Professional Documents
Culture Documents
SCAD Lacoste
Biomimicry Spring 2015
1
Co-Authors
Daniel Cheon, Keith Costa, Paul Hawkins, Jackson Hedden,
Andrew Moore, Michelle Muller, Bailey Preib, Meghan Preiss,
Taylor Ross, Breana Russell, Yiran Wang, Jingya Zhang
Copyright 2015
Design Team:
Daniel Cheon
Keith Costa
Paul Hawkins
Jackson Hedden
Andrew Moore
Michelle Muller
Bailey Preib
Meghan Preiss
Taylor Ross
Breana Russell
Yiran Wang
Jingya Zhang
Advisors:
Sherry Ritter, Scientist at the Design Table
Regina Rowland, Professor of Design Management, Biomimicry Specialist
Dedication
Our team dedicates this project and all of our findings to the locals of the Provence, France.
Acknowledgement
Our team is very grateful
To nature: Thank you for constantly showing us your beauty, and your To Florence Thurston: Thank you for guiding us and translating our
solutions to any problem we might face. Thank you for guiding us
protocols and interviews. Thank you for taking time to assist us in
through the entire process of our design.
organizing our events and ecological excursions.
To Regina Rowland and Sherry Ritter: Thank you for dedicating time
and energy, and for your perseverance, and leadership through this
project. Thank you for imparting confidence, enabling growth, and
helping us to better our skills in design and design strategies.
To Dayna Baumeister and Biomimicry 3.8: Thank you for providing
this fantastic opportunity to to learn from natures genius and become
certified in Biomimicry through this class. Thank you, Biomimicry
Institute, for your inspiration through the Global Design Challenge.
Table of Contents
Introduction .....................................................................................11
Meet the Team ..................................................................................12
Introduction to Biomimicry .............................................................18
Scoping Phase ...................................................................................23
Discovering Phase .............................................................................75
Creation Phase ...............................................................................104
Evaluation Phase .............................................................................134
Checklist ........................................................................................163
Appendices .....................................................................................166
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Introduction
This process book describes the work completed by a group of twelve
students, a professor and a biologist over the course of eight weeks in
Lacoste, France. It details the research, development and prototyping
of a concept addressing issues of food waste in open-air markets in
the Provenal Region of Southern France. The design team applied
the Biomimicry Framework and followed the Biomimicry Thinking
Design Process to develop a bio-inspired solution to address the
challenge of upcycling food waste.
The book is divided into sections based on the Biomimicry Thinking
Design Process. Each section covers a particular phase in this design
process including the scoping phase, the discovering phase, the creating
phase and the evaluating phase. These phases tell the story of the design
teams process of learning from nature through direct observation,
excursions to sites of interest, deriving relevant design principles from
the functions of various organisms, developing a prototype system to
address the design challenge, and evaluating the solutions adherence to
Lifes Principles.
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Figure 1: The team learning about biomimicry while being immersed in nature. Authors image.
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Industrial Designers
Design Professional
Biomimicry Specialist
Furniture Designers
Service Designers
Design Management
Graduate Students
Biologist
Biomimicry Professional
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Daniel Cheon
Keith Costa
Paul Hawkins
Jackson Hedden
Service Design
Manila, Philippines
I am a tiger
Industrial Design
Princeton, New Jersey
I am a magpie
Industrial Design
Missoula, Montana
I am a grizzly
Figures 25, left to right: Daniel Cheon, Keith Costa, Paul Hawkings, Jackson Hedden. Mark Karrers images.
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Industrial Design
Hoover, Alabama
I am a wolfdog
Andrew Moore
Michelle Muller
Bailey Preib
Meghan Preiss
Industrial Design
Rockford, Illinois
I am a bison
Industrial Design
Design for Sustainability Minor
Westport, Connecticut
I am a bird
Furniture Design
Huntersville, North Carolina
I am the rat from Fantastic Mr. Fox
Industrial Design
Service Design
Schnecksville, Pennsylvania
I am an elephant
Figures 69, left to right: Andrew Moore, Michelle Muller, Bailey Preib, Meghan Preiss. Mark Karrers images.
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Taylor Ross
Breana Russell
Yiran Wang
Jingya Zhang
Furniture Design
Fort Mill, South Carolina
I am a River Otter
Service Design
Interaction Design Minor
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
I am a Falcon
Figures 1013, left to right: Taylor Ross, Breana Russell, Yiran Wang, Jingya Zhang. Mark Karrers images.
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Regina Rowland
Introduction to Biomimicry
Biomimicry is the conscious emulation of natures genius. It is an
interdisciplinary approach that brings together two often disconnected
worlds: nature and technology, biology and innovation, life and
design. The practice of biomimicry seeks to bring the time-tested
wisdom of life to the design table to inform human solutions that
create conditions conducive to life. At its most practical, biomimicry
is a way of seeking sustainable solutions by borrowing lifes blueprints,
chemical recipes, and ecosystem strategies. At its most transformative,
biomimicry connects us in ways that fit, align, and integrate the
human species into the natural processes of Earth (Baumeister,
2013).
Figures 1516, left to right: Biomimicry 3.8 DesignLens Collateral Toolkit. 2014 Biomimicry
Group, Inc. dba Biomimicry 3.8. Biomimicry Group is a certified B-Corporation.
Retrieved from: http://biomimicry.net/about/biomimicry/biomimicry-designlens/
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Biomimicry Thinking
Biomimicry Thinking provides context to where, how, what, and
why biomimicry fits into the process of any discipline or any scale
of design. While akin to a methodology, Biomimicry Thinking is a
framework that is intended to help people practice biomimicry while
designing anything. These are four areas in which a biomimicry lens
provides the greatest value to the design process (independent of the
discipline to which it is integrated): scoping, discovering, creating, and
evaluating. Following the specific steps within each phase helps ensure
the successful integration of lifes strategies into human designs
(Baumeister, 2013).
Figures 1718, left to right: Biomimicry 3.8 DesignLens Collateral Toolkit. 2014 Biomimicry
Group, Inc. dba Biomimicry 3.8. Biomimicry Group is a certified B-Corporation.
Retrieved from: http://biomimicry.net/about/biomimicry/biomimicry-designlens/
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Project Framing
During the scoping phase, the design team defined
the design challenge, researched and clearly
illustrated the context in which the design was to
succeed, identified the function the design needed
to fulfill, integrated lifes principles and a systemic
approach to sustainability into the vision for
the desired outcomes. During this phase, it was
important not to jump to solutions, but to keep
an open mind toward learning about the existing
problem and its dynamic in the social fabric, and
then to set the bar for the design challenge by
outlining the background, the context, the goals, and
constraints.
Figure 20: The view from the village of Lacoste, France. Authors image.
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Problem Statement
Food waste is occurring all over the world
which is a problem vis--vis the serious systemic
sustainability issues humanity is facing. With
this project, the design team focused on food
waste occurring in the open air markets in the
Provence, France the teams temporary location
during Spring 2015. We were looking for design
opportunities to turn this food waste into useful
products, services, or system.
Figure 21, left: Fish Vendor at the Apt Market. Authors image.
Figure 22, right: Fish at the Apt Market. Authors image.
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Opportunity Statements
Initially, the scoping team thought about the below listed opportunities The focus of this project was to design approaches
for upcycling food waste at open air markets in
which guided the development of questions for the secondary and
the Provence, France, which occurs when vendors
primary research:
dispose of their unsold produce. The intent was to
design products, processes, strategic approaches,
There is an opportunity to design creative solutions to address
food waste elimination for and/or with the stakeholders in the
and/or entire systems whereby this waste would
be reused in a sustainable way. Our team intended
open-air markets of Provence, France.
for this solution to benefit people and the local
environment.
There is an opportunity to establish connections and cooperation
between market vendors in order to discover innovative strategies
for addressing food waste problems.
There is an opportunity to involve the community in supporting an
ecofriendly and sustainable way of life by directly participating in the
food waste solution.
There is an opportunity for education and creative engagement with
the food waste problem solution.
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Figure 24: Time line of the work through all four stages including scoping, discovering, creation, and evaluation. Authors image.
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Target Audience
The target audience for this project includes all stakeholders that are
associated with open-air markets in the Provence, France.
Stakeholders were separated into three different categories:
Beneficiaries, including sellers and consumers
Administrators, including law enforcement and local businesses
Overseers, including farmers, fisherman, producers, government,
processors, distributors, transporters, health inspectors, and wildlife
authorities
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Figure 27: Strawberries sold at the local open-air market in the Provence, France. Authors image.
