Nature as a source of inspiration for new technology

Centre4NI is an organisation that aims to take sustainability to the next level by learning from nature. After all, nature has been successfully running, developing and organising for millions of years on a planet with finite resources and doing so without pollution, depletion or degradation. Centre4NI helps companies and organisations to apply NI in innovation, business models and organisational forms. Leen Gorissen (a doctor of biology specialising in transition science, sustainability, biomimicry and regenerative design) gives a hint.

DEME is a world leader in dredging and land reclamation, solutions for the offshore energy market, environmental and infra-maritime works. 
Although its roots lie in Belgium, DEME has a strong presence all over the world. Sustainable thinking is high on the agenda. Tomas Sterckx, project leader for Coastbusters, gives a practical example of how nature and innovation work together perfectly. 

Natural Intelligence (NI) is the intelligence that is as old as time. It is the logic that knows what works, what endures and what contributes ​​to the future of life on Earth. It is the engine behind 3.8 billion years of continuous innovation, adaptation and ultimately regeneration. It is the intelligence that keeps life alive, despite infinite change and disruption. NI, as an inspiration for innovation, helps to develop more efficient, effective, resilient and sustainable solutions. It lets businesses, organisations and institutions build a healthier, richer and more viable future.

“We have come to believe as Westerners that we are above and beyond nature. With this way of thinking, we have shaped an innovation model that relies on degradation and exploitation of nature,” Leen Gorissen points out. 

If we study the champions of survival, we find that they share some common characteristics and/or patterns. So these are universal principles for long-term success in a world that is constantly changing. The discipline of Biomimicry calls these Life's Principles and uses them as a lens for learning to innovate like nature does. However, it is not the only discipline that takes the laws of nature as its starting point. Regenerative design & development, systems thinking, nature-based solutions and permaculture are also founded upon insights into how life works. 

“NI is therefore an umbrella term for all the disciplines based upon a logic of living systems, of coherence and interdependence. NI is a broader concept than biomimicry, because it is not only about imitating nature, but also facilitating it. We often try to achieve with technology what nature has perfected millions of years before.” – Leen Gorissen
 

 

Als we de overlevingskampioenen bestuderen, dan blijkt dat deze een aantal gemeenschappelijke kenmerken en/of patronen vertonen. Dit zijn dus universele principes voor langdurig succes in een wereld die voortdurend in verandering is. De discipline Biomimicry noemt het Life’s Principles en gebruikt ze als lens om te leren innoveren zoals de natuur dat doet. Al is het niet de enige discipline die de natuurwetten als uitgangspunt neemt. Ook regenerative design & development, systeemdenken, nature-based solutions en permacultuur vertrekken vanuit inzichten over hoe het leven werkt. 

“NI is dus een overkoepelende term voor al de disciplines, die vertrekken van een logica van levende systemen, van samenhang en onderlinge afhankelijkheid. NI is een ruimer concept dan biomimicry, want het gaat niet alleen over het imiteren maar ook over het faciliteren van de natuur. We proberen namelijk vaak met technologie iets te bereiken wat de natuur al miljoenen jaren eerder heeft geperfectioneerd.”- Leen Gorissen

The current model of value creation is eroding the life-support system of our planet: the Earth and all the life on it are becoming less healthy, less rich in species, less vital and less viable. In short, the quality of life and vitality of all life is deteriorating, including that of humans. This is a terminal system, because it perpetuates decline. “We are mainly looking for solutions that create a positive impact, that regenerate the Earth, which goes beyond rolling back the negative impact,” says Leen.

There is a prevailing basic principle that has allowed life to survive for billions of years. And this principle is surprisingly simple: “leave it better than you found it”. This biological phenomenon is called regeneration: a process of renewal that leads to a higher order of health, richness, vitality and viability. 

“The champions of survival leave the world healthier, richer, more vital, and more life-giving. The challenge we now face is how to transform our current degenerative model of value creation into a regenerative model in harmony with how life works. The first step is to translate lessons from nature into groundbreaking innovations. For example, how does nature create anti-viral environments? Plants and especially trees produce disinfectant aromas, which help to prevent damage from harmful microbes. And because we humans have evolved along with our environment, these aromas also boost our immune system. 

Forest baths therapy 
Our natural resistance increases after a long and invigorating walk in the woods. Studies also show that the number of killer T-cells, cells from our immune system that eliminate cancer cells, is significantly higher after spending a few hours in a forest. 

Sharks 
To ensure their speed underwater, sharks possess a microscopic structure that prevents water or other organisms from sticking to their skin. By imitating this structure with films, you can make products and surfaces anti-bacterial and anti-viral without using detergents. Ships can also have a sharkskin-inspired coating applied, which reduces or eliminates tarnishing of the hulls and makes the ship glide through the water more easily. More speed and less maintenance work, and therefore lower costs. 

