Biomimicry & The Blue Economy

[enjoypolo]

Fellow THCs,

Like many listening to this show, I've been trying to shift my attention from the evil deeds of reptiles to trying to harness my potential for making positive change. I love the focus on magic and the mind for manifesting/attracting what you want.

Recently, I've come across the works of this Belgian entrepreneur-polymath Gunter Pauli who has done many work in what's now called The Blue Economy. While the color-scheme may sound like yet another marketing term, the Blue in here really refers to Ocean's exploitation and development with ethics and sustainability. From my understanding, it's similar to the way permaculture works by mimicking Nature's way towards abundance, or also the cyclical economy by using waste as an important capital to re-introduce.
It's all of those elements combined, and put into a responsible and entrepreneurial way.

Examples include:

• Growing fungi (mushrooms) out of coffee ground waste, which would otherwise go to landfill, or at best composting.
• Fly larvae culture on meat-waste from slaughterhouses, and organic wastes from warehouses/restaurants, that can then provide a nutritious (high proteins and minerals), energy-efficient and high-density (not lot of space required to do so) feed for animals, including pigs, cows, chicken and most importantly, fish farms (the latter which is currently fed corn, or smaller fishes contributing to over-exploitation), not to mention cosmetics (oils) and medical applications (larvae saliva is a great antiseptic for burn-wound treatment).
• Paper made out of stones (mining waste material) and plastics (HDPE, milkjugs). Huge savings on trees (none used) and water.

What I like about this is that, as it cliché as it can sound, it requires a fresh-eye to try to understand what resources you have available around you, and finding out the opportunities.

I always think in my head how vortexing water could be useful in any-type of situation.
Things like the mushroom culture using coffee grounds, which you can get for free from any Starbucks Coffee is an amazing project, because it turns any Starbucks (just to name the biggest Coffee store in the world), into a potential gold mine from which to make natural mushrooms from.

I won't bore you with specifics, but rather, I would encourage the curious entrepreneurial-minded folk to check his very last book, available for free Plan A: Transformation of the Argentinian Economy (Full book, PDF).
It's an incredible and ambitious plan to revitalize the economy and people of Argentina by making use of their rich, diverse ecosystem to become not only self-reliant, but also give people meaningful work that works in tandem with our Planet.

Many of his talks are available in French, some in English. If you understand French, I definitely recommend his talks with students where he talks about all the stuff above, including LiFi (Data thru Light).

Gunter Pauli is a fascinating guy which I had my suspicions at start given that he's a self-proclaimed Knight of Malta, worked with the Club of Rome and the World Bank to name just a few keywords that tend to sound alarms in this field.But yet, here's a guy who recognizes the breakthrough of vortex water, and frankly, just for that alone, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

I think we could all use some inspiration in these rather chaotic times. Much peace, and hope this will attract some folks.

Some resources:
112 Cases of Innovating projects:
https://www.theblueeconomy.org/cases-1-to-100.html

Hempcrete: Cannabis to build carbon-negative homes
http://www.americanlimetechnology.com/what-is-hempcrete/

https://www.star2.com/food/food-news/2017/04/08/no-waste-from-growing-mushrooms-this-way/

https://www.amazon.ca/Blue-Economy-..._rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=9T2HRQ95HYNV89Q8RZ0P

 

[enjoypolo]

I'm following up on this thread, because as you can tell, I'm fascinated by these novel solutions that are not just ideas, but have/are been in use for decades in many countries.
Since I'm a coffee lover, I decided to separate my coffee ground waste, and use them as a substrate to grow my experimental mushroom farm (shiitake in my case, although amanitas and other psylocibin varieties would be another milestone, perhaps one day!)
According to Gunter Pauli, one KG of brewed coffee waste can yield up to 100Kg of mushies. I'll keep you updated on the grow-up.

Also, I've talked at lengths about LiFi after I finished his latest book called "LiFi: Communication at the Speed of Light", outlining the history of Li-Fi.

Spoiler: Li-Fi

Fun fact: it was Alexander Graham Bell who originally invented the photophone in 1880 which used the Sun (no LEDs back then) to communicate sound optically. I was shocked to discover that. This was a great fit for me, since I had just finished reading Anadi Martel's book on Light therapy.
So Li-Fi using:
- non-rare earth minerals (phosphorus, which burns out after couple yrs), and thus extend longevity of LED to 25yrs.
- that are rod friendly (for low-light environment; 120million in each eye) as opposed to cones (6million) with circadian-modulation for health.
- UV and/or Infra-red component, which not only is good for skin regeneration, but also is invisible, so that you can have a Li-Fi connection in the "dark".