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Research Methodology
The research methodology used in this project was a
case study. The design team used contextual research
approaches and looked through a series of lenses
including the biological lens to learn from nature,
and the ethnographic and participatory lenses in
order to learn about underlying beliefs and values,
and simulate first-hand customer experiences. The
geographic boundary for this case study was formed
primarily by the villages in the Provence near
Lacoste, France. Additionally research was conducted
in the urban setting of Paris.
Figure 28: The team collecting research about local goat farmer, Leopold le Chevrier. Authors image.
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Interview Questions
Primary Research:
These interview questions were asked to each of the businesses the design team visited.
This list of questions ensured that the design team asked the same questions to each
business.
Interviews
Observations
Participatory methods (acting as customers)
Research Protocols
Consent forms were translated into French and
collected from each interviewee. A sample of this
form can be found in Appendix A.
Participatory Methods
The scoping team acted as consumers in the openair markets as part of their primary research. They
bought from a variety of market vendors and
interacted with the vendors personally, helping the
design team to better understand the processes of the
vendors and system in which they work.
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1. How long have you been working with food in this area?
2. What is your most popular/least popular item sold here?
3. Can you tell us about what local safety regulations are in place regarding your food
service?
4. How is your product produced? (If not explained enough)
5. In your opinion where do you think food waste occurs in the process and handling
phase of your food system?
6. Where does your food come from? Is your food locally grown or imported?
(restaurant)
7. On average what is the life span of your product before it needs to be consumed?
8. How/do you inform your consumers of this life span?
9. What are the distribution steps of your goods before placed on the market?
(Whose hands touch it/how long does distribution take/how is it transported?)
10. How would you describe your proportion size for most meals? (big proportions/
small proportions)
11. In the western world, food waste comes during the consumption phase in the food
system. How are you observing this from your consumers?
12. How do climate, and environmental conditions in the Provence influence your
product and your process?
13. What are the benefits and challenges of producing your product in the Provence?
14. Where in your process do you think you could be more efficient in preventing food
waste?
15. What measures are you already taking to limit waste?
Figure 30: Data Collection Sheet created by the team. Authors image.
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Interviews
Four interviews were held from March through
April, 2015, with a local vintner, goat farmer,
olive oil and honey producer, and soap maker. The
scoping team also visited local markets such as Apt,
Sant Saturnin ls Apt, and Isle Sur La Sorgue. They
observed numerous vendors and consumers in
these open-air markets and took specific interest in
observing the sellers routine processes. Transcripts of
the interviews can be found in Appendix C.
Figure 31: Darnet Gerante, Cassis soap maker, explaining how soap is made from olive oil. Authros image.
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Location Map
Below listed map shows the locations where the scoping team conducted primary research. Geographically, the team researched areas in the
Provence, France, and they also took a short trip to Paris to compare their findings in the country to urban settings.
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Figure 32: Location map of the areas the team visited. Authors image.
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Paul Hawkins
My experiences visiting the Provence open-air markets and the Paris
markets were enjoyable. Some of the markets were larger than others
but they mostly sold the same products, such as local produce, cheese,
meat, soap, lavender, scarves and other clothing, and jewelry. The
larger markets functioned as sort of outside stores additionally selling
shirts, dresses, jackets, hats, shoes and purses. All of the people that I
met were nice and helped me learn about the markets. The language
barrier was sometimes difficult, and the vendors would usually try to
understand me. As a consumer in the market, I bought what I needed,
but couldnt really talk to the vendors personally. Conversing with the
vendors is something that I observed the local consumers do. The locals
seemed to have relationships with the vendors, even if they only saw
each other when they were buying and selling food. As a consumer
in the market, I spent time in the cafes, bought bread and pastries
from the bakeries, cheese from the vendors, and browsed through the
artisanal products.
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Jackson Hedden
When I arrive in a local market in Provence, I only see a small part
of the market but as I continue inward I find it as a winding trail of
vendors. These vendors sell everything from food items to electric
shavers and some times counterfeit goods. The prices at the markets
vary from cheap to expensive, which allows me to find what I am
looking for at the price I want. The best things to buy at these markets
are fruits and vegetables, because they are locally grown and fresh.
Meghan Preiss
My experiences as consumer in the local food markets in the Provence,
France, were pleasant. I found that speaking to the local vendors about
their business was an uplifting experience. The vendors have great
connections with their customers, and even being a long time traveler
in a new place, they had a way of making me feel as though I belonged.
I found that vendors do not seem to advertise their merchandise nor do
they get offended when a customer goes to a different stand.
Breana Russell
During my visit at the market I became a stakeholder, more specifically
a consumer. The consumer is responsible for visiting the market in
their free time, and purchasing products being sold there. My first stop
at the market was the ATM, because I knew that most of the vendors
only take cash. I then headed towards the bakery to buy a loaf of
As a non-French speaker, I had a tough time making decisions, for
bread. I also purchased flowers, a wallet, and strawberries. I spent time
instance, I didnt know which cheese and sausage to buy because I
observing other consumers purchasing fish and meat, and talked to a
couldnt read the labels. Purchasing fruits was much easier. I could
simply pick out the ones I wanted, take them to the vendor with a scale few vendors.
where s/he weighed them. I would pay him according to what price
was displayed on the scale.
Keith Costa
Daniel Cheon
When I visited the Apt market, I browsed the goods with the intent of
making a purchase, and tried to put myself into an average consumers
shoes.
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Samples
In addition to their own observations at the markets directly, the
scoping team visited and interviewed several local producers, so that
they could learn about food growing, processing, and distribution, as
well as related waste generation in the Provence.
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Chantal Jullien
Chantal was born in the Provence, France, and her parents were
farmers in the area. She studied agricultural practice in a German
college, but decided to return to the Provence to care for her parents
and take over the family business. She works in the olive fields during
harvest, in the production facility during processing the olives, and in
the adjacent shop. In her spare time she likes to hike and rock climb.
Yes. There are definitely hygiene restrictions. When they were in the
mill in habath, it was very difficult to keep it clean. Now with this lab
it is a lot easier to keep it clean as well as the aluminum vats.
They heat this building and their house with the pit.
The design team visited Moulin a Huile Jullien, a traditional familyowned olive oil producer who grows olives and processes three different
types of olive oil. Each is harvested at different times between early
November and late December, and is processed right away or left to
settle for three to four days. The producer sells olive oil to customers
who come to the family store. She takes individual orders in addition
to selling the products in the store. The olive oil production process
itself has waste in its production, but it is immediately cycled back
into the system. The olives that grow there are combed from the
trees, pressed, and the pulp is separated from the water and oil with a
machine called a centrifuge. The water is then put back into the soil
for the trees and the oil is bottled. The pulp is separated, again, but this
time, the pits are separated from the pulp which is sold as a spread for
toast. The pits are processed into pellets for burning, providing heat
to the building as needed.
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Figures 3536: The scoping team listening to Benoit Vincent explain how wine is
made. Authors images.
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Leopold Le Chevrier
The scoping team also visited Leopold, a local goat herder in the
Provence. The goat farm is located in a remote area in the mountains
and hosts 26 goats. The herder explained how he harvests the milk
from the females and demonstrated the milking process on a few goats.
Minimal and/or no waste occurred. Additionally, he keeps the goats
healthy with naturally occurring herbs. Leopold refuses to give the
goats vaccinations or medications, nor does he have them registered
with the government (a requirement for selling produce in a public
venue), and therefore is not allowed to sell his produce at the local
markets. Regardless, he has customers that come to him directly.
They are locals who may have allergies that are not activated through
Leopolds milk products, additionally, they find it important to have
natural produce and to know where their food comes from. The goats Figure 37, left: The team listening to Leopold Le Chevrier. Authors image.
Figure 38, right: Leopold Le Chevrier with one of his goats. Authors image.
are taken on daily walks in the mountains where they can graze the
varied natural vegetation. After the goats are milked, the milk can be
sold as is, or made into cheese. When there are too many young bucks
in the herd he sells them to balance out the milk-giving herd.
He says the goat tells you and not the computer or the modern books
as he put it, and he reiterated the fact that he only wants to work with
nature directly.
When you wake up in the morning its a new life. All over again.
I asked if we could buy it produced in the market..no because then
the government is involved. And they need to analyze and he doesnt
want to get into that.
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Figure 39, left: Darnet Gerante showing his handmade soap. Authors image.
Figure 40, right: Soap made by Darnet Gerante. Authors image.
Darnet Grante
Darnet was born in Miramas, France, and enjoyed science classes as a
child. He later studied chemical engineering and became a high school
teacher. He settled in Cassis with his wife and had a family. He and
his wife started a hobby business together making soap. He enjoys
spending time with his family and going fishing with his sons.
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Figure 41: Affinity diagram comprised of photos and Post-its notes of the scoping teams research. Authors image.
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Data Synthesis
1. Journey Maps
Insight:
There is currently nothing
motivating consumers and
sellers to upcycle their food
waste.