“These are some examples of product innovation based on nature. If we make these coatings for ships using biochemistry that is not toxic to fauna and flora (because all chemistry in nature is biocompatible and biodegradable), then we are innovating at a process level.” 
 

It is also possible to increase efficiency and effectiveness at the organisational level by imitating nature. After all, all living systems are self-organising and self-regulating. These characteristics promote robustness, resilience and adaptability. Companies can use nature as a mentor and as a yardstick for making their organisation more future-proof. 

After all, thanks to scientific research, we know which essential characteristics make systems resilient in an environment that is constantly changing:

Diversity: because it is unclear what will be disrupted
Decentralisation: because it is unclear where the disruption will occur
Redundancy: because it is unclear how many elements will be disrupted

For example, you can see that companies that were already working from home and therefore can work in a more decentralised manner were able to respond much faster and more efficiently to the COVID-19 crisis. The same is true for organisations that have more diversity in their services. For example, restaurants that also offer takeaway menus could switch faster than those that did not. And hospitals illustrate in this pandemic that the downside of pervasive efficiency is vulnerability. It is always better to have surpluses (e.g. in beds and staff), because you never know when you will need them. 

"So companies that don't take this into account are much more vulnerable to disruption. Self-managing organisations are more agile and creative than hierarchical companies, because they can tap into the collective intelligence of the entire workforce and respond much more quickly to change,” said Leen Gorissen.
 

Kustbeschermingsmaatregelen zijn nodig onder druk ​​van klimaatverandering (zeespiegelstijging, intensivering van stormen, toenemende stranderosie, enz.) en menselijke invloed (demografische evolutie, verlies van habitats, economische expansie, enz.) Deze tendensen bedreigen het ecosysteem en de veerkracht van de kustgebieden.

Coastbusters is a sustainable and ecological solution to beach erosion and, as a result, the erosion of dunes and the consequences of a rising sea level. 

Coastbusters are basically builders of natural biogenic reefs in the water at the foreshore of the beach, deeper behind the sea line. It brings a natural balance of sand movement through the seasons. This natural flow creates an organic and natural harmony between the sea and the dunes. 
 

These ecosystems are more efficient, effective, sustainable and, in the long term, much cheaper than hard, traditional sea walls (e.g. dykes). “Wenduine is a good example of a difficult section on the coast,” says Tomas. In Wenduine, the hard infrastructure is disrupting the natural movement of the beach. The space between the waterline and the paved dykes is too short. “In places where there is room for nature, we see huge progress and a lot of opportunities, precisely because there is then the option of using Coastbusters sustainably. In the long term, Coastbusters' nature-based approach is a lot cheaper for the coastal cities,” Tomas says. 

Some figures

• The interventions and costs associated with rising sea levels are 6 times greater than in 1980
• A global water level rise of 0.65m entails a cost of $9.6 trillion
• Demand for ecosystems as a solution to flooding will rise by $17.5 trillion through to 2030

DEME volgt verschillende onderzoeken op en zet er ook regelmatig op poten in samenwerking met verschillende universiteiten. Zo willen ze een significant verschil maken in de duurzame innovatieve mogelijkheden binnen hun eigen vakgebied. Tomas haalt het belang aan van biodiversiteit als cruciaal onderdeel van hun duurzaam beleid. “We moeten stukken van de natuur teruggeven. We moeten de natuur de vrijheid te geven om terug stabiel te worden. De industrie heeft destijds teveel genomen. Zo’n beslissingen gaan gepaard met kosten en tegenwind van de omgeving. Industrieterreinen teruggeven aan de natuur is een altruïstische daad én toch kan niet iedereen zich hierin vinden. Vreemd, want uit onderzoek blijkt dat als burgers moeten kiezen tussen een gratis natuuronvriendelijke oplossing of een betalende optie met een positief effect op het klimaat en de natuur, ze geneigd zijn om de tweede duurzame optie te kiezen. Dat is ook wat DEME doet. Het is onze plicht om ook aan de toekomst te denken.”

DEME werkt momenteel aan een nature based solution voor de Schelde, die gaandeweg meer op een kanaal is gaan lijken dan op een rivier, om de oeverbescherming er op een natuurlijke manier aan te pakken. Hoe kan de natuurmeer zijn gang gaan zonder in te boeten aan welvaart en economische groei? Dat staat op de agenda. 

“Het stopt natuurlijk nooit. DEME blijft investeren in een betere toekomst.”