Ecocentricity Blog: Dreaming Big

What if they’re successful beyond our wildest dreams?

I’m talking about the teams in the latest cohort of the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge. You can read more about the Ray of Hope Prize® winner and our time out at Bioneers in our press release here, but in this post I want to reflect on all of the teams and the potential impact they could have.

Let’s start with B-All out of Colombia. If they’re wildly successful, they’ll pioneer a solution for providing balanced nutrition to communities impacted by disasters, all without generating waste. You know how an apple comes pre-packaged with its own protective, edible coating? What if we packaged entire meals in the same way, with a business model geared towards making them available to communities in crisis?

Evolution’s Solutions is working in San Diego to create ANSA (the Autonomous Nutrient Supply Alternative). They want to make organic farming practices easy and reliable for hydroponic systems, most of which currently use synthetic (fossil-fuel based) nutrient supplies. If they’re wildly successful, they’ll unlock organics for hydroponics, which could be a game-changer in shifting our agricultural sector away from current and harmful industrial practices.

NexLoop, based in New York City, is trying to capture and store water from rain and fog, making it accessible for urban agricultural purposes. If they’re wildly successful, passive water capture and storage will be fully integrated into our built environment and usable for a wide range of purposes. Nature is an expert in capturing nearby water. Why don’t we ask the same of our buildings?