BIOMIMICRY

- OCEAN VIEW -

OUR CHALLENGE TO BIOLOGY

How does nature create conditions for information exchange, resource exchange and abundance?

An ecosystem is a community of organisms such as microbes, plants, insects, birds and animals that interact with one another. These organisms depend on one another to reproduce, survive, and thrive. For example, a beaver builds a dam across a river, and plants grow on the riverbank on either side of the dam. The dam protects plants from strong winds and floods. The plants also protect the beaver from predators.
Furthermore, the beaver helps the plants as it builds a lodge on the bank where it stores food. The lodge provides shelter for some birds which feed on insects. In some cases, the plants attract insects that feed on nectar. In turn, the insects attract birds that feed on the insects. All these plants and animals provide a home to a number of insects which feed on the plants and on one another. These insects excrete waste which collects at the base of the plants and helps to fertilize the plants. The dead trees are used as food by insects, birds and other animals. In more complex ecosystems, there are also larger animals which feed on both plants and insects. In return, these larger animals help to distribute the seeds of the plants far and wide.
The beaver is considered as a keystone species, whose presence allows for information and resource exchange that create abundance for the entire ecosystem. It has the power to change the landscape, creating large ponds that are full of life; they contain fish, frogs, insects, and birds. By ensuring the conditions for the survival of keystone species, benefits can cascade to the ecosystem and keep it balanced. The beaver keeps water flowing, aerating the water and making the ecosystem suitable for other organisms. The plants, insects and birds help in maintaining the balance of nature by spreading their seeds and acting as natural pesticides. A thriving ecosystem is a perfect example of abundance. The insects are preyed on by birds. The cycle goes on. As the trees are cut, the other trees are left to grow. This then acts as the food source for the other animals. This is how the ecosystem works.

An ecosystem is a community of organisms such as microbes, plants, insects, birds and animals that interact with one another. These organisms depend on one another to reproduce, survive, and thrive. For example, a beaver builds a dam across a river, and plants grow on the riverbank on either side of the dam. The dam protects plants from strong winds and floods. The plants also protect the beaver from predators.

Furthermore, the beaver helps the plants as it builds a lodge on the bank where it stores food. The lodge provides shelter for some birds which feed on insects. In some cases, the plants attract insects that feed on nectar. In turn, the insects attract birds that feed on the insects. All these plants and animals provide a home to a number of insects which feed on the plants and on one another. These insects excrete waste which collects at the base of the plants and helps to fertilize the plants. The dead trees are used as food by insects, birds and other animals. In more complex ecosystems, there are also larger animals which feed on both plants and insects. In return, these larger animals help to distribute the seeds of the plants far and wide.

The beaver is considered a keystone species, whose presence allows for information and resource exchange that creates abundance for the entire ecosystem. It has the power to change the landscape, creating large ponds that are full of life; they contain fish, frogs, insects, and birds. By ensuring conditions for the survival of keystone species, benefits cascade to the ecosystem and keep it balanced. The beaver keeps water flowing, aerating the water and making the ecosystem suitable for other organisms. The plants, insects and birds help in maintaining the balance of nature by spreading their seeds and acting as natural pesticides. A thriving ecosystem is a perfect example of abundance. Insects are preyed on by birds. The cycle goes on. As trees are cut, other trees are left to grow. This acts as a food source for other animals. This is how the ecosystem works.

INNOVATIONS

Red Peppers, Garlic and other vegetables on a wooden table

Agri-Produce

Bikers distributing agri-produce to points of sale and homes based on online orders

Button
A lady with a cardboard package

Wi-Fi In A Box

Bikers deliver and update Wi-Fi in a box to areas beyond the Wi-Fi radius
Someone shoveling compost into an orange container

Recycle Waste

Organic Waste is recycled and coordinated via an App to supply farmers who need it
A CCTV camera placed amongst vegetation on the side of a building

Surveillance

Wi-Fi enabled surveillance to mitigate theft of farm produce
A young woman looking at a mobile phone with a laptop on her lap.
A young man with glasses studying at a desk with books piled next to him
Solar panels on a green grassy bank with a blue sky above

Solar Panels

Use elevated solar panels and grow vegetables underneath to optimise limited land
Hands holding a brown rolling pin and pressing down on pastry

Tourism App

Tourists visiting Ocean View either share skills with the community or come to sample local farm produce and learn how to cook local recipes in the farm restaurants.
An image of gum boots and of a hoe tilling brown soil
An image of beautiful white spray on ocean waves coming into shore

Energy

Use wind and tidal energy
An image of a child sitting at a table eating from a plate of food

Parent Credits

Unemployed parents work part-time at farms so kids don't pay for school feeding. Credits coordinated via an App.