No aspects of the markets are
designed to target children.
Figure 42: Journey map. Authors image.
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Opportunity:
Educate consumers about the
production process of the food
they buy.
Provide producers a way to sell
their products to markets
directly which might be
more efficient and reduce food
waste during distribution and
transportation.
Encourage parents to bring their
kids to the markets so they can
also participate in the
community or educational
aspects of the markets.
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Insight:
How might we?:
At the end of the market day, all Create a system that weighs
waste is simply thrown, unsorted, the byproducts of processing, so
into the dumpster.
that users can utilize waste more
Processors have food
effeciently?
occurrences that are not
How might we construct
recognized as waste.
a framework to educate the
stakeholders where, how, and
Figure 44: Fish bone diagram. Authors imgae.
why food waste is occurring?
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Opportunity:
Educate the stakeholders on
what constitutes waste.
Help artisans identify and
efficiently manage waste in their
system.
Have the markets segregate the
organic waste so that they may
be upcycled.
4.Tree Diagram
Insight:
Raw meat vendors bring limited
food to sell, thus sell out
everyday in order to limit the
amount of meat they must store
or throw away.
When raw meat is thrown
away with non-bio waste due to
improper sorting methods, it is
not efficiently composted.
Figure 45: Tree diagram. Authors image.
Opportunity:
More efficient packaging
Faster methods of
transportation
Add a raw meat sorting bin
A design option that
decomposes the raw meat
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5.Storyboards
Opportunity:
Find a useful outlet for meat and
fish waste, so that it can be
upcycled and turned into a
resource.
6.Semantic Profile
Insight:
The larger companies
are required to have more
government regulation than the
smaller businesses.
In the olive oil manufacturing
system waste is separated, so
that it can be upcycled and
reused in-house.
The winery, in comparison to the
olive oil manufacturer, sends
their organic waste off site to
be reused instead of upcycling
it within the factory, thus
wasting energy in transportation.
Findings at a Glance
Through research and observation, the scoping
team has discovered that within the open-air food
markets in the Provence, France, most food waste
is generated by the vendors discarding the meat
and old produce that is not sold. This fact was
also confirmed when the team researched open air
markets in Paris the problem was exasperated by the
larger amount of produce on the markets.
Figure 48: Seafood vendor at the local market in Apt, France. Authors image.
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Opportunity Map
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Conclusion to Scoping
Throughout the scoping teams research and observations in the local
open-air markets in the Provence, and Paris, France, they found that
most waste is occurring at the market from food vendors discarding
their unsold produce. The bio-waste of meat and fish is not being
used to its full potential. Through touring and interviewing local food
producers and artisans such as an olive oil manufacturer, winery, family
run soap operation, and a goat herder, the team found that businesses
are already attempting to take advantage of their waste and to reuse it
as a resource.
In conclusion and as a result of their research, the scoping team
proposed to design a system in the open air markets of the Provence,
France, that would not only address the originally defined need
for upcycling food waste in open-air markets, but also benefit the
stakeholders in some way. With this decision made they could clearly
define their design challenge.
Design Criteria
Design Statement
Our design must upcycle food waste from local open-air markets
in order to create value for stakeholders so that it is enthusiastically
adopted.
Project Vision
Our design enables people in open-air markets to upcycle their food
waste, it enhances the experience of children visiting the markets, is
also accessible to adults, repurposes the waste into useful products, and
leads to the experience of fun and to creative expression.
Lifes Principles
Four of the 26 biomimicry lifes principles are of particular interest for
this design:
Incorporate Diversity: Include multiple forms, processes, or systems
to meet a functional need.
Recycle all Materials: Keep all materials in a closed loop
Cultivate cooperative relationships: Find value through win-win
situations
Leverage cyclical processes: Take advantage of phenomena that
repeat themselves.
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Figure 54: Biologist Sherry Ritter showing the class moss on a piece of bark. Authors image.
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Figure 56, left: A team member researching while being immersed in nature. Authors image.
Figure 57, right: A team member drawing. Authors image.
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Date: April 1
Location: Cottonwood and oak woods to the east of Maison Basse
Purpose: Understand systems and nutrient cycles
iSite: Web of Life Diagram
Instructions:
In a drawing capture how the diversity of species is found in ones
favorite nature spot and how they interrelate. Starting with a single
organism, consider the following key elements as a way to draw
connections between the various organisms and abiotic factors of the
webwhat is its energy source? What is it eaten by? Where does it get
its shelter? Does it give shelter? How expansive can the web grow?
During debrief, we will start with one persons web, and then ask if
anyone has one of the connections (e.g., a predator, a tree) within
his or her web. Keep going until all have shared their webs. Ideally,
this can be sketched simultaneously which would visually show the
connections.
Students Response:
We walked along the footpaths to a large field of grasses, flowers, and
trees. During the process, we needed to draw a web of life capturing
how the diversity of species found in my favorite nature spot was
interrelated. I found that the ivy grew and covered the cave by the
roadside. And I could see dead spider webs and trash, like glass bottles
in it. However, I could also find that the cave had a roof and some
mosses or fungi grew around the cave.
Reflection:
By observation from one organism I found that it was easier to
understand those relationships and make the web of life. I could see
the important life resources, such as sun, rain, wind, and soil. We
could not live without any of them, or the entire life system could not
work well. In addition, it was interesting that the ivy covered the entire
cave surfaces, so it provided a moist local environment together for
other organisms to survive, like mosses and fungi. At the same time,
the environment I chose had a special element, the impact of human
activity. The interrupting events were probably the reasons why there
was no spider and why the space was filled with dead spider webs. If I
could know the reasons, I would better grow my web and apply it.
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Champion Organism 1
Shown is a sample
Fuction Card that
the design team
conducted. More
such samples
can be found in
Appendix F.
Figure 65: Function card of Mackerel Sharks the team made. Authors image.
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Champion Organism 2
Figure 66: Function card of Mackerel Sharks the team made. Authors image.
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Champion Organism 3
Figure 67: Function card of Mackerel Sharks the team made. Authors image.
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Introduction
The creating phase is the high profile piece of designing. It results
in a new human product or design. It involves creating something
new, putting things together in a new way, making, and inventing. The
ideation phase of creating traditionally involves incorporating research
results on how others have solved for that opportunity or challenge as
well as brainstorming new concepts..., Integrating biomimicry thinking
into the creating phase means being inspired by successes found in
nature, instead of relying on human cleverness alone. Biomimicry in
the creating stage models solutions after design principles abstracted
during the discovering phase and/or Lifes Principles (Baumeister,
2013).
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Design Charette
A design charette is a way that expedites the creation
process and combines many days worth of work into
one session.
Once the first models were built, the groups began
to debrief their creations. The designers labeled
Our team started the design charette by
various elements of each concept with single word
introducing guests to the Biomimicry Framework
descriptions, first taking a round of objective
and Biomimicry Thinking Design Process, the
descriptions and then moving into subjective
Biomimicry Life Principles, our teams design
interpretations. Each group then revisited their
statement, design principles, and relevant function
concept to refine it so that it would be easier to
cards. Our team had multiple guest participants
understand. They also evaluated their designs for
from different disciplines to add new perspectives.
congruency with the design principles and the life
principles.
Our groups used a different color of
The participants were divided into five groups to
marker to signify the life principles that their designs
begin kinesthetic modeling. This phase was a silent
activity that allowed the group to formulate an initial were meeting. This step helped each group decide
how they could improve our design in order make
concept using the tchatchkas (small found objects
sure that the lifes principles were optimally applied.
from nature and the human world) that had been
This activity was followed by a storyboarding
collected previously and brought to the charette.
exercise.
Figure 71, top left: Team member explaining the function cards. Authors image.
Figure 72, top right: Team members building the first model. Authors image.
Figure 73, bottom left: A model from one of the groups. Authors image
Figure 74, bottom right: Team members labeling their model. Authors image.
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Figure 75, top left: Team members explaining their groups concept. Authors image.
Figure 76, top right: Another team explaining its groups concept. Authors image.
Figure 77, bottom left: Team members regrouping and discussing their progress thus far. Authors image.
Figure 78, bottom right: Team members checking their concept against the design principles. Authors image.
110
111
Figure 79, left: The team zooming in on one concept. Authors image.
Figure 80, right: The team explaining its new function cards. Authors image.
112
113
114
Figures 8187, left to right: Final sketches of the teams concept. Authors images.
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116
After finalizing the new product concepts, the design team focused
on the whole system and designed a closed loop system. The market
produces food waste when the food is not sold, or not eaten, it
simply rots away in the trash containers, not separated from the rest
of the trash. In the design solution, the food waste is collected from
the vendors who would have a share in the meat-waste processing
company. Having a share in the company creates incentives to
donate waste as well as might bring monetary gain from the products
the company sells. Th e team then decided to continue working with
bone material.
