What in the World is Biomimimcry?!

 

 

This week in class we learned about a neat concept called biomimicry. "What is biomimicry?" Well I'm glad you asked! Biomimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature's time-tested patterns and strategies. The concept behind this idea is that we as humans begin to learn from nature, which has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Its actually very very cool. There are some very cool new inventions and innovations that many companies have made based on this concept. Essentially, biomimicry helps kill two birds with one stone. It not only solves your problem, but it also encourages sustainability and aspires people to work towards a cleaner world.

So after learning about this amazing concept, I decided to see what other companies were involved with these kinds of innovations. I didn't really think there would be too many out there, especially bigger companies, who were more focused on making money than the environment. But to my surprise, one of the first and most recent companies that came up was Ford. Yeah that big car company in Michigan who pretty much went bankrupt a few years ago. Apparently, they have been very familiar with biomimicry, and for the past decade have been looking towards finding more nature-inspired technologies, with recent successes in yarn production for seating materials and headliners. Currently, one of their challenges for vehicle production sustainability is "glue used to adhere foams to plastics and metals can make disassembling parts for recycling nearly impossible." So what Ford decided to do was take a look at the amazing gecko for some inspiration. "The company explained that the lizard’s toe pads allow it to stick to most surfaces without liquids or surface tension. The reptile can then easily release itself, leaving no residue." And according to Debbie Mielewski, Ford senior technical leader for plastics and sustainability research, the gecko could inspire a host of adhesive innovations for global applications at Ford.

Pretty cool stuff huh? I would have never thought that a company like Ford would ever even consider applying biomimicry to their product design. I think that more and more companies are starting to discover the true power and inspiration of nature. In my opinion I honestly think that this is the future of product design, and that if more companies like Ford would invest in these kinds of innovations, the world would be much much more cleaner. But hey don't take my word for it, take it from the great Steve Jobs who said, "I think the biggest innovations of the 21st century will be at the intersection of biology and technology. A new era is beginning." You believe me now?

http://waste-management-world.com/a/ford-looks-to-make-its-cars-easier-to-recycle-with-gecko-inspired-adhesive

We Need to Learn the Right METHOD

So this week in our sustainability class we learned about a very interesting company called Method. Method manufacturers soap products, but not just any ordinary soap (well kind of). Method prides itself on offering the "greenist" product on the market. But what do I mean when I say the "greenist" product on the market? Well, it pretty much means that every single step, from materials to the production process is done with sustainability in mind. I had heard about Method before and thought they had a great product, but I never really knew how truly sustainable they really were. So I decided to do a little more background research not the company and what they were up to.

Back in April, Method built a new production facility just outside of Chicago in a city called Pullman. But let me tell ya, this wasn't just any ordinary facility. First, lets start from the outside, which has a 23 story wind turbine, aided by two rotating solar panels next to the parking lot, which cover over 40% of electricity costs. On top of the building they have built a 75,000 square foot greenhouse that will produce over 1 million of produce a year. Sounds pretty crazy huh? But its true! To top that off, for the first time, Method has bottle and soap production and distribution in one place, reducing transportation costs significantly.

So after reading this article, it really gave me hope that more companies would follow in Method footsteps, and understand that they could be doing good for themselves while at the same time doing good for the environment. It was really amazing to see how one company could make such a huge impact.

Link: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-confidential-method-soap-0429-biz-20150428-column.html

Update on EF Reduction Goals:
So far so good. I think I've been doing really good in terms of following my goals. I didn't make my goals too difficult, because I wanted to make sure they were realistic. I'm going to test our electricity bill for this month and compare it to the next month in hopes of seeing some type of reduction. I've been trying to eat all organic meat as well. I've also decided to add another goal, which was to not eat meat once a week, which I think I could easily accomplish.

Green Washing

 

The article that I decided to write my current event this week was title, "The VW Scandal Is a Wake Up Call for Every Company." Early this week in class someone mentioned something about Volkswagen, and the huge scandal surrounded around the company but we never went in detail about it. So, since I am somewhat of a car fanatic, I decided to do a little research for myself and see what was going on. Basically, without getting into too much detail, Volkswagon has always been known for providing one of the best diesel powered cars on the market. They not only got amazing gas mileage, but they were also marketed as being "better" for the environment in terms of emissions. And Volkswagen made sure to market it that way as well, that is why they are in big trouble. Anyways, what happened was that an independent company decided to do some research on their own and see just how "green" their diesel vehicles actually were. What they found out was that the cars had chips in them that would essentially "dupe" the emissions test, and in reality emit over 40 percent more nitrogen oxide pollutant than the regulated amount in the U.S. Yeah 40%! How crazy is that?

But that's exactly what I want to talk about. The concept that I'm here to talk about is "green washing." Yes, VW is screwed, BUT what is even more important to take away from this scandal is the effect it will have on large corporations. I am almost more than certain that Volkswagen isn't the only company who has been tricking consumers into buying their product that supposedly is "greener" than their competitors, when in reality its just as bad or worse. On top of that, now its going to make an already skeptical consumer base even harder to convince that their claims are more than just a marketing ploy. In a way in kind of sucks that some of these large corporations are taking advantage of people's beliefs, and are almost in a sense taking away their right to do something good for the environment. So yes, there are people that will try to trick, but I still think its important to keep on trying to make our world a better place, and like I always say, "Soon those people will get what they deserve!" Just look at Volkswagen hehe. Anyways, hope you liked my current event, and just remember stay green my friends!

Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/john-izzo/vw-scandal-a-wake-up-call_b_8287448.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34324772

Current Event - Sony Pictures

Sony Pictures "Picture This Campaign"

Earlier this quarter my professor mentioned that one of the options we had for group projects was E-Waste, or electronics recycling. This got me interested in the subject, especially when my teacher mentioned that Sony Electronics had been doing a very poor job of offering their customers different options to recycle their old electronics. So to my surprise, one of the first article I found when I googled Sony was an article on their new "Green" campaign names "Picture This." 

The article is actually pretty interesting, and I think the concept is brilliant. Sony is using their multitude amounts of media channels to broadcast their new campaign. The article states, "A new environmental campaign from Sony Pictures Television Networks will help promote conservation and preservation issues across the globe, and in the United States these efforts will focus on the needs of our iconic National Parks." I think that its great that such a huge conglomerate has pulled together their resources, and make a stand against important environmental issues surrounding our world today. My only question is, why aren't they addressing the issue of e-waste? Now I did do a little research, and although they do have a recycling program, they're not doing a very good job of promoting it. I honestly didn't even know it was such an issue until my roommate told me about it just last year. 

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so negative. What Sony has decided to do is great, but I just think they also need to make the issue of E-Waste a little more apparent to their consumers. Overall, I think the campaign makes a lot of sense, and allows people to say that big corporations are starting to take initiatives on being more environmentally friendly. Heck, it might even convince people to start doing something themselves to fix the problem. I just think they are shying away from the fact that they themselves could be helping their consumers in the fight against E-Waste by telling their customers about the issue. Maybe they could have just added a little scene in their at they end saying something like, "You can help us by making sure you recycle your old electronics and we'll make sure to recycle them properly." I don't something like that. Anyways, take a look at the campaign yourself and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

Sony Picture This Commercial

Source: http://cleantechnica.com/2015/09/30/sony-pictures-promotes-national-parks-with-picture-this-environmental-campaign/