Peakinsight Newsletter (Number 3)
Peakinsight News, Fall 2005 (Number 3)*******************************************
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Peakinsight News, Fall 2005 (Number 3)
IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Highlights of the 4th U.S. ZERI Certification Training
2) Upcoming events
3) Hot off the press
4) Quotes to spark imagination and action
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1) Highlights of the 4th U.S. ZERI Certification Training (by Carol Stoner)
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Introduction:
The 4th U.S. ZERI Certification Training was held in Durango, Colorado earlier this year. The training course consisted of 3 modules of 4 days each, with a 2 month break between each module. These breaks allowed participants to not only absorb the information they were exposed to, but also to research and complete homework assignments. ZERI graduates Katherine Holt and Dick White helped with the instruction and course organization. Gunter Pauli, ZERI founder, led the participants through each training module.
Training participants included people from across the spectrum - consultants in sustainability-related enterprises and sciences, leadership consultants, non-profit representatives, a healthcare worker, a graduate student, a corporate executive, federal government employees, (including one retired physicist who felt compelled to start some serious agitation for change), permaculture and organic farmers, brewers, educators and local business owners.
ZERI Roots:
The training opened with a discussion about ZERI's roots and evolution. Gunter talked about how his thoughts and direction were influenced by events like the Rio Summit and exposure to various world leaders and thinkers. He was inspired to found ZERI and share these learnings and principles worldwide. ZERI projects around the world were presented as case studies. They were insightful for both the training itself and for imagining our own future projects.
For example:
* In Zimbabwe, the water hyacinth is considered an invasive weed, clogging
the waterways, with no easy means for eradication. ZERI proposed growing
mushrooms on dried water hyacinth substrate. This resulted in a new food
source for growing and hungry populations and a new usefulness for a
previously undesired plant.
* In Italy, a material made of ground and recycled polycarbonate plastics
(the stuff CDs and cell phone cases are made of) is being used to resurface
roads as a test project. This recycled porous asphalt project is actually
being funded by the insurance industry since the porosity of the new surface
prevents hydroplaning and can prevent vehicular accidents.
* In Columbia, bamboo houses are being constructed that are earthquake
resistant and need no air conditioning due to the design of airflows
throughout the home. Bamboo can be harvested in 4 years and provide much
needed affordable housing using a locally available and abundant resource.
* In Hawaii, a spirulina farm has been developed using a new and innovative
concept of saltwater condensation. This cold water agriculture project also
produces 70 different varieties of fruits.
Systems Thinking:
The 5 Kingdoms of Nature and ZERI's 5 Design Principles (based on the efficiency and resilience of natural systems) set the stage for learning the basis of ZERI methodology. In systems, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
This session helped us learn:
* Ecosystems evolve dynamically toward higher productivity and diversity,
involving all Kingdoms.
* Nature knows how to integrate and separate; human systems are
unsustainable if we only focus on how to put things together.
* Each species is at its best in relation with other species from other
kingdoms.
* We need to question the sustainability of products: For example,
biodegradable plastic from corn grown for that purpose is not sustainable.
Plastic from corn waste is sustainable. Both are biodegradable, but both are
not truly sustainable, i.e., biodegradable does not mean sustainable. The
Brundtland definition of sustainability only considered humans - however,
the ZERI methodology considers all 5 kingdoms when thinking about
sustainability.
* To achieve zero emissions, we have to stop only substituting products with
products, processes with processes - we need to substitute systems with
systems.
To illustrate systems thinking, we were exposed to a fascinating case study, both from a business innovation standpoint as well as a financial one. The transformation of the Bedminster cement plant in Sweden served to illustrate ZERI principles in action. Other seemingly unrelated problems with two other industries located nearby were incorporated into a solution that revived not only the cement plant but the other two struggling Swedish industries as well. This case illustrated an incredibly creative use of leverage and was made possible because all three partners were searching for a long-term solution and not just a quick fix.
Dick White presented another case study that further illustrated systems thinking - coffee growing in Columbia. In a ZERI re-design of the current system, the result is:
* Doing more with what nature produces
* Diversifying products and income streams
* Designing and clustering inputs and outputs to create more value
* Providing a local solution to a global crisis
Perhaps the most celebrated and renowned example of a successful integrated system that uses ZERI methodology is located in Las Gaviotas, Columbia. The initial goal was to reforest a denuded area that had once been rainforest but had reverted to savannah. This savannah was reforested with the help of mycorrhizal fungi. After 10 years, this massive reforestation effort resulted in:
* Increased precipitation which generated drinking water
* Creation of new jobs and sustainable communities
* Regeneration of biodiversity
* Generation of carbon sink
Autopoiesis:
Autopoiesis was a difficult concept to tackle, but is a critical component in systems thinking. We were first introduced to this concept in a beautiful way through a dance led by ZERI graduate Amelia Terrapin, a professional dancer and choreographer from Wyoming. Through the dance movement, we were able to visualize and feel what autopoiesis meant, experiencing negative and positive space flows and interconnectivity. A system is defined by relationships, not components. It's only when a system starts creating its own components as a result of its relationships (self-evolving) that the system becomes autopoietic. These systems are at the core of ZERI designs for sustainability. In Fritjof Capra's words, 'Welcome the disturbance."
Education Strategy:
The ZERI education strategy seeks to build bridges between ideas and reality. Gunter exposed us to several ZERI Fables, which teach systems thinking and concepts to children. Pamela Salazar has illustrated the fables in a colorful manner. The fables show respect for local culture and encourage knowing the local ecosystem. The ZERI education strategy focuses on creating positive futures with education in parallel to project implementation.