Figures 8889, left to right: More sketches of the final concept. Authors images.
117
The breaking-down waste process begins with food waste entering the
first device. There, the meat is separated from the bones and taken to
a factory where it will be turned into compost bricks that go back into
the earth as fertilizer. The bones are further ground up into a powder in
the second device.
Materials and energy are either readily available or created onsite.
The fabrication materials are made up of waste from the market, and
The bone powder is then mixed with biodegradable plastic and turned potentially also the surrounding areas.
into a substance that can be used as material for 3D printing. The 3D
printer creates products at the companys stand at the market where
The name of the innovation system as well as the company is Loop.
they are also sold. This innovation would be located in a centralized
In summary, Loop breaks down waste, creates two separate materials,
location at each of the Provenal markets that would also include a
provides nutrients to the earth and produces products that involve both
multi-part and multi-function center for education and production.
vendors and visitors.
This station would include three parts: the vendor stand integrated
Figure 90: Possible products the creation team thought the waste could potentially be turned into. Authors image.
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119
Design Details
The first device was modeled after the sharks
stomach, a ribbed structure which includes digestive
enzymes. The meat and bones would be deposited
into a two-layered cylinder that has shark-inspired
enzymes in the bottom. The inner cylinder has small
holes that function as a porous filter. As the meat is
separated from the bones by the enzymes, it turns
into a paste and seeps into the outer cylinder. The
cylinder and the spiraled ribs rotate during the entire
process, moving and churning the meat within the
121
Figures 9294, left to right: Rendering of the pupcycle shark boat" and a "hyena pupcyle. Authors images.
122
123
Figures 9596, left to right: Renderings of the wind turbine Loop Tube. Authors images.
124
125
Figure 97: Rendering of a 3D printer and its different parts. Authors image.
126
127
128
Figures 9899, left to right: A concept for the 3D printing system that would use the bioplastic to print custom products. Authors images.
129
130
Issues to be Solved
There were still some issues that the design team was unable to solve,
such as due to the limited amount of time as well as the lack of
chemistry/engineering backgrounds. The first unsolved topic was
exactly how many people would be needed to run the whole system.
Would there be included employees working the stand, collecting
the waste, transporting the waste, and the business aspect needed for
running the system? What would be the business model for such a
system?
Another area that needs further exploration is the exact chemistry
behind the biodegradable bone plastic. The specific amounts of each
ingredient as well as the knowledge about how long it would take to
biodegrade are unknown. Furthermore, the design team is unsure how
the biodegradable bone plastic would react to other substances such as
wine. Additionally, the team does not know where the specific enzymes
needed for the processing would come from. For the stand specifically,
there would need to be some sort of power supply to operate the 3D
printer. In addition to specialists in logistics, business development,
chemical engineering, the team would also need to engage mechanical
engineers for designing the wind-powered mechanism.
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133
134
Video describing the creating phase and the evaluating phase accessed here:
https://vimeo.com/129718413
Figure 101: A sign along the road in Lacoste, France. Authors imgae.
135
Introduction
The Evaluating Phase consisted of cross checking
the bio-inspired design against each of the 26
Biomimicry Life Principles, and making sure
that the prototype truly addressed the original
design challenge and that the project as a whole
fulfilled the project vision. The evaluation
team identified problems with the design and
substantiated those claims with possible solutions
that further incorporated processes in nature. This
phase included the revisiting of the Creating and
Discovering Phases, and furthered the collaboration
of the whole design team to address blind spots and
missed opportunities. While there was a substantial
Figure 102: A field and house located in Provence, France. Authors image.
136
137
138
Lifes Principles
141
Evolve to Survive
The product system is designed so that it can,
evolve further, based on feedback from customers,
but the product itself cannot evolve on its own. In
the designed 3D printing system life principles are
used as benchmarks in a more literal way in that
the 3D printer can create almost anything up to a
certain size. The devices that break down the meat
and bones use energy sources from manual labor to
function in a specific location. Depending on where
the market is located the devices for processing the
142
Reshuffle Information
143
144
Incorporate Diversity
145
146
147
148
Self-Organize
149
150
151
152
Do Chemistry in Water
Water could have been an element to consider,
however water takes much longer to break
down waste than the chosen life-friendly
enzymes, and would not be strong enough to
break down waste or bone. The life-friendly
enzymes are water based, but that is the extent
of the connection. Therefore, because the
design needs harsher elements, water was not
utilized for the upcycling process, but is used
when the product is broken down naturally
at the end of its life span. The process of
isolating the bones from the leftover meat will
be ideally accomplished using life-friendly
enzymes based on those found in a sharks
stomach rather than harsh chemicals.
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154
for the nitrogen from the whale, the whale eats the
plankton, which, in turn, will be transformed into
feces expelled into the water column yet again,
and this continues the looped cycle. In the worlds
unsustainably designed food system, efforts have to
be made to target one point at a time. In the case of
this prototype, the most efficient way to upcyle waste
is to create an interconnecting cycle forming a closed
loop to benefit all stakeholders within the market.
155
156
157
Sustainability
However, 3D printing is gaining popularity and
the currently used material for 3D printing is
highly toxic, so is the process of printing. If this
innovation led to ideas and subsequent innovations
for using trash (even beyond meat) to generate 3D
printing materials, it would represent a significant
opportunity for eliminating the toxic 3D materials
and products that are currently on the market.
158
Business
Opportunity
This chart shows
the process of
evolving our
design into a
real business
opportunity.
Partners
Activities
Value
Exchange of waste.
Designing and
purchasing of goods.
Use and disposal.
Environment
Education
Local quality assurance
Standardized quality of
manufactured goods.
Customer co-creation.
Support of local artisans.
Potential for local
economic stimulation.
Biodegradability and
disposability.
Resources
Meat and bones waste.
Other necessary materials
to make printable plastics.
HR for promotion, sales
and design.
Market stall and printer.
Energy generation.
Cost Structure
Variable costs:
HR
Energy and fuel
Purchased materials
Stakeholder
Relations
One-on-one customer
interaction ensures high
touch customer relations,
increasing value.
It is a design firm as
much as a product sales
firm, as we will be selling
designed, personalized
plastic based products.
Distribution
Channels
The business works in a
specific situation. It must
be compartmentalized by
handling manufacturing,
distribution and sales.
Stakeholder
Segments
We target consumers and
families of middle income
and higher. Our products
can serve as both utility
and novelty products and
can target both local and
tourists. Word of mouth
and internet based viral
marketing could attract
more customers. Utility
is offered through the
product itself. Single
manufacturing line (design
to 3d printing) can satisfy
all demands making the
process viable in the fixed
cost department.
Revenue Streams
Fixed costs:
Maintanence
Marketing
Branding/IP
Sunk cost:
Transportation and distribution
Manufacturing line
Other capital and equipment
Sale of goods.
If the business grows, it is possible to consolidate manufacturing into
factories and expand by partnering with distributors and establishing
boutiques around France and even around Europe. Mass quantities may
be exported through DHL or other services. Once we secure consumer
segment and profitability, we can proceed to opening up sales online. On-line distribution to unknown customers without established
customer base can be risky and costly.
159
Member Check
A Member Check is a form of getting feedback
directly from the stakeholders for whom the team
designed. The findings are presented to these
members in order to confirm the meaning-making
of the data and/or to be lead to re-investigate the
completed data interpretation. In this case, the
design team not only presented the data maps, but
also the emerging prototype to gain insights from
stakeholder responses.
Through the member check, our team gained
insights about how the locals would respond to our
design. Their reactions were overwhelmingly
positive, they stated how the learning opportunities
would be greatly appreciated by not only the adults,
but also by the children. They are excited about
having the children involved in the market and
experiencing new technologies like 3D printing.
Florence Thurston
Florence Thurston was born in Versailles and lived there until she
moved to Paris to finish high school. After graduation, Thurston
moved to North America and studied Education and Spanish at the
University of Idaho. Thurston then moved to Savannah, Georgia, and
taught French and Spanish in a private school until she returend to
France in 2013 where she is in charge of SCAD students coming to
study in Lacoste. As an educator Thurston enjoys learning, traveling,
cooking, foreign languages and spending time with friends.
Figures 111113, left to right: Representative stakeholdes. Authors images.
160
Laurence LHtellier
Laurence was born in the Provence, France. She studied Chinese in
Aix en Provence and traveled to China, Kunming and Yunnan after
completing her studies. She then worked in Ireland for five years at
the French Embassy where met her husband. She then moved back
to France where she worked real estate for another five years, had
two daughters and became a stay-at-home mom for two years. She
learned about SCAD and decided to accept an Administrative Manager
position at the Lacoste campus. In her spare time she enjoys painting,
which she has exhibited in both France and Ireland.