This may just be my stoner-mind, but I had an insight recently, that Li-Fi may be used to store data in Water. Gerald Pollack talked in his book, 4th phase of water, how water essentially stores energy by light (which would explain photosynthesis). Then there's the whole IC modality which I've referred to, that consists of burning a CD (optical media) with the digitized signal emitted by specific drug; putting that CD under a glass of water, then drinking the water. lo, and behold, the water is impregnated with the data. So I'm naturally thinking that Li-Fi may be able to replicate this without the need for a CD entirely. Conversely, a diode could analyze the optical spectral emission of the water to decode this information back into digital form.
Again, I'm probably wrong, but it's worth taking a note, no?

I highly recommend the book if you can. But if you have spare-time, I would instead direct people to watch the 2hr-presentation below, done at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, which goes through many of these novel ideas (including LiFi).

It's also very inspiring to see folks who are doing just that, while running a successful entreprise, like these guys in California (Back To The Roots).
I am about to move to Europe in the coming fall, so I can't really start a big project, but I believe this is where I can put my skills and curiosity to good use.

If y'all are interested, I can post more details as well.

Back To The Roots Mushroom Farming:

https://www.jef.or.jp/journal/pdf/175th_cover04.pdf

 

[shamangineer]

Great post Enjoypolo. I totally agree, whatever we can do to help pollute less or recycle is good.

I'll just share some research I have done regarding concrete home construction in the absurd case i have enough money to build a concrete home someday rather than renting a section of a dilapidated Mcmansion or complex. I've been looking at aircrete with basalt fiber added to the mix and basalt-fiber/epoxy based rebar.

The advantages to aircrete are:
lower weight.
higher insulation.
fewer materials per unit volume.
the ability to create bricks, which can be cemented together later.
the ability to saw or modify the material with woodworking tools and use wood-screws.
less crack propagation across the cellular matrix.

The advantages to basalt fiber addition to aircrete (from what I have read in the 2% range by weight):
reduced cracking and increased strength.


The advantages to using basalt fiber rebar:
While more expensive by about 50%, potentially much longer structure life.
The above is due to zero rust after water migration into the concrete which will happen as the structure naturally ages and develops small cracks or holes.

Now while the above all sounds great it results in a thicker structure which is more prone to surface damage than concrete. If separate blocks are used rather than a single pour there are still potential crack propogation zones at the seams. The best way I have seen to deal with these issues is to use concrete-impregnated cloth (typically this is polyester-based, but I have thought that carbon fiber might be better, but hemp burlap, flax cloth, or coarse linen could be used with minimal loss in strength). After that your most abundant and non-toxic source of tree resin can be used to waterproof. This cloth shell acts to both protect the aircrete surface and act as a zone of tension relief which will drastically reduce crack propogation in the concrete which is best suited to compression stress.

Personally if I were to build a structure out of these materials I would want it to be an underground house and cover with 4-5 feet of earth for extra insulation, reduced ecological footprint, and thermal mass.

Here is a little video of someone doing this without the basalt additions, but with steel subframe for the pouring of aircrete:

 

[enjoypolo]

Wow, I'm blown away by the video, thank you for this resource.
It does seem like a great complementary material in conjunction with hempcrete.
I've always dreamed of living in a house full of curves. And building underground seems like an additional layer for insulation.
Great inspiration!

 

[enjoypolo]

Watched this yesterday, and I have to say it's very inspiring to see this.
It reminds me of another resources talked about by Gunter Pauli, which is the transformation of waste glass to become foam glass, and used as an insulator material for home-building. I haven't dug in too deep into it (yet) but suffice to say it's just the tip of the iceberg.
I would totally see a combination of elements: hemp, aired-concrete, lime, glass, and other materials.

Foamglass (annoying bgm..):

Hempcrete building

Without going too much on a tangent, I do wonder about the idea of living a fungi house, pulsing with the beat of the mycelium kingdom

 

[shamangineer]

Here is an article about possible 3D printed mycellium houses of the future:
https://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/06/movie-eric-klarenbeek-mushroom-roots-fungus-3d-printed-chair/

 

[shamangineer]

Unless you want to go full smurf:

 

[enjoypolo]

Here is an article about possible 3D printed mycellium houses of the future:
https://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/06/movie-eric-klarenbeek-mushroom-roots-fungus-3d-printed-chair/

O.M.G! this is beyond awesome. That's exactly what I had in mind, building bridges in such ways. I was originally inspired by the myco-foam packaging that IKEA, and other companies are starting to use to replace cardboard. Limitless!

Wow, even more awesome ideas by the same designer:
https://www.krown-design.com Grow your own furniture tool-kit.

