One of the benefits of our times – is having an encyclopedia of information in my back pocket. OK, you might say ” Whoa – you must be addicted to your smart phone.”
I say, “I’ll admit – I’m addicted to Plants… but I look at my Smart phone as helping me to learn to take breaks… or taking breaks to learn!”
So sometimes, when not observing nature, I tap into TED Talks… – how wonderful to be able to learn from some of the most thoughtful minds of our times – while taking a break out in the garden…
If we pay attention to nature, we look at things differently, ask questions and solve problems by studying nature for ideas that’s biomimicry.
For instance I have studied solar power for years and advances seem to move slowly in making affordable solutions.
The latest direction, instead of costly panels & systems, by some clever smarty pants – is looking to the wings of butterflies which are miniature solar panels. Grad students at the University of North Carolina are working on using the polymers that mimic color and solar voltaic properties in butterfly wings. Hope is that in the near future, we will be able to purchase a can of polymer paint to paint our roofs and collect the energy of the sun using nano technology which is then stored in batteries – to use or sell back to the grid. How exciting is that?
This Ted Talk by Allan Savory is so hopeful on so many levels – global warming, water, food production & sustainability. By observing nature and the symbiotic relationship between plants and herds we have a hopeful vision of the future.
Enjoy – living the EntwinedLife
Jayme B
NC Certified Environmental Educator