Jolle Olivier
Jolle was born in Orange, Provence, France. She studied tourism
and worked in hotels and restaurants as a manager. Most of her time,
she spent situated in a lovely environment such as the seaside or the
mountains. She has been working with Sodexo in Lacoste since 2014 as
an Assistant Manager. She currently lives in Carpentras, which is about
45 minutes drive from the village of Lacoste. Jolle enjoys nature, loves
and practices modern dance, as well as running. Additionally, she used
to dive and likes to snorkel.
161
162
164
165
166
Figure 115: The team researching an open air market in Provence, France. Authors image.
167
Appendix A
Consent Form (Blank English and French copies and signed copies)
In English
168
In French
Appendix B
Data Collection Sheets
170
171
Appendix B
Data Collection Sheets
172
173
Appendix C
Transcription of Primary Interviews
174
175
Appendix D
The team completed additional primary research during a week in Paris
at the end of March.
176
Keith Costa
Andrew Moore
What I learned from todays market research in Paris is that the vendors
dont pack up the stalls until they absolutely have to. There is a larger
amount of people in the markets, and it is in the vendors' best interest
to stay open longer so that they can make more sales. This action could
lead to more waste because the market vendors overestimate what they
can sell and overstock their stalls. Therefore they have left-over produce
that wont be sold and is wasted as a result. That being said, however,
the vendors typically had more facilities for saving food than the ones
in Apt.
I spent an hour and a half at the Rue Cler market hoping to watch
their process for closing down. The market was scheduled to close at
6, and I set up a space to watch them around 5. The stalls seem to
be mostly extensions of the stores rather than independent vendors.
I waited until after 6:30 and did not see them close, and speculated
that since the stalls could be brought in to the store that they could
stay open as long as there was business to stay open for. Small garbage
trucks stopped by frequently to take garbage from the stands. We
noticed that it was the same garbage man each time.
Andrew Moore
Daniel Cheon
Figure 117: Market near Home Latin in Paris, France. Authors image.
178
As soon as the market started closing, the sellers packed their things
and threw out what they could no longer sell into the dumpsters,
generating quite some waste that was not recycled or reused in any way.
It took the market vendors just a few minutes to pack up and leave.
I am not sure if it is because the clean up is unsightly or because the
sellers want to get out of there.
Saxe-Breteuil Market
March Maubert
Keith Costa
Daniel Cheon
I visited March Maubert right next to our hotel, and saw that the
produce they were selling was all clean and fresh. It is almost granted
that a large portion of the produce is not pristine, but I had to stop
and wonder where the not-so-good-to-sell produce ends up. Some may
go into processed food business, but I doubt that about all of them.
I spoke to a local tour guide and he said that a lot of the produce in
Parisian markets is purchased wholesale in a place called Chateau
Rungis.
179
Appendix E
iSite Descriptions
Date: April 1
Location: Students choice of location
Purpose: Connecting to nature, learning to observe
iSite: Basic Observation: Quiet Your Cleverness and Forget What You
Know
Instructions:
The most basic way to observe nature is to simply sit in a natural
setting for twenty five to thirty minutes. Find a comfortable place to
stand or sit. Do not pick a cultivated garden; try to find a more natural
setting where, for example, a plant is growing because the conditions
are right, not because a gardener put it there and cares for it. A bee
visiting an orchard is acceptable, but the orchard plant itself is not.
The first ten minutes pass relatively easily, as theres a lot of new
organisms to look at. The next ten minutes often get challenging; one
may find their mind wandering and their body feeling fidgety. Stick
with it. If one pushes past those distractions and remain in place for
the rest of the time or even longer, it is amazing what is revealed in
this deeper state of observation. After the twenty five to thirty minutes
are up, take at least ten minutes to write down the observations and
reflections about the exercise. At this time, one may take photos and/or
sketch.
I thought perhaps they wanted to warm in the sun. Maybe they need
water and they collect the due in the morning.
As I sat there longer I started to think more about the snails and how
they got there and where they came from. How did all of those little
snails get to the top of the hill? How do snails reproduce? What do
they eat and how do they collect water? Do they like the sun or the
shade?
Originally I thought snails needed to be by the water to survive.
I would have never thought I would find so many up on this
mountainside.
After some research that I conducted upon returning to the studio,
I found that snails could mate like any other organism and lay eggs
although some have both reproductive organs and can reproduce
asexually. I also found that they tend to live on the south facing sides
of mountains and they eat vegetation. Some snails drink water, others
absorb water and others get the moisture through the vegetation they
eat.
Appendix E
iSite Descriptions
Date: April 19
Location: Cedar Forest above Bonnieux
Purpose: Search for patterns in nature as indications that some
strategies are particularly valuable because they are found in multiple
habitats and multiple types of organisms.
iSite: Rapid Sensing
Instructions:
This iSite will take place in three locationsone will be done at a
close scale, within a few feet, another will be at a distance of five to
ten meters, and the third will be at an overlook where the observer
can see at least one kilometer away. At each site, set a timer for 30
to 60 seconds. Hit start and make a list of as many spontaneous
observations about the environment around, using all of the senses.
When the timer goes off, look back at the list. How many observations
did the list have in total? Are they totally random or related? Does one
have a tendency to notice certain things about the environment around
them or rely on a particular sense?
Move on to the next site and repeat, and then again for the third site.
Reflect on whether any differences were noticed in the tendencies
depending on scale and/or experience doing the previous site.
Students Response:
For this iSite, we ventured into the Cedar Forest near Bonnieux. In
three sessions we have observed the surroundings in timed intervals
and at different distances from close to far. Initially we observed
within a few feet then moved onto ten meters and finally ended with
observing over one km away. We paid attention to which of our senses
were active during the observation and if the observations correlated at
all.
Observations:
Close-Up
On/Around the Cedar Tree
Lichen + Moss along bottom/ one side only
Long seeds scattered about ground and bark
Piles of broken branches
Flat stone fragments
Piles of wood chips
Gray bark
Five to Ten Meters
Dense Forest Scene
Thick brush
Multiple species
Natural pathways
Scattered seed pods
Cedar saplings in brush
Plants grow at angle
Wet topsoil
Holes in stones
One Kilometer
Mountain Ridge
7 Peaks
Rounded mountains
Many leaf colors
Windy
Tops of cedars have flicks
Winding road
Rocky mountains
Cedars among other trees
Reflection:
Initially there seemed to be little correlation between the observations
in the close-up scene. There were natural elements juxtaposed with
tampering by outside forces such as people. Looking at the forest scene
I noticed a bit of a correlation between the observations as all of the
plants in the ecosystem adapt and cooperate together to the conditions
of the climate. In the far-off view of the mountain range scene the
landscape works together. Throughout this observation process, sight
was my primary tool but through other senses. I noticed the fresh scent
of the trees and the trickling of the raindrops on the soil. This iSite
has emphasized the importance of observing at different distances,
magnification, and scope. I can take this method into research of
various subjects.
183
Appendix E
iSite Descriptions
Date: April 12
Location: Town of Cassis
Purpose: Discover organisms that have found a way to survive in an
urban environment.
iSite: Urban Bio-Walk iSite
Reflection:
For my two organisms I decided to choose the duck and ivy growing
on the side of a wall. I choose these two organisms because of how
common they are in wild life and in urban life. One can find vines on
almost every tree observed, and I found the vines on almost every wall
in Cassis. Ducks are also very commonly seen near any body of water,
and today, I experienced them in a man-made pond located in the
middle of a park in Cassis.
Instructions
Walk through an urban area for at least twenty minutes and make a
list of all the living organisms found. Try to differentiate one species
from another on the list, even if they cannot be identified. Sketch at
least two of them and write a reflection on what was observed. In your
reflection, compare what you observed to some of the wild places we
visited in Lacoste.
Students Response:
Today we took a trip to Cassis and were told to walk through the
urban area of town for 20 minutes and make a list of any organisms we
found. My list included dogs, pidgeons, trees, shrubs, bushes, seagulls,
ducks, flowers, ivy, colored trees, ants, and people, of course. I wrote
few descriptions for each organism, just basic details, and where I was.
We were next asked to pick two organisms from our list and sketch
them out first. After we sketched them we wrote a reflection about our
organisms and compared them to the animals in the wild.
