Designing for Our Love of Nature

Feb 16, 2016 3:00 PM ET
Campaign: Ecocentricity Blog

Designing for Our Love of Nature

Biophilia. There’s your answer. A method of design in which the connection between humans and the environment is embraced and enhanced, rather than fought against.

I was six years old, so you’ll have to forgive the fact that I can’t name them all off the top of my head. But I’ve definitely heard of them. That isn’t remarkable though, given that (1) I’m a big basketball fan and (2) EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN HAS HEARD OF THESE PEOPLE. Sorry, that was the six-year-old in me typing.

Hang on, let me grab the rolodex (which was definitely still in use back in 1992). Yep, here we go. The roster included Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Clyde Drexler, and Christian Laettner. Fair? Not quite. Aptly named the Dream Team? Most definitely.

That accumulation of talent went on to win the Gold Medal in the Barcelona Olympic Games of 1992, surprising exactly zero people. The closest test was in the Gold Medal match against Croatia, when the Dream Team won by 32 points. Their AVERAGE (sorry, six-year-old me again) margin of victory was 44 points. Dreamy.

Yes, I know I left you wondering last week what we can do to feel more a part of nature rather than apart from nature (wordplay is fun). I’m getting there. First though, I have to explain what Janine Benyus, Bob Fox and Bill Browning have in common.

Read more.

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