Nature based solutions to inspire and shape transformative change 2014

15/11/2014
Leen Gorissen
NATURE-BASED
SOLUTIONS TO INSPIRE
AND FUEL
TRANSFORMATIVE
CHANGE
Inviting nature at the
boardroom table

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© 2013, VITO NV
WHY ‘SOLUTIONS AS USUAL’
WILL NOT GET US OUT OF OUR
CURRENT PREDICAMENT

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© 2013, VITO NV
PERSISTENT
Problems

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» E.g. Mobility problem: congestion
More cars road expansion
But population growth
more cars
congestion
road expansion
PERSISTENT PROBLEMS
= problems that tend to re-appear when intervention just targets
impacts/symptoms of problems (Rotmans, 2005)
» Simple problem solving approaches can bring short term relief but are not
appropriate to resolve persistent problems

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© 2013, VITO NV
» Complex, long-term and uncertain
-> no quick fixes or only technological solutions
» Rooted in the structure of the system
-> optimization through existing solutions insufficient
» Multiple actors and multitude of sectors involved
-> different ‘stakes’, vested interests,…
» Difficult to ‘manage’
-> it is about the hardware (structure) and the software of the system
(culture, practice)
 SYSTEM CHANGES ARE REQUIRED TO SOLVE PERSISTENT PROBLEMS.
UNSUSTAINABILITY LOCK-IN REQUIRES TRANSITIONS
PERSISTENT PROBLEMS

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BUSINESS AS USUAL FAVOURS ‘SOLUTIONS AS USUAL’
» Simple problem solving, optimisation & efficiency strategies still lead to a
postponed negative transition

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THE WAY OUT

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We need to reflect on ‘why we see the world the way we see it’
» Reductionist thinking (Newton, Descartes, Aristotle)
“Reductive thinking has become such a societal habit that it is seldom
questioned by the general populace and even many scientists”
(Rogers et al 2013)
» Survival of the fittest thinking (Darwin)
"Popular wisdom holds that the fittest survive, the strongest, leanest,
largest, perhaps meanest – whatever beats the competition. But in
healthy, thriving natural systems it is actually the 'fitting-est' who thrive.”
(Braungart & McDonough 2009)
OUR DOMINANT WAY OF THINKING

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TRANSFORMATIONAL TIMES ASK FOR
TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE
9
To stop replicating
the past we need
‘vision guided’
system innovation

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© 2013, VITO NV
TRANSITION THEORY
» While examples of historical transitions (for instance from transport by
horse-and-carriage to automobiles, or from sailing ships to steam ships) often
boil down to radical and structural change processes without a well- defined
and pre-set objective, the present concept of ‘transition theory’ as a working
frame is clearly linked with the explicit goal of sustainable development.
» Can we organize ourselves to stimulate a positive transition towards a
desired and sustainable future?

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© 2013, VITO NV
11
Dominant trend ‘eco-efficiency’ reproduces ‘suboptimal’ solutions
Population growth, climate change, ecosystem degradation,
biodiversity loss,…
Undercurrent counter movements applying nature-
based solutions: eg biomimicry, permaculture,
ecosystem stewardship…
NATURE-BASED THINKING, AN INTERESTING UNDERCURRENT

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© 2013, VITO NV
A STRIKING EXAMPLE OF
NATURE-BASED THINKING IS THE
EMERGENT DISCIPLINE
‘BIOMIMICRY’
Following slides © Biomimicry 3.8

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IF THE HISTORY OF THE EARTH WERE COMPRESSED INTO A
CALENDER YEAR…

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CITY BUILT BY HUMANS

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CITY BUILT BY NATURE

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© 2013, VITO NV
THE DIFFERENCE IS NOT IN WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE,
BUT HOW WE DO IT.
Calcium-carbonaat
» Exoskeleton built by organisms
using local resources: Calcium +
CO2 from seawater
» At low temp, with little energy
and without waste
» This process is 450 million years
old
Cement
» Former oceans rich of calcium-
carbonate have formed
limestone deposits
» We have to mine in order to
obtain these resources
» Heavy equipment, explosives,
high temperature and lots of
energy (transport)