185
Appendix E
iSite Descriptions
Students Response:
Organism: Palm Tree
The palm tree at the Fontaine de Vaucluse has been integrated into
Location: Fontaine de Vaucluse
the surrounding environment by gardeners rather than growing on its
own. The leaves are not like other leaves where they are all together, but
Purpose: Learn about Lifes Principles and recognize them in nature
fanned out so the wind can easily move through them. Imagine if it
was one big leaf, it would get torn off from the wind since it is so big.
iSite: Lifes Principles Search
When a leaf dies as the tree grows, it is incorporated into the trunk/
bark of the tree. This is an effective way to recycle materials for the
Instructions:
Start with a 20-minute Lifes Principles tour with the scientist who will protection of the trunk its main source for the leaves energy. The
go through each of the Master principles and find organisms or systems dead leaves then fall off and decompose into the ground below, offering
that meet those principles and/or their sub-principles. This activity will another source of nutrients for its soil.
help everyone to become more familiar with the principles, and offer
Reflection:
opportunities for asking questions. All participants should have with
The palm tree uses its cycling of materials in a very elegant way and
them the list of Lifes Principles and their short definitions.
maximizes its energy in a wonderful way that I can learn to use in my
Break into four teams of three (for twelve people). Each team gets a set design work. When one thing dies it, in turn, helps its creator.
of Lifes Principles cards, one per person, each card showing a Master
principle and its sub-principles. Participants will have thirty to fortyfive minutes to find organisms or systems that meet the Lifes Principles
on your cards (one organism or system for each card), sketch them,
and write down why one thinks the organisms or systems meet those
principles. Teams need to remember where the organisms or systems
are because they will not leave the cards there.
Date: April 4
187
Appendix E
iSite Descriptions
Leaves split in half every time
the plant grows
Date: April 12
Location: Beach at Cassis
Purpose: Observe an organism or system and identify function and
strategy, then as a group discuss Lifes Principles, design principle, and
who would care about this strategy.
iSite: Genius of Place
Students Response:
Strategy: Absorbs salt water and protects itself from the harsh ocean.
Function:
Protects The organism grows in large bunches, in between rocks,
and has very thick internal stems for extra support from the push/pull
of the waves.
Absorbs The thick leaves/steams are designed so they can make the
most of an abundant element, water. The plants excrete salt through
their leaves and leave a salty film on the exterior. The flexibility of the
plant helps when the water rises and sways the plant without breaking
it.
Instructions:
Emulating lifes designs may result in designs that are sustainable,
but arent necessarily inherently so. However, if the team mimics lifes
principles, then all designs follow the functions as life does, sustainably. Design Principle:
Rather than resisting a persisting conflict, embracing it and using it
To mimic these principles, all must understand them. This exercise
hones the observational skills needed for abstracting design principles towards your advantage results in a more profitable outcome.
used for emulation.
Lifes Principles:
1) Use Readily Available Materials: The plant uses salt in the water that
Begin by observing something in the surroundings. See if you can
is always going to be a readily available resource.
observe the strategy employed by the organism or system. Talk with
2) Combine Modular and Nested Components: The bunching in
others in the team, discuss with a biologist and research. Once the
strategy has been discerned, abstract the deep principle used. Then refer groups makes for improved protection against the elements, plus helps
to capture nutrients more effectively.
to the lifes principles and identify the specific principles exemplified
3) Fit Form to Function: The density/thickness of the plant makes for
by this strategy. When you are done, join with the design team and
take the group to the site and give a comprehensive lesson on what was better holding of water and support.
found in the research process.
Who would care about this? Purification, desalination, and water
recycling plants/factories/organizations.
189
Appendix E
iSite Descriptions
Next, try to find another organism that must meet a similar function
and describe its strategy and how that strategy is different from or the
same as the first organisms strategy. No sketch is needed, but feel free
to provide one.
Students Response:
At the beginning of the spring quarter, I saw the firebugs here several
times. It made me feel curious. I usually see them on gravel roads
when it is sunny. Those firebugs I saw here in Lacoste were around ten
millimeters. They were strikingly red with a black head, they also had
a black triangle and the two large black round spots on their backs.
Their wings seem to be reduced and non-functional. The bugs may not
be able to fly. I tried to walk faster behind them, but they did not fly
away. I was so impressed with firebugs color. I thought the function
of the color is to communicate, eat something else! I taste terrible
which is to protect them from predators. This reminded me of another
related organism, ladybug. I thought the function of ladybugs color is
aposematic, where color is used to send signal of toxic contents. In this
way, some tiny predators, like small birds will try to keep away from
this kind of food. Especially, if it is colored, black or vibrant red. Even
though ladybugs are found in many other colors, such as pink, yellow
and more. However, occasionally, I saw the firebug again near an ant's
nest after rain. It wanted to enter the nest, while the soldier ants alerted
the colony to the presence of a stranger and kept it from gaining access
to their nest. I was shocked that the tiny ants, which looked even
smaller than the firebug, could be so brave and organize themselves in
such an effective way. And at last, the firebug ran away in a hurry.
Reflection:
Through the biomimicry learning process with our scientist, Sherry
Ritter, I felt that I began to be more and more familiar with how to
observe and learn from nature. By doing these iSites and comparing
them, I built my understanding of the relationships among different
organisms. And I also figured out how to get inspired by nature
through observation and exploring the web of life. Additionally, I also
conducted online research to confirm and/or learn more about my
observations.
191
Appendix E
iSite Descriptions
Date: April 5
Location: Mont Ventoux
Purpose: Search for patterns in nature as indications that some
strategies are particularly valuable because they are found in multiple
habitats and multiple types of organisms.
iSite: Natures Patterns iSite
Instructions:
In this iSite, look for patterns, defined as recurring forms or strategies.
Recurring patterns are often an indicator of especially effective
solutions to natures challenges. This definition of pattern may be
different from other definitions that might be used in design, so be sure
to understand this particular definition.
At the first stop, look for and record at least three patterns found
in multiple organisms or systems. This means three patterns, each of
which is found in multiple organisms or systems (that is, at least
three). Patterns might include structural angles, distribution systems,
edges, curves, gradients, and others.
These should be patterns that one can see, hear, or feel. Describe each
pattern using words and quick sketches.
At each subsequent stop, record whether each of these patterns shows
up again, and try to find at least one additional pattern that is not
noticed at any other stops.
Debrief at each location so you can see the breadth of the patterns.
However, at subsequent stops, the goal is to look for additional
patterns new to the list.
Students Response:
Intro: For this iSite we took the van to Mont Ventoux and stopped at
three sites in increasing altitude as we approached the summit. At each
site, we exited the van and went into the surrounding environment
to look for patterns. When we went to the next site we compared the
patterns to see if we observed anything new.
Observations:
Originally looking at tree stumps, I looked to see if the center or rings
had anything to reveal. The tree centers were consistently off center.
They did not lean into any particular direction. After realizing this,
I noticed that a lot of the organisms were growing in circular or ring
patterns. Oak shrubs were growing around the trees in rings. The
dandelions petal structure was also circular. At the next site I noticed
several flowers that were bulbous and spherical, again referencing the
circular pattern. At the mountain summit, the foliage would grow in
large, low, circular patches. It appeared cultivated or landscaped but
it was natural. Reflection: In this iSite I learned a lot about expanding
my observations to see how organisms and their processes correlated
with others in either the same or other not connected ecosystem. I took
away a greater understanding of how nature works in similar patterns
regardless of location, but will adapt in more specialist ways to the
certain ecosystem it resides in. This methodology could be very useful
when comparing very different climates and locating similar patterns.
193
Appendix E
iSite Descriptions
Date: April 6
Location: Students choice around Maison Basse
Purpose: Observe a living system and identify adaptations, functions,
and who might be interested in learning from that organism or
ecosystem. Research further and write the biological strategy and
design principle.
iSite and Exercise: Observing Selection Pressures
Instructions:
Part 1: Go for a walk with your nature journal. Find one organism
that intrigues you. Observe some of the strategies/adaptations it has to
survive and thrive within the abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living)
conditions that the local habitat poses. Draw an organism, and label
the adaptations observed and how they are adaptive (for instance, what
abiotic and biotic selection pressures come to mind that might have
driven the evolution of each adaptation). What are the functions of the
adaptations? Who might be interested in learning from one or more
of these strategies? Additional research might need to be done on the
organism later, so write down any questions that come up. If you are
uncertain about the nature or name of the organism, take a photo and
research later and/or ask a biologist.
Students Response:
I came across the last growing stage of a dandelion. After it buds, it
blooms into a yellow weed flower with pollen for thriving bees to carry
away and pollinate other flowers. After it flowers it turns into a white
flower completely different from the yellow flower it started with.
It does this so it can spread its seeds. The sprouts are made up of tiny
fuzzy ends and are attached to the bud center allowing for the wind to
carry them away.
Interaction with abiotic (non-living): wind and water and other natural
elements.
Interaction with biotic (living): other organisms using the flowers for
food, such as insects who are attracted to the flowers for the nectar and
pollinate in exchange
It starts its flowering early on in the spring in order to optimize
pollen generation, then while spring arises it uses a different method
of spreading. Since the wind picks up in spring and most plants start
growing, the dandelion thrives again with the light white flowers.
