Mimicking ecosystems for productivity at our school GK-12 Global Watersheds Program, Brenda Gail Bergman, 2013

How long has nature been evolving ways to do things like harvest water, store energy, build materials, produce food? Source 2

Asknature.org Example: Plant-inspired solar cells mimic photosynthetic dyes and processes to generate solar energy many times more cheaply than silicon-based photovoltaics, while having the flexibility to be integrated with window panes, building paints or textiles Biomimicry 3

How do we collect water where it is sparse? Example of an organism to learn from: the thorny devil. Collects water in the Australian desert by drawing dew along grooves in its scales which moves to its mouth through capillary action - asknature.org Biomimicry 4

Permaculture: Designing systems to meet basic human needs based on ecosystem mimicry weareallfarmers.org 5

ECOSYSTEM A system that includes all living organisms (biotic factors) in an area and its physical environment (abiotic factors) functioning together as a unit 6

Ecosystems – Are members operating independently? source: 7

Everything is connected to everything else Every function is supported by many elements Every element should serve many functions Just as in natural ecosystems! Key permaculture principles: 8

PERMACULTURE A Beginners Guide, second edition by Graham Burnett 9

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-EPEA Next industrial revolution? Create a world in which everything humans make either returns safely to soil or back to industry forever. Topics you can research to learn more: Reverse logistics, zero waste, biomimicry, cradle to cradle design, extended producer responsibility, take back programs, ewaste 11

shadesofgreeninc.org Permaculture principles 12

13 Some permaculture design principles applicable to the initial, site-level design stage: Observe and interact: By taking time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation. Design from patterns to details: By stepping back, we can observe patterns in nature. These can form the backbone of our designs, with the details filled in as we go. Use small and slow solutions: Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than big ones, making better use of local resources and producing more sustainable outcomes.

Zone 0 – School building. Here we seek to reduce energy and water needs, harness natural resources such as sunlight, and generally create harmony. Zone 1 – This is the area for elements that require the most frequent attention, such as the kitchen compost bin; garden for vegetables, herbs and soft fruit, and greenhouse or hoop house, which need watering, weeding and harvesting etc. Zone 2 – This zone contains the perennial plants that need less frequent maintenance than plants in Zone 1, such as berry bushes, fruit orchards, pumpkins, etc. This could also be a place for beehives or larger compost bins. Zone 3 – This is the farming zone for animal forage systems and crops that require minimal maintenance once established, such as a nut forest, cereal production, poultry system, or even cows, sheep or goats. Zone 4 – This is the semi-wild forest where we can forage wild food and produce timber for firewood, mulch or building. Complementary grazing animals can also share this zone at low density. Zone 5 – This is the indigenous conservation zone where plants native to the region are allowed to regrow into what will become natural forest. There is no human intervention in this zone other than observation of natural ecosystems. 14