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© 2013, VITO NV
THE HUMAN DESIGN PRODUCES CO2
Mining: 39 billion tons per year
Heat treating: >1400°C
Packaging
Transport
equals 6% of humanity’s annual GHG emissions
© L-‐R:Dionatan ZibeS, CC-‐BY-‐NC; Wikimedia user Linguis9c Demographer, public domain; Flickr user Judy_&_Ed, CC-‐BY-‐NC

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© 2013, VITO NV
Created on site
Built to shape
Uses CO2 as a building block
Low temperature
Waste free, not toxic
NATURE’S DESIGN SEQUESTERS CO2
© NOAA, public domain

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BIOMIMICRY = CAN WE LEARN FROM NATURE’S DESIGN?

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BIOMIMICRY: WHAT WORKS, WHAT IS APPROPRIATE AND
WHAT CAN LAST IN A FINITE WORLD

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EMULATING FROM DIFFERENT LEVELS
Form
Shape – surface - texture
PROCESS
A series of operations
(ECO)-SYSTEM
Netwerk where the whole is
more then the sum of its parts

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LEARNING FROM THE KINGFISHER HOW TO REDUCE TURBULENCE
Shinkansen Bullet train travels at
200km/u Problem = noise
How to reduce turbulence when
exiting a tunnel (different air densities
inside and outside)?
The shape of the kingfishers beak reduces
turbulence when entering the water.
Emulating this form into the design of the
front of the train resulted in a quieter train,
15% reduction in electricity use, 10% higher
speed.
© Emily Harrington(c) wildxplorer

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© 2013, VITO NV
₋ For animals that swim so slowly through the ocean,
sharks are remarkably clean. There are no free-
riders like on the body of many whales
₋ This is because the microstructure of their skin is
covered with little denticles
© Albert Kok © Mark Carwadine
LEARNING FROM THE SHARK HOW TO BECOME NATURALLY
RESISTENT TO BACTERIA

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© 2013, VITO NV
» Because this texture inhibits bacterial growth, sharks are naturally resistant to
bacteria
» The company Sharklet mimicked this texture in a synthetic surface for
consumer goods, medical equipment etc.
» These surfaces deter colonisation by certain disease causing microbes and
since this works without killing the microbes, there is no selection for
(antibiotic) resistance

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THAT IS WHY NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS CAN BE A VALID
ALTERNATIVE TO ‘SOLUTIONS AS USUAL’

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EXAMPLES OF NATURE-BASED
THINKING IN FLANDERS,
BELGIUM

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LET’S Z OM IN
ON BIO-INSPIRED BUILDINGS

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© 2013, VITO NV
» Part of the Hospital Limburg East, design by OSAR Architects
» ‘Patient’ central for the design
THE CHILDREN’S PSYCHIATRIC CENTER IN GENK
Pics © OSAR architects, Boydens.be

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© 2013, VITO NV
» Building
seamlessly
integrated in
natural
environment
» ‘Wellbeing of
children and
their parents’
is point of
departure
Pics © OSAR architects, Boydens.be

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» Warm environment promoting safe feeling of children and
well-being of employees
» Renewable energy system and use of natural materials
(wood)
Pics © Limburg Bouwt winter 2013

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© 2013, VITO NV
» Visionary design by Holistic Architecture and development by
the temporary trade association Mandala
» One of the most sustainable governmental buildings in BE
THE NEW ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER OF
HOUTHALEN - HELCHTEREN
Pics ©Kumpen

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© 2013, VITO NV
» Integrated in landscape
» Organic curved design
» ‘Symbiotic way of life’
central in design
» Natural
materials,
renewable
energy and
smart design
Pics © http://www.holisticarch.be/

