Loops are Life
There’s a well established argument for humans as a chaotic force on earth, changing and destroying as we go along. Conversely, there is a growing movement towards finding balance. Change and sustainability are literally at opposite ends of the spectrum, so how do they relate?
There’s three simple input output beneficiary cycles happening here.
Ecology thrives on sustainability, and sustains humans.
Technology thrives on change, and also sustains humans.
Humans create change and require Sustainability.
This is certainly an over-simplification, but never-mind that! We’re talking big picture here. In the diagram, you should be seeing something happening, and some potential cycles at work here. The one most recently discovered is that ecology, while sustaining us, could us teach us. Science peers into the natural environment and finds wondrous systems and biological solutions at work to solve the various problems of staying alive while maintaining balance. That knowledge can be used in guiding the next changes we make, which advance technology that will co-sustain us in the future. The field of Biomimetics have been working hard on finding the tricks for survival from ecology and add them to the tricks for survival in our technology.
So what is this? It’s what humans do. As creators of our environment, we’re learning how to create environments that work within the context of the larger environment already in place. To build systems and networks and objects and ideas that connect to all points on this simple diagram. That we’re using the tools of science, design, and sociology to make sure that all the things we need stay connected, and the cycles stay complete.
The Take-Away:
Don’t: Just look to technology to save ecology, and don’t look to ecology to create technology.
Do: Look to ecology that can create technology that can save ecology that can create technology that can save ecology that can…
