Funworld February 2011

Theme parks and attractions are known for their creativity when it comes to addressing environmental issues. Now it’s time to look at mimic king nature for the next step, according to Dr. Dayna Baumeister, cofounder of the Biomimicry Guild, a consultancy that uses its knowledge of biological processes to help designers, engineers, architects, and business leaders solve challenges sustainably.

“Biomimicry is learning from nature’s genius the amazing strategies of survival that have existed for millions and billions of years—to help humans figure out how to live positively on the planet,” says Baumeister. “There are at least 30 million species out there and possibly upwards of 100 million. These are the success stories—the ones who have figured out how to survive and thrive—so why not ask them for advice?”

Montana-based Baumeister has worked with fellow biologist and business partner Janine Benyus since 1998 as an educator, researcher, and design consultant. It was Benyus who first coined the term “biomimicry” in her 1997 book, “Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.” Both believe nature has field-tested solutions to many of the problems businesses face. They have brought that expertise to the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies such as Coca-Cola and General Electric, and clients including NASA, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and Brookfield Zoo. “Knowing that the solutions to issues have already been proven in nature, and that it’s just a matter of us figuring out how to adopt them, offers a lot of hope for people,” says Baumeister.

The burgeoning biomimicry discipline is leading to new designs for products, systems, buildings, and even cities. The Biomimicry Guild has been working with architectural practice HOK since 2008 to find ways of integrating nature’s innovations into the built environment.

A new report commissioned by the San Diego Zoo from the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute at Point Loma Nazarene University describes biomimicry as a “major economic game changer.” The report’s authors estimate in 15 years biomimicry could represent $300 billion annually of the United States’ gross domestic product (GDP). Globally, about $1 trillion of GDP could be affected by biomimicry by 2025.

Two Approaches
Baumeister breaks down the two main approaches that biomimics (the name for researchers working in the field) use: “One we call from biology-to-design,” she says. “It’s when you discover something astonishing in the natural world and go, ‘We’ve got to figure out how to emulate that because there are bound to be applications.’ The work around the gecko, which has an amazing ability to stick to horizontal surfaces, is an example. It uses an intramolecular bond, which is incredibly strong and reusable. Labs all over the world are trying to mimic it; they have created gecko tape prototypes, which they are trying to scale up to be commercially viable.” Velcro is probably the most famous innovation to spring from the biology-to-design approach; Swiss engineer George de Mestral was inspired by mountain thistle flowers to create the hook and loop fastening system.

The second approach—and the one most often used by the Biomimicry Guild and businesses—is challenge to- biology. “Either we see a challenge or somebody has said, ‘Please help us,’” says Baumeister. “First, we get to the root of the challenge and ask, ‘What is it that you’re really trying to do here?’ We ‘biologize’ that question: We ask, ‘How would nature do that?’ Then we begin to look for answers and help people figure out how to implement a solution. We focus not just on the natural form, shape, or pattern that they might emulate, but also on how nature goes about creating that system. We work with them to green the solution all the way to the end, creating an inherently sustainable product.

What Themed Attractions Can Do
“In the case of FUNWORLD’s readers, we’d ask, ‘How do we build, create, and run an amusement park that has no negative impact on the planet?’” Baumeister says. “One of the things we do with clients is a food web workshop, where we show that everything in the natural world is interconnected and interdependent. There are flows of information, energy, nutrients, water, and services, just as there are in an amusement park. The idea is to help clients link all of those loops together in a way that functions as well as the habitat that was there before. In a desert, for example, life doesn’t use water to stay cool because it’s such a scarce resource—it uses a number of other interesting methods. Why not employ those in an amusement park?”

Cacti are a case in point. The plants stay cool thanks to a ribbed design, which provides shade and improves heat radiation—the potential applications for buildings are clear. “The realm of color is another exciting area. Creating color tends to be a fairly toxic process and paints can fade, especially somewhere like a theme park, which is out in the sun,” says Baumeister. “A lot of things in life need to stay brilliantly colored for as long as possible. So nature uses what is called structural color—it’s a way of creating color through a play of light. The brilliant blue that you see on a Morpho butterfly’s wings is due to light and structure, rather than the presence of blue pigment, which means that it’s permanent. There are some manufacturers of structural color paint, Teijin Fibers produces Morphotex fabric, and Qualcomm’s Mirasol displays use structural color. You could have that technology in all kinds of LED displays, and it’s energy efficient.”

Advice for Waterparks
When it comes to water filtration and keeping people safe from bacteria (without the use of biocides), biologists are investigating furanones: “These are coatings that inhibit the ability of bacteria to congregate. If bacteria can’t congregate, they can’t form the biofilms that are so dangerous,” says Baumeister.

Research into aquaporins—the mechanisms by which cells filter what goes in and out—could revolutionize the way we purify water. Danish companies Aquaporin A/S and AquaZ A/S are working to develop commercial membranes based on aquaporins. “In aerodynamics or hydrodynamics, life has a lot to offer us,” says Baumeister. “PAX Scientific has invented a fan that can be used as a propeller, an impeller, or an air fan blade. It emulates the logarithmic spiral that you see in the head of a sunflower, or in the shape of a galaxy. They’re seeing huge improvements in efficiency and they have licensed their flow forms to manufacturers for different applications. They can scale from the size of a pump for a heart valve all the way up to systems for hydroelectric dams. I’d imagine there’s a lot of movement of fluids and air required in an amusement park.” We might even find ourselves swimming through new waterpark attractions inspired by natural spirals in the future.

Resources for Attractions
Attraction operators interested in nature’s solutions—from resilient structures to waste management models—should check out www.asknature.org. Backed by the Biomimicry Guild, it aims to become nature’s patent database, mapping the biological world by function. “It’s full of inspiration and innovation, and a fabulous place to get started,” says Baumeister. “You can ask any question, such as ‘How would nature lubricate?’ and up comes a series of strategies.” Starting in March, the Biomimicry Guild is inviting anyone with an interest in biomimicry to join its Professional Pathways program: “We have an array of courses from hour-long online programs to a professional certification lasting two years,” she says. Otherwise, she adds, “At your next quarterly meeting, get your executives out of the building and go for a walk in the woods with a biologist. Humble down a bit and ask questions: ‘How is life working in this space?’ and even, ‘How is life entertaining itself here?’” Because the biggest chance we have to adapt to the future is to look at nature’s blueprint for the answers, she says.

Juliana Gilling is a specialist attractions journalist. E-mail: julianagilling@gmail.com.