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© 2013, VITO NV
» Nature-based solutions also require more attention to new
productive (symbiotic) human cooperation concepts
Pics © infobrochure NAC stad Houthalen-Helchteren

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© 2013, VITO NV
Pics © http://www.holisticarch.be/

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LET’S Z OM IN
ON BIO-INSPIRED DISTRICTS

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Sint
Niklaas
» Greenfield at city border
» Key features: Green – Low traffic – Energy efficient – Playful
» Key principles: Resilience - Reversibility
…ON ECO-DISTRICT CLEMENTWIJK

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» Northern city border: 28,4 ha including 4 ha shared park
» First phase 2012-2015
» 600 houses and school, bakery, meeting place, launderette
Pics © clementwijk

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© 2013, VITO NV
» Recreation: Playful green belt
for young and old
» Food: Urban agriculture,
flower garden, orchard
» Nature: Sloping lands, canals
» Education: Vegetable
garden & wild flower
garden
» Water: Infiltration,
circulation, recovery,
reuse, recreation

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© 2013, VITO NV
Leuven
» Largest city development project in Flanders
» Reconversion of old industrial site
» Aim to enrich the city of Leuven with a large green ‘lung’
» In development
…ON ECO-CITY TWEEWATERS

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© 2013, VITO NV
» 1200 low energy houses in
high-rise blocks
» Compact living: 5000
people living & working
» River ‘Dijle’ is the green
vein of Tweewaters
» Site is 100% car free
» Park of 3,5 ha
» District without
traditional streets,
gardens, fences
Pics © Tweewaters

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© 2013, VITO NV
» 70 % of open space
» Food: edible landscape
foreseen
» Nature: is concentrated
on the banks of the
Dijle, functional green
and semi natural
biotopes

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Ypres
» Compact design
» Special focus on affordability
…ON ECO-DISTRICT DE VLOEI

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» Blue green belts as space for socializing, recreation and play
» District is designed as a water buffer (canals, streams, ponds,
permeable surfacing)
Pics © De vloei

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» Gardens and urban agriculture
» Fencing only by endemic plants
» Sensitisation program on green roofs and ecological gardening for
residents Pics © De vloei

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LET’S Z OM IN
ON BIO-INSPIRED FOOD SYSTEMS

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SAMENLAND PERMACULTURE CSA IN SINT-TRUIDEN
» Former corn field
(4,2 ha)
redesigned into a
permaculture food
production system
» Underpinned by a
community
supported
agriculture (CSA)
business model
Pics © Directie Ruimte, Dienst Milieu en Natuur, Provincie Limburg

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© 2013, VITO NVPics © Directie Ruimte, Dienst Milieu en Natuur, Provincie Limburg
» Permaculture: designing regenerative, restorative, self-
regulating and largely self-maintained agricultural
systems modeled after natural ecosystems

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© 2013, VITO NV
» Producing resilient food systems while improving
biodiversity and ecosystem services by mimicking natural
solutions
» Stacking
production 4D
» Designing with
nature rather
than against
» No use of
farming
machinery,
pesticides,
fertilizers

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© 2013, VITO NV
FROM FOOD INITIATIVES TO NETWORK DYNAMICS
» Permaculture design courses, 19 CSA initiatives, 165 local food
teams active, food forests, PC festival, network, practicioners,...

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SIGMAPLAN OF THE PROVINCE OF ANTWERP
» Started the SIGMA plan to give back space to
water
» To develop a safe, natural and economically
attractive Scheldt region

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» Make the
ecosystem of
the Scheldt
more robust
» Tides are
given free
play
» Approximately 260 kms of river is involved in
the project
» Creating 4000 ha of nature and wetlands
along the banks
(c) Waterwegen en Zeekanaal NV

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» Restoring tidal nature
» By a clever concept of water
management: the flood control area
with reduced tides (CRT).