195
Appendix E
iSite Descriptions
Figure 129: Sketch of iSites: Biological Lenses: Local Lens. Authors image.
196
Date: April 20
Location: Pont Julien
Purpose: Begin to understand the abiotic and biotic factors that drive
adaptations in organisms and the system within which the organism
lives.
Exercise:
Identify a partner with whom you have not yet interacted. Together,
choose one organism to discuss. Something thats stationary or not
moving very fast will work best. First, spend some time identifying
iSite: Biological Lenses: Local Lens
interesting features, behaviors, habitat, the ecosystem, the context,
and dynamics in which that creature evolved. Use inductive reasoning
to put together what one observes and determine what one does not
Instructions:
Critters adapt and evolve within the context of their local environment. know. Together, discuss observations and then begin to sketch out its
As kids, we often learn about specific creatures and their cool features, system. The more elements discovered, the better. Think about the
such as an elephants trunk, a jackrabbits ears, or the fluffy seeds from needs of the organism: shelter, food, water, communication, mating,
a cottonwood tree. Eventually bits and pieces of their ecosystem enter predators, abiotic conditions over time, cooperation and competition,
the dialogue: elephants live in herds, jackrabbits live in burrows, and
etc. Here is a sample for the elephant. Everything within the circle
cottonwood trees tend to grow along rivers and streams.
is directly observable; outside the circle is the context in which the
elephant has evolved.
In other words, much of what we learn about nature is learned out of
context, outside of the system in which it exists. In taking life out of
Reflection:
context, we forget that there is context and that it is context that molds Tadpoles stick together in case of an attack, just as humans and various
the organism, fosters or inhibits different strategies, and allows life to
other organisms do. They are beginning their growing phase so they
continue.
have very large fins to swim away from predators. Perhaps they try to
mimic tiny rocks in order to hide more efficiently.
The purpose of this exercise is to develop the ability to identify the
abiotic (physical) and biotic (living) factors that drive adaptations in
various species, and to begin to consider the system within which an
organism exists: What resources are available in this region? How much
water? How much sunlight? What are the dominant wind and weather
patterns? How do the local organisms filter water? Store water? Build
shelters? Stay warm? Stay cool? Respond to wind? Avoid wind?
197
Appendix E
iSite Descriptions
Date: March 30
Location: Forest at Chateau above Lacoste
Purpose: Use observational skills to identify organisms that are doing
certain functions. Get to know local organisms that meet functions of
interest.
iSite: Function Junction
Instructions:
Break into four teams of three (for twelve people). Each team gets a
set of Function cards, one per person. In addition, upon receiving a
blank card on which the team should write a function related to the
design challenge. The group will have fifteen to twenty minutes to
find organisms or systems that meet the functions on the cards (one
organism or system for each card), sketch them, and write down why
the organisms or the system meets that function. Teams should leave
their cards near the organism or system, being careful to anchor them
so they do not blow away. If you are in an area where there are lots of
other users, such as in a park, just remember where the organisms or
systems are.
The debrief involves taking a tour of each groups findings and
discussion.
Function should match the design challenge. Here are the functions
related to food waste challenge:
Communicate
Transport materials or nutrients
Cooperate
Break down living materials
Capture, absorb, or filter
Cycle nutrients
Protect from living entities (fungi, microbes, animals)
Protect from loss of liquids
Protect from high or low temperature
Send signals
Use feedback loops
Each group also got this one: Come up with another function related
to the food system
Snail Shell:
The shell of a snail is structured in a spiral, so the snail can slink down
into the cavity of the shell for protection. The pressure of the snail in
the shell allows for better support and reinforcement. Snails have a
hard door that seals the shell shut. The shell is continuously growing in
the golden rectangle pattern.
Reflection:
On our trip up to the castle and in the woods I would have normally
just walked around not taking advantage of the elaborateness of the
structures and cycles of nature. They were there all around me, I just
needed to open my eyes and mind to appreciate the collaborative
nature of how all the organisms function together.
Students Response:
Function card: Protect from living organisms
Protect:
A natural response to predators of any sort is to protect oneself.
Protection can be in the form of structure surrounding an organism,
such as a shell.
199
Appendix F
First Batch of 26 Function Cards
200
201
Appendix F
First Batch of 26 Function Cards
202
203
Appendix F
First Batch of 26 Function Cards
204
205
Appendix F
First Batch of 26 Function Cards
206
207
Appendix G
Annotated Bibliography
Meghan Preiss
208
Parfitt, J., Barthel, M., & Macnaughton, S. (2010). Food waste within
food supply chains: quantification and potential for change to 2050.
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
365(1554), 30653081.
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0126
I found many charts on food waste in Europe in this article. I found
what food is wasted the most and why it is wasted. It also includes a graph
that shows that most food thrown away is still edible. I think this source
will be useful when focusing on food waste.
Bhunnoo, R., & Benton, T. (March 30, 2012). Global food systems
and UK food imports: Resilience, safety and security. Global Food
Security. Retrieved from http://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/assets/pdfs/gfsand-uk-food-imports.pdf
This article is about the steps being taken to make waste management
more sustainable in a more municipal capacity. It also describes that the
Lee, R., & Marsden, T. (2009). The globalization and re-localization
management side of the waste problem is also important, and that there are
of material flows: Four phases of food regulation. Journal of Law
workshops being instilled to train managers to run their municipal systems
and Society, 36(1), 129144. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467in a more sustainable way. This information is important because it shows
6478.2009.00460.x
that there are steps being taken on a high level of management to bring the
In this journal I found statistics relating to where a majority of groceries waste system to the more sustainable future.
were being purchased. This information is useful because it states that a
IEHIAS. (n.d.). Defining the stakeholders: an example from
majority of food in Europe is being purchased at grocery stores and the
agriculture. Integrated Environmental Health Impact Assessment
percentage of grocery store sales grows every year.
System. Retrieved from http://www.integrated-assessment.eu/
Link, A., & Ling, C. (June 18, 2007). Farmers markets and local food guidebook/defining_stakeholders_example_agriculture
systems. Retrieved
This website describes all of the stakeholders that are involved in
From
food production, beginning with the farmers and describing the various
http://crcresearch.org/case-studies/crc-case-studies/farmers-marketschannels that food needs to go through in order to finally make it to the
and-local-food-systems
consumer, even showing the sides that are not as obvious, such as health
inspectors. This is important to the design team because it shows the various
In this article, there are many case studies relating to the open air
markets. This article focuses on how to make the markets more sustainable. different, and sometimes unexpected, stakeholders that need to be accounted
for.
It talks about food stability and focusing on locally grown food. It talks
209
Appendix G
Annotated Bibliography
Without nutritious soil, farmers cannot grow healthy crops. Soil needs
essential elements to produce crops sustainably without depleting the quality
of the soil. Approximately 17,000 types of soils have been classified in the
United States and have different properties depending on their geographic
location. Understanding these differences can help farmers to grow the right
crops based on what types of nutrients are naturally in the soil. This article
also outlines the functions of soil in an ecosystem. This can be of use to the
design team by giving some insight into why soil is important and how
they can incorporate it into the design. This could also provide insight into
how the design team could take the biomaterial they upcycled and use it to
create super nutrient soil.
Holloway, L., Cox, R., Kneafsey, M., Dowler, E., &Tuomainen, H.
(2006). Managing sustainable farmed landscape through alternative
food networks: a case study from Italy. The Geographical Journal,
172(3), 219229.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4959.2006.00205.x
In the Abruzzo National Park in Italy, an alternative farm is managed
by way of an international network. This farm allows costumers to adopt
a sheep and receive products from the farm. This farm is partially funded
by the Italian government for its sustainable practices and has customers
around the world. This farm management plan could be a great inspiration
for the design teams management plan. This could give them ideas on how
to encourage consumers to participate whether they are local or not and
how to broaden the knowledge of the upcycling effort that is taking place to
minimize food waste in France and around the world.
211
Appendix G
Annotated Bibliography
Yiran Wang
Gray, N. (April 28, 2014). Insect economics: Insect production could
utilize global food waste to produce nutritionally better protein.
Retrieved from http://www.foodnavigator.com/Market-Trends/Insecteconomics-Insect-production-could-utilise-global-food-waste-toproduce-nutritionally-better-protein
In the article, Insect Economics: Insect production could utilize global
food waste to produce nutritionally better protein, Professor Arnold van
Huis highlights the contributions that insects provide for food systems.
There are large populations of people that eat insects for their nutrition
instead of more common meats. He talks about feeding the insects with
food waste, creating a complete cycle and more value. This can benefit the
economy. This article is relevant because it talks about a sufficient way of
upcycling food waste in a way that could be easily adopted and utilizes
insects to do the work.
