What if we humans looked to nature, and considered how nature solves design problems before we build or design? For TED Talk Tuesday on 350orbust, Janine Benyus discusses biomimicry in action and reminds us of the wonder of existence on this “blue planet”. In this 2009 talk, Ms Benyus reminds us that no other species on earth lives in a way that produces toxins that will impact their future generations because the whole point is to ensure the survival of our progeny. How different that is from the current situation, where we doing the opposite; our children are inheriting a toxic waste dump and a destabilized climate.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/k_GFq12w5WU]
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Do you think I could persuade Ms Benyus to back my call to have our species renamed homo fatuus brutus?
It’s worth a try!
Ronald Wright, author of “A Short History of Progress” calls us feckless, reckless, self-indulgent apes. That sums it up perfectly, as far as I’m concerned (although I would add that we do have flashes of brilliance and compassion). I’m not ready to despair of the whole human endeavor yet, though, P. We are still part of the earth, and woven into its story, which is not yet done.