Refugee Camps:
During the first break, one of our homework assignments was to design a refugee camp using ZERI design principles. Participants presented these
projects on the opening day of module 2. People chose very different locations for their camps; the designs and perspectives were equally
diverse. Course participants had to learn about the location and community chosen - from the resources available to real issues refugee communities were confronting - and how to design a camp using local resources and producing no waste. The U.N. currently has only 1 refugee camp design for the whole world. Perhaps most enlightening in this session was the fact that most refugees are not ever able to return home. We learned that refugees can survive and even flourish through the use of ZERI tools and designs which help them secure their own self-sufficiency.
Science and Technology:
There is a wide variety of innovative new technologies that can be applied to sustainable projects. System-based technologies are emphasized, with technologies aimed at clustering rather than prioritizing only one output.
Gunter stressed the importance of:
* Using a portfolio of technologies - a mix of technologies optimizes the
whole
* Being adaptive - technologies and needs evolve over time
* Working in co-evolution with nature
* Using local technologies blended with international knowledge
* Ensuring that people's unmet needs are always taken into account
Water Science:
A fascinating session included an introduction to water properties and fluid
dynamics and why an understanding of water is so important to
sustainability. Gunter emphasized water surface tension as being the key to
understanding life on earth. The scientists we were exposed to included:
* Masaru Emoto and his work with water crystals.
* Paul Schatz, who developed the oloid, a sort of invertible cube that
generates a tumbling motion, creating rhythmic pulses or harmonic waves. The
oloid offers a wide range of water treatment applications as an agitator in
biotechnologies, and also as a surface aerator which increases biodiversity.
* Viktor Schauberger, a German scientist who studied water flows and
discovered that water flows in what he called a vortex. Based on what he had
seen in nature, he developed a vortex system that can be used to take out
impurities in water by removing dissolved oxygen and thereby preventing the
survival of living organisms. Schauberger also observed how river water
flows in a natural cascading form. By simply mimicking this natural
cascading of water, he designed a natural system to replace conventional
water treatment systems.
Final Projects:
Our final homework assignment was to design a ZERI project that we planned to implement within the next year, based on ZERI design principles and integrating all the pieces we had learned throughout the training. The training provided the tools we needed, gave us an ability to envision our project as a visible system, and served as a trigger to imagine possibilities. Each project was a group project, requiring collaboration to ensure that we followed the ZERI philosophy that "all achieve their dreams without compromise."
The projects included:
* ZERI Durango Business Cluster
* Durango Wastewater Treatment Design
* Sustainable Education Center
* Enabling Innovations Database
* La Boca Center for Sustainability
Some of these projects are already moving forward using some of the ideas
presented in the final projects. Others are still in the concept stage, with
hopes of implementation in the future.
Guest Speakers:
Highlights at this training included the following guest speakers:
* Lynda Taylor, ZERI graduate and co-director of SciZERI New Mexico,
presented updates on their sustainable forestry project in collaboration
with Picuris Pueblo. They have developed a natural wood charcoal and are
growing local edible mushrooms on waste wood from forest thinning. They also
created an animal feed supplement and are doing some native fungi forest
soil restoration.
* Jack Rodgers, Director of Public Works for the City of Durango, provided
information about current wastewater treatment systems in place in Durango.
The information he shared inspired one ZERI team to do their final project
on redesigning the plant using ZERI principles.
* David Schaller, ZERI graduate, did a presentation on looking at community
waste as hidden assets.
* George Chan, a leading ZERI scientist, offered his immense knowledge on
Integrated Farming and Waste Management Systems, demonstrating how we can
get people to use their available natural resources for what's needed,
always including all 5 Kingdoms.
Conclusion:
Participants were exposed to so much new ‘out of the box' thinking that everyone experienced a continuous cycle of stimulate -> absorb ->
stimulate -> absorb -> ...
ZERI is a continuous learning process, always adapting to new ideas, new technologies, new design strategies. And since any ZERI design is based very specifically on the local resources and community, this continual adaptation and renewal is a vital part of the process. Each is unique. Everyone who went through this training will contribute to the larger ZERI community in their own unique ways, as it should be.
For more information about ZERI, visit www.zeri.org.
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2) Upcoming events
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Sustainability Conference Call
November 22, 2005
9:00 - 10:00 MST
Call-in number is 620-782-8200, pin 909909#
Topic: Nike is Quietly Taking Greener Steps
People Changing Their World 2006: Innovation for Sustainability
3rd Annual Peakinsight Conference
June 14-17, 2006 in Durango, Colorado
This conference is designed for people who are moving organizations onto a more sustainable path. It will showcase efforts to foster innovation in leading change to sustainability. For more information, send email to conference@peakinsight.com or visit our website.
CERTIFICATION for Innovation Coaches
June 19-21, 2006 in Durango, Colorado
Send email to Katherine@peakinsight.com or call 970-247-1180 for
information.
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3) Hot off the press
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Hart, Stuart L. (2005). Capitalism at the Crossroads. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Wharton School Publishing.
Buy From Amazon.
Pattakos, Alex. (2004). Prisoners of Our Thoughts. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.
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4) Quotes to spark imagination and action
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"Only the ideas that we really live have any value." - Hermann Hesse
"In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences." - Robert Green Ingersoll
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world." - John Muir
"Chaos is a friend of mine" - Bob Dylan
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Contact Information:
katherine@peakinsight.com
Phone: 1-970-247-1180
Copyright 2005 Peakinsight LLC. All rights reserved.
Peakinsight permits reproduction of the contents of the Peakinsight Newsletter for publicity and promotional purposes. Peakinsight(r) and People Changing Their World(r) are registered trademarks of Peakinsight LLC of Durango, Colorado. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither a recommendation nor an endorsement.