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» Restoring tidal nature
» By a clever concept of water
management: the flood control area
with reduced tides (CRT).
» Natural buffer that protects against
floods
» Creating a network of mud flats and
shoals, salt marshes, channels and
brooks.
» Each of these biotopes sparkles with
typical biodiversity

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BOSLAND LIMBURG
• municipality of Hechtel-
Eksel,
• city of Lommel,
• municipalitiyof Overpelt,
• organisation Tourism
Limburg,
• organisation Regional
landscape Low Campine,
• agency for Nature and
Forests.
» Pioneering case
of forest
management
» Partnership
between:

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BOSLAND’S JOINT AMBITION
To implement an integral and integrating policy that – based on
the complementarity between the partners and in a maximal
collaboration with all the stakeholders and other actors –
organizes/optimizes benefits of nature and open landscapes for
society today and in the future
…while also becoming the most
child-friendly forest in Flanders
Pics © Bosland

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» Co-creation of a
long term vision
» Co-ownership by
a partnership
» Co-management
by a Bosland
parliament with
an ecological,
economical and
social house
representing all
stakeholders
BOSLAND LIMBURG
Pics © Bosland

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» E.G. Insect hotels are popular and
sold out in shops
» Item in national news:
MANY MORE NATURE-BASED EXAMPLES…

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CONCLUSIONS I: INNOVATING LEARNING AND DESIGN
» Nature-based thinking targets the software of minds and the
hardware of civilization simultaneously; it is about a new way
of learning, valuing, designing and acting together
» Nature-based solutions inspire us not only to learn about
nature but also from nature (biomimicry, permaculture) how
to tackle challenges sustainably and so they widen our
solution portfolio

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CONCLUSIONS II: RE-EVALUATING VALUE
» Nature-based thinking may inspire us to rethink the value of
nature (by viewing nature as a huge library of R&D solutions
fit to a finite world for instance) and to rethink the nature of
value (shifting from dominance of monetary systems towards
multiple value creation for example)

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CONCLUSIONS III: LOGICAL NEXT STEP
» Working/designing with nature instead of against it can save
a lot of energy, power and costs while adding additional (non-
monetary) value (well-being, health, recreation,
biodiversity…) as well
» Nature-based solutions can inspire multiple value creation in
business model innovation
» Integrating nature-based solutions in
business/cities/… can inspire an
important transition in mindset shifting
away from the viewpoint ‘nature as
externality’ (Biosphere awareness)

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» Grin J, Rotmans J and Schot J (2010) Transitions to sustainable development. New directions
in the study of long term transformative change (Routledge, UK).
» Nevens F, De Weerdt Y, Gorissen L, Berloznic R (2014) Transition in research. Research in
transition (VITO NV, Mol)
» http://biomimicry.net/; Biomimicry Educational Network; Ask Nature database; Biomimicry
3.8 Institute
» http://www.bosland.be/; dries.gorissen@lne.vlaanderen.be
» KPC Genk: http://verbiesteti.be/pdf/KPC.pdf
» http://www.sigmaplan.be/
» http://www.houthalen-helchteren.be/themes/16; http://www.thvmandala.be/;
http://www.houthalen-helchteren.be/_uploads/www.houthalen-
helchteren.be/milieu___duurzaamheid/downloads/duurzame_aspecten_NAC.pdf
» www.samenland.be; www.permacultuurnetwerk.be
» http://documenten.limburg.be/bestandenlimburgbe/klimaatenmilieu/20140924_klimaatneu
traal_inspiratieboekje_lr.pdf; minaplanning@limburg.be
» file:///C:/Users/gorissel/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files
/Content.IE5/UY8QT4ST/130128_SIGMA-ANB-Brochure.pdf
» http://clementwijk.be/project
» http://www.tweewaters.be/
» http://www.devloei.be/nl/
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Nature based solutions to inspire and shape transformative change 2014