Term
| What are the nine lessons nature gives us about living sustainably that Janine Benyus describes in her book? |
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Definition
- Runs on sunlight
- Uses only the energy it needs
- Fits form to function
- Recycles everything
- Rewards competition
- Banks on diversity
-Demands local expertise
-Curbs excess from within
-Taps the power of limits |
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Term
| Which biome is the Land Institute trying to model for sustainable agriculture? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the advantages of mimicking praries? |
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Definition
- Most energy held in biomass
- Nutrition-rich soil maintained
- Perrenial plants -> ess energy for re-seeding
- Nitrogen-fixing bacteria maintain healthy soil |
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Term
| What type of energy does nature primarily run on? |
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Definition
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Term
| What system are scientists trying to model to harness solar energy? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the quantum efficiency of natural solar energy? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the traditional method we use for materials manufacturing? |
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Definition
Heat, beat, treat
(high temperatures, high pressure, strong chemicals) |
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Term
| What four tricks can we borrow from nature to model eco-friendly materials manufacturing? |
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Definition
- Life-friendly manufacturing products
- Ordered heirarchy of structures
- Templating of crystals with proteins
- Self-assembly |
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Term
| How might we best speed up pharmaceutical screening for new drug compunds? |
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Definition
| Observe animal use of natural substances |
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Term
| What are the major differences between a silicon-based computer and a carbon-based brain? |
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Definition
Carbon - parallel processes (chemical)
Silicon - linear processes (electrical) |
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Term
| Modern business most closely resembles what type-stage of ecological succession? |
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Definition
Primary
(Pioneer/opportunistic species) |
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Term
| What are the three main failures in a capitalistic economy as far as the environment and sustainability are concerned? |
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Definition
- Inability to respect sustainable yeild threshold
- Inability to value nature's services
- Inability to incorporate indirect environmental costs |
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Term
| In terms of sustainability, what do we mean by "closing the loop"? |
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Definition
| Make outputs inputs again (recycle) |
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