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Biomimicry Institute, Autodesk Announce World's First Database of Nature-Inspired Design Strategies

Imagine if buildings were as self-sufficient as living organisms: if they could gather water, filter air, and adapt to local climate conditions. Imagine if the natural world could teach us everything we need to know about sustainable, efficient design.

AskNature.org

Now for the first time, a new online database called AskNature.org will bring nature's best design ideas to design tables around the world. The new project, created by the Biomimicry Institute and sponsored by Autodesk, was announced on Nov. 21 at the Greenbuild 2008 conference in Boston.

AskNature.org is a free, public-domain online library of nature's best design ideas, organized by function and explained with illustrations and in language relevant to designers.

AskNature.org is a project of the Biomimicry Institute, founded by Janine Benyus, the renowned author of the book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. AskNature.org is collaborating with the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History and E.O. Wilson's Encyclopedia of Life as a source of data for the portal.

The portal explains in nontechnical language and enhanced with illustrations to explain how things work. The portal helps architects, designers, and engineers access and understand sustainable design concepts so they can use them in their own products and projects.

Biomimetic Information

Autodesk believes that biomimicry, as a design paradigm, can provide our customers with design intelligence to help them make smarter design decisions - whether they are designing a building, a train, a shoe or a city. Looking ahead, Autodesk's goal is to make biomimetic information accessible to a wide range of users globally. Autodesk product teams are investigating technology intersections, including those with the Autodesk® Seek web service, which has already made select biomimetic products available to designers.

Architects, designers and innovators can use this resource to study life's approaches to sustainable design--for example, how butterflies create pigment-free color, or how plants split water to release hydrogen.

"The core idea is that there is no need to reinvent the wheel. After 3.8 billion years of evolution, nature has already found the solutions to the sustainability challenges humans face," said Janine Benyus, founder of the non-profit Biomimicry Institute and author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.

AskNature.org--part search engine, part social network--is a place where biologists and innovators can meet, exchange information and design together.  The site also has a feature called "Thank a Genius," which encourages the investment of a portion of profits derived from bio-inspired innovations to go toward preserving the organisms and ecosystems that inspired the breakthrough.

AskNature.org is sponsored by Autodesk, a world leader in design innovation technology. With a user base of 9 million architects, designers and engineers around the world, Autodesk sees biomimicry as a revolutionary design concept that can help influence better design decisions.

A growing number of businesses are using biomimicry to solve their design challenges. As one example, the architectural firm HOK is planning a community development in India that seeks to mimic tree roots with its foundation structure, as a way to deal with soil stability problems. They are also designing roofs that shed water during monsoon season and also store water for use in the drought season--just like trees do in that environment. 

Biomimicry at Greenbuild 2008

Janine Benyus, along with renowned Harvard biologist E. O. Wilson  announce the launch of AskNature.org. on November 21, 2009.  Wilson's Encyclopedia of Life is integrated with the AskNature.org database.

For more information about the Biomimicry Institute: www.biomimicryinstitute.org.

For more information about Autodesk's role: www.autodesk.com/biomimicry

One of the main killers of productivity faced by today's workers is the Sick Building Syndrome.
 
The US Environmental Protection Agency defines the term "Sick Building Syndrome" (SBS) as situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified.
 
With 30% of U.S. workers suffering from health problems caused by Sick Building Syndrome, companies are vastly underusing their human assets and underestimating the benefits of switching to green cleaning. With the same effectiveness as traditional cleaning, and little or no cost increase, the return on investment for switching to green cleaning is immense.

Bacteria such as Leginella pneumophila can easily multiply in an office and lead to workers suffering from pneumonia or even Pontiac fever. Pontiac fever is marked by fever, chills, headaches and body aches. These bacteria can grow in the office air ventilation system without your knowledge.
 
Victims of Sick Office Syndrome suffer from a broad range of symptoms such as chronic fatigue, nausea, vision problems and memory loss. Their immune and detoxification systems start to malfunction causing them to suffer from more illnesses and long term effects due to prolonged exposure to harmful bacteria.
 
Sick Building Syndrome can be detrimental towards a company's profitability because workers will not be performing at their optimal level and may spend many days away on sick leave. In this competitive world of ours, more businesses are realizing that a clean workplace is a strategic business tool. It is very important to protect their most valuable assets--their employees.
 
How to prevent your workers from suffering from this unproductive syndrome? The answer is very simple, switch to green cleaning your office. What are the advantages of green cleaning?
 
Green cleaning can:
- Improve indoor air quality
- Provide healthier facilities for workers
- Increase  worker productivity and reduce the number of days that they have to call in sick.
- Improve morale and keep workers thinking positively
- Minimize the possibility of exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals
- Reduce water and air pollution with biodegradable, nontoxic products
- Improve the overall environment with best practices in cleaning and janitorial practices
- Lower operational costs by reducing mold, mildew and accumulation of dust, etc.
 
It is becoming easier to engage the services of a green certified janitorial cleaning company. By using the right equipment and environmentally friendly cleaning products, business and facility managers can be assured that their work environment is cleaner and greener.

The Clean Green Institute certifies companies and individual technicians in green cleaning strategies that include not only the cleaning solutions that prevent toxicity, but strategies and techniques to improve indoor air quality, reduce wasted water, and reduce problems such as mold and mildew from accumulating due to inadequate cleaning, sunshine and ventilation.

Practice Greenhealth is the nation's leading membership and networking organization for institutions in the healthcare community that have made a commitment to sustainable, eco-friendly practices. Members include hospitals, healthcare systems, businesses and other stakeholders engaged in the greening of healthcare to improve the health of patients, staff and the environment.

Learn the easy way, with Webinars from Greenhealth

Some samples of Greenhealth webinars for healthcare professional development include:

• Getting Started with Practice Greenhealth
• Design & Construction Series: Innovations in Energy Demand Reduction
• Greening Operations Series - Blue Wrap Recycling: From Dream to Reality in Less Than a Year

Teleosis also offers the "Leadership in Green Health Care Program"

This Interactive Course trains health professionals for the Green Economy. "Leadership in Green Health Care" is an online training program for health professionals who want to promote sustainability and protect our limited environmental resources. Course materials provide strategies that inspire environmental action in communities and workplaces. Register online at www.teleosis.org

Additional resources includ:

Energy Impact Calculator

This tool calculates the health impacts of a facility's energy use.

Greenhealth Tracker™ 

The environmental data tracking tool that helps you manage your waste.

Practice Greenhealth Forums

A place to ask questions, post articles, network with other members, and expand your knowledge.