APPLICABLE LIFE'S PRINCIPLES

Ocean View Design Thinking Workshop Life's Principles image showing relevant applied principles

OCEAN VIEW

Applicable Life's Principles for Information and Resource Exchange Innovations

OUR NEXT CHALLENGE TO BIOLOGY

How does nature harness free energy?

Fish swim in groups so they can protect themselves from predators and to save energy. As fish swim, they shed tiny vortices. When swimming in large schools, the individual fish transfer energy to one another with these vortices, lowering the collective energy costs of swimming. Scientists at Caltech discovered that wind turbines arranged in proximity to interact with their neighbours are more efficient than those operating individually. Furthermore, the wind direction does not matter. Inspired by the way fish can reduce the energetic loss by swimming in a school, vertical axis wind turbines are placed close together so that individual turbines can capture downstream airflow produced by neighbouring turbines. This configuration of the array of turbines reduces the total area needed for the turbines while increasing energy output by up to 10-fold.

INNOVATIONS

An animated GIF showing vertical axis wind turbines off shore

WIND ENERGY

Develop vertical axis wind turbines that can harvest wind energy from any direction in a small wind farm.

Button

APPLICABLE LIFE'S PRINCIPLES

Ocean View Design Thinking Workshop Life's Principles image showing relevant applied principles

OCEAN VIEW

Applicable Life's Principles for vertical axis wind turbines

OUR NEXT CHALLENGE TO BIOLOGY

How does nature manage locally available resources?

In nature everything is compliant with “Green Business” approaches. In fact, the concept of waste is a human construct as in nature you are either someone’s food or resource.
What humans consider a waste by-product, in nature is still a valuable raw material for the organism in the food or value chain. Humans can also relook at their current waste products and investigate how they can be valorised.
Furthermore, in nature the same resource typically can be used for multiple purposes. For example, spiders are able to vary the properties of the silks they produce depending on the variety of tasks for which it is to be used. What if we imagined multiple uses of the same product or resource?
Kelp, commonly known as seaweed, is a large, leafy marine algae that grows underwater. It often grows in dense beds along the coast in shallow water and can grow up to one metre a day under ideal conditions. Kelp can be sustainably harvested and used for multiple purposes. It is a sea vegetable that is highly nutritious and full of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Explainer videos on different use cases can be made and downloaded from the local intranet.

In nature everything is compliant with “Green Business” approaches. In fact, the concept of waste is a human construct as in nature you are either someone’s food or resource.

What humans consider a waste by-product, in nature is still a valuable raw material for the organism in the food or value chain. Humans can also relook at their current waste products and investigate how they can be valorised.

Furthermore, in nature the same resource typically can be used for multiple purposes. For example, spiders are able to vary the properties of the silks they produce depending on the variety of tasks for which it is to be used. What if we imagined multiple uses of the same product or resource?

Kelp, commonly known as seaweed, is a large, leafy marine algae that grows underwater. It often grows in dense beds along the coast in shallow water and can grow up to one metre a day under ideal conditions. Kelp can be sustainably harvested and used for multiple purposes. It is a sea vegetable that is highly nutritious and full of minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. Explainer videos on different use cases can be made and downloaded from the local intranet.

INNOVATIONS

A school of fish in Turquoise waters
Female hands packaging a parcel in brown paper

Packaging

Kelp as a component in packaging products that need to be wrapped and protected

Button
A jar of jam or chutney on a table with a croissant

Food Flavouring

Kelp as a food flavouring with it's unique and distinct smell and taste
A female hand holding a thermometer next to a baby

Well Being

Kelp can be used as an ingredient in the manufacture of cosmetics and shampoos, and many other different products including toothpaste and hand sanitizers
A hand trowel piled with dark brown compost above a container
Rolls of brown packaging paper in a green cubicle

APPLICABLE LIFE'S PRINCIPLES

Ocean View Design Thinking Workshop Life's Principles image showing relevant applied principles

OCEAN VIEW

Applicable Life's Principles for fish scale and kelp innovations

How does nature create conditions for information exchange, resource exchange and abundance?