as it progresses and constantly being affected by every aspect of anything. Resulting in the mind-numbing complexity and diversity of our universe.

Cycles are sustainable because there is no waste. The by-product of one step is the raw materials of the next step. The nestedness and synergy between cycles provides diversity and redundancy. Diversity and redundancy can be thought of as other small scale cycles that are constantly fixing the imbalances in the world. Acting as a sort of buffer zone from drastic change. Designing our world with the natural world as a model we can expect these same benefits. Imagine a world were whenever something has been used up it is transformed into something else. No waste.

Blog # 1 Complexity/Sustainability

Ben Daubenspeck

Blog #1

9/27/10

Complexity/Sustainability

When I hear “complex”, I think of something challenging such as math, getting a new couch into a 3^rd story apartment. But nature gives the word complex a whole new meaning. The word “challenging” flies out the window and “fascinating” takes it place. Tom Wessels talks of complex systems when referring to our bodies. He paints a vivid picture in my mind when he tells how, “during out development we witnessed one cell growing into more than 30 trillion cells”. Then he goes on to say how the 30 trillion cells consist of 254 different types. It baffles me when I think about this stuff because I am someone who likes to make sense of everything, and human existence and the complexity of nature makes no sense to me. I just chalk it all up as a miracle and don’t look very far into it because like I said, the complexity of our bodies, the environment, co-existence, etc, all of that leaves me speechless. Co-evolution is another extremely truly amazing part of life. Wessels says that each species’ plays its own ecological role, meaning that every single species plays an important role in the life cycle. Co-evolution is species adapting to one another, all with the common goal of survival. He mentions the bee and the spider, and how over time the spider has learned to avoid being caught, while the bee has learned tricks on how to lure the spider out in the day time.

With all of these miracles taking place in all forms of life, we are starting to realize our impact as human beings, and how every little thing we do plays a role in the size of our footprint. Over time we have established a very large footprint, and recently we have been concerning ourselves with way to reduce our impact on the earth due to our realizations of the damage we are causing. People are wanting to live more sustainable life styles, mostly meaning that they are looking for way to go green. More people are driving hybrid cars today than ever before, mainly for the reason of saving money on gas, but at the same time they are reducing the size of their foot print compared to someone driving a truck. Also you see more and more people recycling, and looking for “green” labels when shopping. I bought the energy efficient light bulbs for my apartment for example. They are more expensive, but they are proven to use less electricity, in turn lowering my electric bill. So as you can see, a lot of people go green just to save some money, but it is great because at the same time they are reducing their impact and living more sustainable lives, weather they realize it or not. Maybe they are just trying to maintain their budget, but I think that they are being more sustainable at the same time. Going green is typically more expensive at first, but in the long run it proves to be worth it both in the environment and in your wallet.

Green Revolution

I have always been concerned with being more sustainable, and after take Moving Toward Sustainability, I am even more aware of the impact that my everyday actions make on the Earth. I now have the knowledge to a sustainable individual and I feel like its my duty to inform people that are ignorant to the Green Movement about what they can do. It will take the help from everybody to fix what we have done to this Earth, and I think that transcendence is just as important as recycling and energy conservation. All throughout history there have been revolutions against the many atrocities that the government, as well as humans in general, have committed. The most recent in the United States being the protests against the Vietnam War, millions of American's came together to advocate for peace and love. The most pressing issue in the United States, and all over the world, is how much, and how rapidly, we are polluting the Earth. More and more people are realizing that action needs to be taken to fix this, but the people that really need to be convinced to go Green are our political leaders. As unfortunate as it is, politicians control everything, with out their support we can't get anywhere. This is why I propose a revolution. It takes the power of millions of people, with the same goal, to overcome great social obstacles such as this. For the whole Earth to become Green, we need the strength that comes from a outright revolution.

How can we stop obesity?