 

[shamangineer]

Living root bridges:

 

[shamangineer]

Moss bathmat:

 

[shamangineer]

Hobbit home in the UK:

 

[rani]

insight recently, that Li-Fi may be used to store data in Water. Gerald Pollack talked in his book, 4th phase of water, how water essentially stores energy by light (which would explain photosynthesis).

Not to mention that DNA uses photons to communicate, and we are mainly made of water : )

http://www.biontologywest.com/fritz-albert-popp

 

[enjoypolo]

https://quieteccentric.wordpress.co...sformative-solutions-for-sustainable-society/

Wanted to share an article I finished writing about Blue economy & Mushrooming. Hopefully it can inspire others.

I've been expanding my myco-lab at home, but temperatures here have gone minus 0ºC, so mycelium is mostly dormant right now. Still, indoors, it's growing fairly well. For those interested, I'll be writing a follow-up article focused on my own experiences soon.
But go with Oyster mushrooms, or Enoki is great as well.

All I did was using a small jar, sterilize it with alcohol (your hands as well, or use gloves). Use the discarded stems from mushrooms used for cooking (e.g., oyster).
Put in the jar, and cover with brewed coffee-grounds from your morning brew (not too hot to kill the mycelium, but ideally not too cold either)

Spray with a bit of water, enough to create moisture, and cover with a lid (or plastic with holes for the mycelium to breathe).
Ideal growing temps are 15-21ºC. The ideal substrate is wood (wood chips, saw-dust) but also oats, or even fruit.veggie peels (after they've been boiled in a pot to sterilize).

I'm experimenting with various waste, including sea shells (calcium); wood blocks discarded from my workplace, as well as fruit peels.

If you see green growth, it's likely mold, so either discard it, or if its fully contamined, you may need to try again. Happened to me the first time, it's okay. In fact, Penicillin came from mold grown on a cantaloupe, so who knows what you could do with that!

Last but not least, some nice Japanese gourmet recipes using mushrooms:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/warm-mushroom-salad-sesame-dressing/

 

[enjoypolo]

Putting this ebook from RotterZwam out there for anyone interested in mushroom growing.

 

[enjoypolo]

https://zqjournal.org/editions/zq24.htmlI don't know if anyone would be interested, but the mycelium manufacturing company Ecovative just announced a Mycelium Design Contest.
The rule: create something, anything that solves a problem big, or small, using mycelium.

I haven't yet been able to "mold" using mycelium just yet (temps in Vancouver are still too low), but the thought of creating something useful with it has definitely crossed my mind. I had been thinking a myco-pot for plants would be a good start.

One thing that's I'm guilty of that bugs me, is using plastic utensils for take-out food. It's still cheap enough that many places use it (and quite frankly, it'd be painful without it) but there's gotta be a better alternative. Maybe Mycelium food trays or utensils (e.g., chopsticks, sporks) is one I've giving thoughts, which would be relevant for this contest.

If you're interested, I'd love to hear your ideas or take on it.
Of course, the thought of crossing Schauberger vortex designs and Mycelium is also in the back of my head.

Link: https://ecovativedesign.com/designbrief

EDIT: This is great free e-zine on Natural materials and the science of building things.
https://zqjournal.org/editions/zq24.html

Spoiler: Mycelium Design Contest

Design Brief
Mycelium is the “root-like” structure of a fungus. It is a network of branching hyphal cells that acts as a pathway of nutrient and information exchange. Traditionally mycelium has been understood through its relationship with the development of a sexual fungal fruiting body, or a mushroom. It has also been widely studied in its role as a nutrient and information highway between other living organisms such as trees and plants as mycorrhizal mycelium. Recently mycelium has been cultivated and shaped through the lens of material science to highlight some of its incredible strengths.

Mycelium does not have a uniform growth shape, meaning this network of hyphal cells can grow into ultimately any shape and size. Mycelium also exhibits some very valuable material characteristics. It represents strong binding strength, flame retardancy, as well as water hydrophobicity.

These material characteristics make mycelium a strong contender as a method of replacing toxic materials that do not work well within Earth’s natural system of recycling.

Growing mycelium on organic agricultural waste (i.e. sawdust, straw, coffee grounds, corn stover, mulch…) allows the grower to shape this mix of materials (substrate and mycelium) into a desired product. The mycelium when grown in prime conditions will chemically break down the substrate and consume it into its own fungal body. Without the structural limitations of a specific shape, the horizon of potential products and sustainable applications is endless

We are challenging you to tackle a problem that exists in our world and solve it with mycelium. This problem can be as simple as replacing a toxic material product with a sustainable mycelial alternative, or as complex as the next big innovation in the field of industrial mycology.

