Lovely example of biomimicry from Ecovative via Grist:
Usually you do not want fungi in the walls of your home. But Ecovative is building a home in which having fungi in the walls is the entire point. The “Mushroom Tiny House” will use mycelium (the mass of threadlike “roots” that mushrooms use to take in nutrition) for insulation.
According to Inhabitat, this stuff is basically asbestos except that it’s not bad for the planet, won’t give you cancer, and is related to something you might put on a pizza…
If you’re interested in seriously cool sustainability then there’s a book you should read. It’s about more than being good – it’s about reinventing the basic mindsets and models behind the systems that deliver our products and services. “Natural Capitalism” is a big read – and it discusses some exciting strategies for creating the…
We’re skipping winter this year On the first of May 2004, we’re hitching up the campervan, loading up the boat, and heading our 4WD north for 3 months. After a challenging two years that included the death of a parent, we’re planning to skip winter this year. “Oh, aren’t you lucky?” Well, yes and no. Yes,…
In the book “Crossing the Chasm“, marketer Geoffrey Moore proposed that there is a specific challenge in moving innovations from the early adopters (technology enthusiasts and visionaries) out into the broader community – particularly in engaging the early majority ( who are pragmatists). Many innovations never make it across “the chasm” into the broader population, regardless of…
So you’ve got a great idea, and you’ve come up with a proposal that will meet the needs of the people you want to use it. Your work here is done… isn’t it? Well, no – not until you have your invention turned into an adopted practice – that’s the real work of innovation. Your…
It’s great to have a local story to combat “yes – but it’s different here”. A favourite story of ours is that of InterfaceFLOR – a commercial carpet manufacturer making a big difference. So hearing about the case study of Sydney carpet maker Ontera at a workshop last month was great. Ontera has profited significantly from their…
Years ago, I heard a networking expert speak on the difference it made to her business to find her “tribe” – that group of people who understood who she was and where she was coming from. (Instead of having family and friends look at her blankly and say “What?!?!” when she got excited about her…
