zq07 fall 2013
World: Interview
pretation as to what success implies. The industrial revolution has definitely helped mankind to come up with technical solutions to many societal problems. However, if we look an inch deeper, many of these solutions are not regenerative or, at the least sustainable. Additionally, there is a lot of waste generated as we have failed to attain closed-loop systems. The way nature evolves is a fantastic way to observe cooperative systems at work incorporating resilient and adaptable designs. We need to learn from nature’s clever design strategies. We need to change our mindsets from selfish to symbiotic in order to interact with our immediate environment, with nature, and therefore with ourselves in the most positive ways. How are you sustained financially? A plethora of funding opportunities exist and we are approaching various organizations in the European Union as well as independent institutions interested in promoting and supporting sustainable innovation and education. So far, though, this is in the initiation/application phase and we are glad to have amazing people full of energy, commitment and passion contributing to the development of our organization and helping the movement gain momentum. What is you geographical “reach” within Germany, and where are your members, meeting places, project locations? While we are based in Berlin and so are some of our partners, we do act throughout Germany and have partners in other locations. Currently, most of our active members live in Berlin, but
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Author: Prateep Beed and Arndt Pechstein
the number of members joining the organization from outside the capital is increasing. Meeting places at this stage are based in Berlin, however already our projects now transcend the city boundaries and we are travelling the country to present at conferences, in media and on stage. What is the best thing that you’ve done within the last year? Ever? Amongst the great things we have done this and last year was sit down, plan, and formulate the launch of Biomimicry Germany. Germany has been at the forefront of technological innovations over the last decades and the time is apt for launching this innovative win-win methodology that will inspire various fields including science and technology, architecture, and the energy sector. We are equally proud of having partnered with the D.School, which is undoubtedly a great place to bring brilliant, multidisciplinary-trained minds together to solve design challenges. Our biggest achievement in the industrial realm is our close ties to the 3D printing sector. ⊗ Contributed by Dr. Prateep Beed and Dr. Arndt Pechstein (founders at Biomimicry Germany e.V.)