Recently in Biomimicry Category

Chemicals used in wood preservation are coming under environmental and health related attacks and new approaches for a greener chemical approach are underway.

The US Department of Agriculture carries on extensive research about wood -- how to grow it, how to engineer it to conserve it, and how to protect it over the lifetime of the building or application -- and what happens to the chemicals infused into the wood after the used wood is discarded in landfills. The Forest Products Laboratory is the research arm of the USDA that tests wood, wood products, and the chemicals used in wood for construction purposes.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded the Central Coast Vineyard Team with the agency's Sustained Excellence in Integrated Pest Management Award for its continued efforts in pest management.

Since joining the EPA's Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program in 2002, the vineyard team has certified many vineyards with its Sustainability in Practice (SIP) program. SIP requires vineyards to provide documentation and whole farm system management integration. Some SIP certified vineyards along California's Central Coast include Baileyana-Tangent, D'Anbino Vineyards and Cellars, Halter Ranch, Jackson Family Wine Estates. Pomar Junction Vineyard, Robert Hall Winery, Saucelito Canyon Vineyards & Winery, Paraiso Vineyards, Hahn Estates, and Ampelos Cellars.

CCVT has been dedicated to reducing its pesticide and herbicide use through techniques such as:

• new independently audited certification programs that require whole farm management and prohibit the use of high risk materials;
• a whole-farm approach to vineyard management;
• adoption of biologically-integrated farming systems;
• striving toward eliminating organophosphate use in projects exploring low risk herbicides, mechanical cultivation, and managed vegetative cover as alternative to simazine; and
• continued research to learn more about alternative, reduced-risk practices and the grower-to-grower approach to share the information

Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program

The EPA's voluntary Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program partners with pesticide users to reduce the health and environmental risks associated with pesticide use and implement pollution prevention strategies. PESP was established with 10 charter partners in 1994. Currently, there are more than 130 members nationwide. For more information on the EPA's Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program, see: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/index.htm

Design firm Perkins+Will Introduces Precautionary List Examining Chemicals and Building Materials

"There is an ever increasing focus in the green building movement on the relationship between humans and the built environment," notes Peter Syrett, AIA, LEED AP™ of Perkins+Will and one of the creators of the Precautionary List. "There are thousands of chemicals used in a building and only a small percentage have been tested. We created the Precautionary List to advocate for alternative building products and advocate care when using products that have identified chemical hazards."

One example from the list is mercury, a known neurotoxin that can be found in HVAC controls, lamps, resilient floors and thermostats. The precautionary list showcases mechanical controls without mercury systems, different flooring systems, mercury-free lamp alternatives and encourages builders to pursue, advocate and specify for these alternatives when reasonable.

The entire Perkins+Will Precautionary List is online at http://transparency.perkinswill.com/

Learning FROM the natural world is not the same as learning ABOUT the natural world. Janine Benyus brings us new insights about solving problems by taking the genius of the natural world and learning processes...not just mimicing or domesticating nature. Life adds "information" to matter and gives it structure for functionality. Life doesn't deal with "things" divorced from functionality. Biological and business challenges are looking at nature to get us through stymied challenges.