1. Sustainable Development through Biologically-based Systems Richard White Environmental Science and Policy Program Smith College May 23, 2003

2. Sustainable Development: meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Economic — steady flow of goods & services Environmental — stable resource base Social — equitable sharing of wealth

3. “We must stop expecting the earth to produce more, but start doing more with what the earth produces.” “Humankind is the only species on the planet capable of generating waste no one wants.” Gunter Pauli, Upsizing

4. ZERI: Zero Emissions Research & Initiatives ZERI is a practical approach to satisfying humanity's needs for water, food, energy, jobs, shelter and more, in an environmentally sustainable manner, by applying science and technology and involving government, business and academia.

5. ZERI: Zero Emissions Research & Initiatives Zero Emissions: eliminating the concept of waste Research: discovering novel and environmentally sound ways to use presently wasted material, capital, and human resources to meet critical human needs for water, food, health care, shelter, energy, and jobs Initiatives: applying these ideas in real-world projects on 5 continents

6. Biologically-based Systems Meet people’s needs starting with local resources and co-evolving with nature Treat waste as a business opportunity (“food”) Use all the kingdoms of nature (pathogens that afflict one kingdom do not damage others) Build and optimize systems that reduce/eliminate waste with value-added and new jobs at each step

7. ZERI Origins: Gunter Pauli Founder & Director of ZERI Foundation (Geneva, 1996) Economist & Entrepreneur: former president and CEO of ECOVER Author of 7 books, including Upsizing: The Road to Zero Emissions (1998) Recipient of numerous environmental and business awards

8. Developing Country Example: Coffee Farm in Colombia Problem: coffee prices don’t compensate production costs Opportunity: coffee cherries comprise just 3% of the plant biomass; brewed coffee has less than 0.3%

9. Developing Country Example: Coffee Farm in Colombia Mushrooms grown on coffee waste increase food supply Spent mushroom substrate expands and improves feed for domestic animals Biodigesting animal wastes creates biogas and nutrient rich wastewater The ecosystem provides still other options; all add value and stability

11. Developed Country Example: Recycled Cement Plant in Sweden

12. InputsOutputs Abandoned cement plant — brownfield Municipal Waste ZERI technology Enhanced recycling Biogas heating Organic compost for agriculture & forestry Organic produce Site remediation 75% waste reduction Jobs Profits

13. Universal Example: Breweries Wildwood Ecobrewery Project, Missoula, MT Breweries adopting ZERI principles now operate in Namibia, Canada, and Japan. Brewing typically produces 5-10 times more waste water than beer. Likewise, brewing uses only about 10% of the grain biomass, leaving nutrient- (and fiber)-rich residues. Used as animal feed, they lead to excessive flatulance and contribute to global warming.

16. Spent Grains BreweryMushroomsEarthworms Biodigester Sales product Agriculture

17. Biodigester Stream Brewery Biodigester Algae pond Fish Pond Spent Grain Biogas Sales Products Agriculture

18. Preliminary Cash Flow Estimates

19. Lessons for Sustainability In systems, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts and the waste can vanish Clusters of industries are diverse: robust and profitable Using waste as “food” produces more income, more jobs, and less pollution

20. Cleaner production, 3R, industrial ecology, industrial metabolism, eco-efficiency, factor 4/10 are all great first steps. What the world needs is a clear final vision: zero accidents, zero defects, zero conflicts, zero waste, zero emissions, nothing wasted, everything used. Comparison with Other Movements

21. Further Information www.zeri.org ZERI Training: three 4-day modules, September and December, 2003, and March, 2004, in Santa Fe, NM. Application deadline is June 2, 2003. For further information, contact Taylor@zeri.org.Taylor@zeri.org Subsequent Training: March, June, and September, 2004.