Gray, N. (April 23, 2014). We have to do more to reduce waste as
an industry, warns Leatherhead expert. Retrieved from http://www.
foodnavigator.com/Market-Trends/We-have-to-do-more-to-reducewaste-as-an-industry-warns-Leatherhead-expert
212
This article outlines the various steps that are required to limit food
waste. It talks about how there has been a massive surge of post-consumer
food waste in developed nations, which is not a result of limited awareness,
but rather limited awareness to the severity of the problem. The article
also talks about limited government intervention and support of the
food industry to try and push across more sustainable methods such as
biodegradable packages. This article is important because it illustrates the
present issues that plague the food production industry, and shows what
needs to be solved to create a more sustainable future.
Sirieix, L., Grolleau, G., & Schaer, B. (2008). Do consumers care
about food miles? An empirical analysis in France. International
Journal of Consumer Studies, 32(5), 508515.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1470-6431.2008.00711.x
This article talks about the findings of a focus group whose task was
to analyze Food Miles which is the amount of time it takes to get food
to a consumer after it has been produced. They are used to assess the
environment impact of transporting food, including global warming. The
article also talks about how there is an unfortunate habit of consumers to
ignore where their food is coming from and how it got to them. This can
lead to environmental issues as well as a lack of sustainability in the minds
of the customers. This article talks about the importance of the middle man
in food production, and how, when the middle man is ignored, there can
be serious waste related consequences.
Breana Russell
Link, A. (June 18, 2007). Farmers market and local food systems.
Retrieved from http://crcresearch.org/case-studies/crc-case-studies/
farmers-markets-and-local-food-systems
Food systems have several stakeholders carrying through the process such
as farming, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing,
consumptions, and disposal. Each one of these has their own set of
stakeholders within their own individual process, however regarding the
food system stakeholders, we only need to include the main processors.
Food systems are also influenced by social, political, economic, and
environmental contexts. Humans are the hands behind the scenes of systems
labor, education, and research. This source is helpful to our project because
it lists every stakeholder within a food system and the outside influences
affecting the system as well.
Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UCDAVIS. (n.d.). Stakeholders.
Retrieved from http://asi.ucdavis.edu/research/ss/stakeholders
This website provided a bubble diagram of stakeholders. The center
bubble diagram is Stakeholder the outside bubbles were customers,
suppliers, employees, members, consumers organizations, standard agencies,
local communities, and the government. The website describes the inter
connections of individuals, groups, and organizations. Furthermore, the
bubble diagram stresses the importance of external stakeholder agencies,
customers, and the government and how they align with internal
stakeholders. This source is helpful to our project because this gives us a
skeleton of how to organize our stakeholders into a diagram that is easy to
understand, and the importance of each level not just listing them out.
Baardseth, P. (2007). Food for life: Innovation network including the
stakeholders in the value chain input to WP11 nutrigenomics and
society and WP12 commercialisation. Genes & Nutrition, 2(1) 9192.
DOI: 0.1007/s12263-007-0023-8
213
Appendix G
Annotated Bibliography
Andrew Moore
Leib, E., Ferro, J., Nielsen, A., & Nosek, G. (2013, September
1). The dating game: how confusing food date labels lead to food
waste in America. Retrieved from http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/
foodpolicyinitiative/files/2013/09/dating-game-report.pdf
This article summarizes the problem of food waste caused by unclear
food labels. It posits that the convoluted system of use-by, best-by
and expired-by labels cause more confusion than clarity and should be
replaced with a standardized system. It gives a concise history of food labels
in the United States and overview of the various laws in different states
applying to food labeling and suggests that a unified system would reduce
food waste. Coming with the stamp of the Harvard Food Law and Policy
Council on the report adds a lot of weight to the Natural Resources Defense
Councils report. The report is professionally put together and highly
polished and comes with its own extensive bibliography of sources. Given
its relevance to how large volumes of food waste are created because of small
design changes in packaging, it seems that the information in the article
would be valuable for helping the design team understand what needs to be
part of the final solution for the design competition.
Markham, D. (January 9, 2013). Startup helps restaurants and
groceries turn food waste into fertilizer. Retrieved from http://
ecopreneurist.com/2013/12/03/startup-helps-restaurants-groceriesturn-food-waste-fertilizer/
This article describes a food waste disposal system developed by former
Microsoft employees called the Harvester (or the Zero Waste Nutrient
Recovery System) that allows restaurants to turn up to 4000 pounds of food
waste per day into nutrient rich liquid that can be further refined into
agricultural fertilizer. While the website itself isnt particularly academic,
the information it is providing is particularly relevant to the design teams
potential solutions for Provences food waste problems. The Harvester system
addresses many of the same problems being tackled by the Biomimicry and
Contextual Research classes, so understanding how it works and the context
in which it was created is important.
Perry, K. (August 6, 2014). Mass. to make big food wasters
lose the landfill. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/blogs/
thesalt/2014/08/06/338317224/mass-to-make-big-food-wasters-losethe-landfill?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_
campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140807
Appendix G
Annotated Bibliography
the cultural aspects regarding the food system, in addition to figures and
estimates on the different kinds of foods being commonly traded and the
size of the economic market.
Huyghe, C. (August 1, 2012). France. Country pasture/forage resource
profiles. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/
Counprof/France/france.htm
There are many agricultural techniques that lead to losses that are often
overlooked by farmer. The concept of abundance can promote wastefulness.
With meat and dairy production constantly on the rise, the environmental
issues that go along with that also rise. Also, farming practices that lead
to deforestation are not sustainable solutions. This report confirms some
concerns and suspicions regarding the French agriculture, and opens up
options for opportunities to upcycle food waste into agriculture.
Food and Agriculture Organization of The United States. (n.d).
Country profile: France. Retrieved from http://faostat.fao.org/
CountryProfiles/Country_Profile/Direct.aspx?lang=en&area=68
The population of people who work in the agriculture industry
is in decline, but the amount of production continues to rise due to
unsustainable methods of farming. The idea of cash crops can prose a
threat to long term food security. Also the reliance on imports is not cost
effective and harmful to the countries food economy. This source is a
descent background reading for future references, with no data point with
significant correspondence with our particular study.
Jackson Hedden
This article explains the impact that food consumption and production
have on the environment. It states that food systems need to become more
sustainable in order to meet the needs of the worlds growing population.
Food sustainability can be effected through the products that consumers
buy. As a result, a local consumer can effect the global food system. If
overconsumption in Europe can be reduced, there will be a direct health
benefit for the population. Changing the consumption habits of developed
countries to reduce waste and overconsumption will lead to increased food
availability in developing countries. Food sustainability is the effective
use of resources at a rate that the Earth has the capacity to replace.
Overproduction, waste, water consumption and biodiversity are just a
few of the concerns that must be addressed as we work toward a globally
sustainable food system. This article references and illustrates reasonably
trustworthy sources of information, which can be utilized to make a better
product. This article is valuable as it directly examines the sustainability of
the current European food system.
Searchinger, T., Hanson, C., Ranganthan, J., Lipinski, B., Waite, R.,
Winterbottom, R., . . . Heimlich, R. (December, 2013). Creating a
sustainable food future: Interim findings. Retrieved from http://www.
wri.org/publication/creating-sustainable-food-future-interim-findings
217
Appendix G
Annotated Bibliography
must be addressed but the supply chain must also be altered. Global
contracts do not always supply food to the area most in need as financial
considerations must be made. Governments find it difficult to coordinate
the entire cycle from farm to mouth. This article clearly examines the
aspects of food insecurity and the major players in the food security cycle.
Along with the coordinated efforts that must be undertaken to create
sustainable food systems and eliminate food insecurity.
Lang, T., & Barling, D. (2012). Food security and food sustainability:
Reformulating the Debate. The Geographical Journal, 178(4), 313326.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4959.2012.00480.x
Food insecurity is when an individual lacks sufficient physical, social or
economic access to safe and nutritious food. This is an agenda for the 20th
century politician and it is important due to the increasing population that
will experience food insecurity. Dealing with hunger and crisis of hunger
around the world is a large part of the UNs responsibility. In 2007, the
UN decided to give additional funding to meet the needs of current hunger
such as more help in managing the food production and storage of food,
and that increased production of food would be facilitated in order to
respond to the worlds growing food insecurity problems. The price spike of
2007 set off a food insecurity crisis that has continued to grow. Producing
more food is the simple answer, but not as easily achieved as one expects.
Population continues to grow and at some point production of food in the
current manner will not be sufficient to feed everyone. Farming methods
219
Appendix H
References
Appendix I
List of Tables
221
Appendix J
List of Figures
222
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224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232