Obesity is a rising problem in America, it is actually called an epidemic. People have been asking why obesity is such a problem for a long time, but the real question we should be asking is how can we stop the problem in its tracks and keep people from becoming obese. No one wants to be obese, but so many people are. Why? There are so many reasons why people over eat, but I believe that the biggest reason is the fact that people are uneducated. Ignorance kills. Not only do people not receive enough information about healthy eating habits, but the information they do receive is wrong. We are constantly bombarded with commercials advocating for the unhealthiest of places, McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King. It is ingrained in people's minds that all these fatty foods are too tasty to resist, and that a Big Mac equals good food.

If we were to just eat foods that came purely from the Earth, nothing processed whatsoever and free of any additives, there would be no such thing as obesity. The Earth gave us an abundance of good food, everything we need to live and prosper. People used to eat just when they were hungry, just to survive. Now there is so much food available that people no longer eat to live, but eat for pleasure. There is of course nothing wrong with getting pleasure from food, but most of the food that people get pleasure from are very unhealthy and very fattening. We need to begin educating people right from the start, in elementary schools, that everything you put into your body becomes your body.

Last Chapters

I love reading Dave Suzuki's Green Guide for the simple fact that it gives you information and outlets to find further information to change things in your personal life. The goal of zero waste is a time consuming one that requires attention to detail to read the tiny print on labels provided by major corporations being one example with the goal of seeing through the bought out term "environmentally friendly." The websites mentioned through out the book for further awareness are very helpful. He highlights simple ways to cut one's carbon footprint such as composting, reusing, repairing, and recycling, but is sure to make the connection that without government laws mandating these paths towards zero waste and major corporations leading by example, more people will not get on board. Leading perfectly into McDonough's sixth chapter using the Ford company as an example of reinventive thinking towards biomimcry methods.

The focus on one of America's major automobile assembly corporations changing the typical paradigm of "don't ask, don't tell" into an open, creative thinking zone in order to keep the employees best interests at heart while still making profits is a great example for many corporations that are feeling trapt by the pressures to escape economic downfall. If corporations are being bailed out by banks, creating more debt, it should be painfully obvious that new methods must be put underway and their employees may love them for it in the end. People, as living creatures desire sunlight, fresh air, and social interaction to feel good about their lives. In incorporating this in their new building, Ford is seeing positive feedback rolling in. Makes sense! I'm finally inspired by Cradle to Cradle instead of told that my personal contribution isn't enough. The dwelling into how corporations can change their methods by looking into what is making each product, not just the product itself and choosing other materials seems like a realistic step in the right direction. I'm thinking this book should be sent to every major corporation in the world.

This week I was particularly interested in Jim Motvalli's essay, Reinventing the Wheel. This essay talked about the partnership between consumer demand, government policy, and environmental concern as related to transportation. Motvalli proposes realistic alternatives to the unsustainable transportation practices in the U.S., which include driving oil-dependent vehicles, and spending more time on highways than any other country. He recognizes that Americans enjoy the privileges and conveniences that accompany owning personal vehicles, and he doesn't suggest that Americans can or should completely relinquish their dependence. He talks a lot about hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell cars. I believe he wrote this essay sometime around 2004 when giant SUVs like Hummers were extremely popular. Also, the hybrid and electric car movement was just beginning. In a matter of years, the popularity of more energy efficient cars has risen dramatically. All of the major car companies have now realized that cars that are better for the environment are better for business. Ultimately, the U.S. is a capitalist society and consumers can drive better business practices because for many companies it is all about the bottom line: profit.

Educated consumers can make choices to buy more sustainable products, whether it be cars or light bulbs. This will create competition for companies to make more sustainable products to put in the market. I think it is important to note the example of the fabric company that McDonough and Braungart consulted to make more sustainable products. Not only did they end up with a nearly wasteless product that did not pollute the environment, the company ended up making more profit while having healthier, happier workers that did not have to work in toxic conditions. I hope that more and more companies realize that designing more sustainable products can profit them economically as well as benefit their employees and the environment. I also hope that consumers continue to make smart choices about what they buy, because I think that is the first step that will cause companies to change their practices. Eventually companies may make sustainable choices for more than economic reasons, but for now let's do our part as consumers to start the ball rolling.