Ecological Design Principles and Biomimicry

1. Ecological Design Principles and Biomimicry Defne Apul Department of Civil Engineering University of Toledo

2. Chemistry • Math • Microbiology • Hydrology • Geology • Engineering design • Chemistry • Math • Microbiology • Hydrology • Geology • Engineering design • Ecology • Biology • Economics • Humanities • Policy • Business • Linear thinking • Reductionist approach • Near future • Regional analysis • Non-linear thinking • Holistic approach (systems thinking) • Future generations • Global analysis Traditional Sustainable The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them. Einstein

3. Environmental Engineering • Engineering applications of ‘environmental things’ • Water • Air • Soil • Nutrients, metals, chemicals • Waste (not a sustainability word)

4. Disparity Between Ecology and Engineering “People (hydrologists, engineers, and water manager) who design and manage the water infrastructures are rarely taught about management consequences to ecosystems, nor are ecologists trained to think about the critical role of water in human society.”

6. Ecological Design Principles

9. Ecological Design Themes

10. Water Infrastructure: Exercise

11. Re-Conceptualization of System

12. Economic Perspective of Ecological Design Principles Direct: S6: Physically and economically accessible Indirect environmental ideas: Energy efficiency, elimination of waste, design for commercial afterlife Indirect social ideas: Healthy, beautiful, socially just buildings

13. Ecological Design Principles

14. What is biomimicry? • From • bios, meaning “life” + mimesis, meaning “to imitate” • Biomimicry = to imitate life

15. Biomimicry Definition • Term first made popular by Janine Benyus in her book, Biomimicry: Innovations Inspired by Nature (1997) • Viewing nature as role model/teacher– nature has already solved many of the technological and sustainability problems that we face today - learning from nature, not about nature • Imitate nature’s processes, not products

16. Airplane Imitated not the bird (product) but the air flow around the wings (process)

17. Learning from nature not about nature

18. Nature as Teacher • When faced with a problem, ask the question “What organism needs to solve the same problem to survive….What Would Nature Do?” N N

19. Nature as Teacher (cont’d) • Inspiration - look to nature to transform society • water • energy • materials • food • Invention - original processing starting with a natural process that solves a similar problem • Information - life adds info in the form of shape/structure

20. Us Linear Centralized Individualistic Independent Inflexible Singular Them Circular Decentralized Cooperative Interdependent Adaptive Redundant Us vs. “Them”

21. Our Results • Depleted natural resources • Habitat loss • Climate change • Endangered/extinct species • Persistent bioaccumulative toxins • Dependence on petroleum • Problems!

22. Their Results • Life creates conditions conducive to life • Energy only from sunlight • Materials synthesized at ambient temperatures using local materials • No toxic pollution • only a few of all of chemically possible structures are synthesized (humans use the entire periodic table!) • No waste • No problem!

23. Biomimicry Principles Nature….. B1: Runs on sunlight B2: Uses only the energy it needs B3: Fits form to function B4: Recycles everything B5: Rewards co-operation B6: Banks on diversity B7: Demands local expertise B8: Curbs excesses within B9: Taps the power of limits Food: 1cal10cal Water/wastewater 420kcal per person per day Information - life adds info in the form of shape/structure

24. Examples of fitting form into function

25. Sticky Gecko Feet

26. The “tail” of Velcro….

27. Humpback Whales

28. Kingfishers

29. Bionic Car from Box fish 20 % less gas consumption

30. Termites (No air conditioning…)

31. Shark skin swim suit V-shaped ridges on shark skin Shark skin Michael Phelps

34. Three types of biomimicking 1. Mimicking form: What’s the design? • Physical form can be inspired: velcro inspired from burs 2. Mimicking process: How is it made? - blue mussel manufactured glue - orb weaver spider’s strong fiber 3. Mimicking ecosystems: How does it fit? -water infrastructure

35. Treatment Plants versus Wetlands Maumee River Lucas County WWTP Olentangy River Wetland Research Park

36. Free Water Surface Wetlands Kadlec, R.H. and Knight, R.L, 2008, Treatment Wetlands, CRC Press

37. Horizontal Subsurface Flow Kadlec, R.H. and Knight, R.L, 2008, Treatment Wetlands, CRC Press

38. Stranahan Arboretum Mesocosms

39. Stranahan Arboretum Lysimeters

40. Vertical Flow Wetlands Kadlec, R.H. and Knight, R.L, 2008, Treatment Wetlands, CRC Press

41. Summary • We are facing increasing pressures: • Energy, Water, Materials, Food • Nature has already “figured out” how to avoid these problems • Look to nature as a teacher/role model • Use ecological design principles to inspire engineering projects

42. Acknowledgements • Slide #4 www.wisebread.com/hitching-a-ride-on-an-airplane • Slide #5 http://estrip.org/elmwood/users/matthew/images/1105/burr3857.jpg http://www.kidsgardening.com/2005.kids.garden.news/may/burrs.jpg • Slide #6 Benyus, Janine. 1997. Biomimicry: Innovations Inspired by Nature. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. New York, NY, 320 pp. • Slide #8 http://www.marykayemusic.com/images/Illustrations/BigBadWolf.jpg • Slide #9 http://greenasathistle.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/forks.jpg • Slide #12http://www.stpatricksguild.com/prodimg/401530.JPG • Slide #14 http://www.leopardgeckoguide.com/wp-content/gallery/geckos/gecko-feet.jpg • Slide #15 http://earthfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/whale-bump.jpg, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707222315.htm www.animals.nationalgeographic.com • Slide#16 http://www.bioteams.com/images/nature_as_desig.jpg • Slide #17 http://www.dancewithshadows.com/auto/mercedes-benz-bionic-car-gallery.asp • Slide #18 http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/12/10/building-modelled-on-termites-eastgate-centre-in-zimbabwe/

43. Acknowledgements (cont’d) • Slide #19 http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Seashell-on-Beach-Posters_i1100827_.htm http://www.virginpacificwater.com/whole_pipe_op_800x786.jpg • Slide #20 UN Environmental Program http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=535&ArticleID=5816&l=en • Slide #21 http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1107/1435241752_a20d75347f.jpg?v=0 http://www.aerosil.com/pub/NR/rdonlyres/65199EEB-DD68-422A-A27F-F91AF82BA85E/0/lotuseffect0005.jpg Lotus Effect:http://biodsign.wordpress.com/2008/08/27/lotus-effect-efecto-lotus/ • Slide #24 http://www.tc.umn.edu/~gambl007/geckos/gekko_gecko_mo2.jpg http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/04/biomimetics/tom-muellertext/8