Keep in mind we encourage creativity and outside the box thinking. Do not feel as though you simply need to replace an existing product one-for-one. Do not be afraid to invent a whole new product, or improve on something that already exists.

 

[shamangineer]

With regard to Schauberger, I know that quite a few processes have been claimed to be improved from vortexed water. A decent way of doing this on a budget is to use a PVC or metal pipe with endcaps tapped for a pipe thread with quartz spheres (available on ebay) inside to make a vortex mixing tube. I would not be surprised if growing characteristics were enhanced if using this water and the final product became stronger as a result.

Similar to this, but quartz would be better than glass:
http://blissfuloms.com/wp/?page_id=1391

With regard to utensils I would have my doubts, the impression I get of the final product is that it wouldn't have the necessary rigidity for this application. Perhaps with another process on the back end this would be achievable. One thing that came to mind is the treatment developed to create "superwood".

https://www.fastcompany.com/90160100/a-new-material-called-superwood-is-just-as-strong-as-steel

 

[enjoypolo]

With regard to Schauberger, I know that quite a few processes have been claimed to be improved from vortexed water. A decent way of doing this on a budget is to use a PVC or metal pipe with endcaps tapped for a pipe thread with quartz spheres (available on ebay) inside to make a vortex mixing tube. I would not be surprised if growing characteristics were enhanced if using this water and the final product became stronger as a result.

Similar to this, but quartz would be better than glass:
http://blissfuloms.com/wp/?page_id=1391

With regard to utensils I would have my doubts, the impression I get of the final product is that it wouldn't have the necessary rigidity for this application. Perhaps with another process on the back end this would be achievable. One thing that came to mind is the treatment developed to create "superwood".

https://www.fastcompany.com/90160100/a-new-material-called-superwood-is-just-as-strong-as-steel

Yeah, those PVC pipes filled with marbles seem to be the most common, and low-entry point, compared to the more expensive contraptions, like spiral pipes or the Realice type devices.
Met a guy at my former school yesterday who's building a hydroponic system for his undergrad research, and we briefly talked about water, and come to think of it, this PVC design might be very well-suited for experiments.
Another one of my curious interests is the "Steiner fountain" Flow-form fountains I often see in biodynamic farms:

The superwood process is fascinating. I remember when it was published. Looking at it again, couple similarities with mycelium processing: Baking it at high temperature (same technique used to stop the mycelium from growing).

As always, thank you for the links, need to let the ideas emerge in my head

PS: There is a creek I frequently stop-by on my way to work, and it's always mesmerizing to see the water flowing. Though the creek looks rather abandonned and in poor condition (something which the egg-shape device may help with). I'm getting a little ahead of myself here

 

[shamangineer]

The superwood process is fascinating. I remember when it was published. Looking at it again, couple similarities with mycelium processing: Baking it at high temperature (same technique used to stop the mycelium from growing).

As always, thank you for the links, need to let the ideas emerge in my head

It seems to be more like a heated compression.

 

[enjoypolo]

Since we're talking bio-materials: Another incredible biom* discovery is GMO'd spider silk, which I believe was even cited by Emery Smith as one of those "hidden" technologies developed in Sandia Labs. Bullet-proof material.

https://www.defenseone.com/technolo...ible-use-body-armor-soldier-underwear/139923/

EDT: This is the link Emery retweeted back in July 2018, which synchronistically appeared after he disclosed on Cosmic, how they (MIC) have "smart" jump-suits that can detect/heal wounds; give nutrients to the body (so no need to rehydrate/eat constantly); as well as being bullet-proof.
Although this one doesn't explicitly mention spider silk.

It seems to me, that the commonality between all these strong materials, from mycelium, to conchas to Water, is how "decentralized" and "fractal" their structures are. Meaning tiny, but densely packed can dissipate stress, and also be flexible.

Here is a link to yesterday's webinar titled
Nature’s Unifying Patterns by the Biomimicry Institute

 

[enjoypolo]

By the way, this may sound a bit foolish, but I purchased a couple years ago some beetle wings from Ebay, thinking that perhaps I could test Grebennikov's experiments at home (I know...)

Unfortunately, I never really got to it, even though their iridescent emerald-green wings are wonderful to look at, but I'm not quite sure what to do with them anymore.
The only intereting anecdote is placing them in the centre of singing bowl, and they start to dance. But that's just the vibrations from the bowl.

If anyone has any suggestions about what to do, I'd be grateful (I'd hate to just toss them in the garbage). Thank you
Or if you're in the area (in BC), I can give them away as well.
You can use them for making handcrafted jewelry, perhaps?