Sustainable Development through Biologically-based Systems

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Sustainable Development through
Biologically-based Systems

• Richard WhiteEnvironmental Science and Policy
  Program
• Smith College
• May 23, 2003

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Sustainable Developmentmeeting the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs

• Economic steady flow of goods services
• Environmental stable resource base
• Social equitable sharing of wealth

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We must stop expecting the earth to produce
more, but start doing more with what the earth
produces.Humankind is the only species on the
planet capable of generating waste no one wants.

• Gunter Pauli, Upsizing

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ZERI Zero Emissions Research Initiatives

• ZERI is a practical approach to satisfying
  humanity's needs for water, food, energy, jobs,
  shelter and more, in an environmentally
  sustainable manner, by applying science and
  technology and involving government, business and
  academia.

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ZERI Zero Emissions Research Initiatives

• Zero Emissions eliminating the concept of waste
• Research discovering novel and environmentally
  sound ways to use presently wasted material,
  capital, and human resources to meet critical
  human needs for water, food, health care,
  shelter, energy, and jobs
• Initiatives applying these ideas in real-world
  projects on 5 continents

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Biologically-based Systems

• Meet peoples needs starting with local resources
  and co-evolving with nature
• Treat waste as a business opportunity (food)
• Use all the kingdoms of nature (pathogens that
  afflict one kingdom do not damage others)
• Build and optimize systems that reduce/eliminate
  waste with value-added and new jobs at each step

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ZERI Origins Gunter Pauli

• Founder Director of ZERI Foundation (Geneva,
  1996)
• Economist Entrepreneur former president and
  CEO of ECOVER
• Author of 7 books, including Upsizing The Road
  to Zero Emissions (1998)
• Recipient of numerous environmental and business
  awards

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Developing Country Example Coffee Farm in
Colombia

• Problem coffee prices dont compensate
  production costs
• Opportunity coffee cherries comprise just 3 of
  the plant biomass brewed coffee has less than
  0.3

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Developing Country Example Coffee Farm in
Colombia

• Mushrooms grown on coffee waste increase food
  supply
• Spent mushroom substrate expands and improves
  feed for domestic animals
• Biodigesting animal wastes creates biogas and
  nutrient rich wastewater
• The ecosystem provides still other options all
  add value and stability

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Developed Country Example Recycled Cement Plant
in Sweden
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Inputs Outputs

• Abandoned cement plant brownfield
• Municipal Waste
• ZERI technology

• Enhanced recycling
• Biogas heating
• Organic compost for agriculture forestry
• Organic produce
• Site remediation
• 75 waste reduction
• Jobs
• Profits

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Universal Example BreweriesWildwood Ecobrewery
Project,Missoula, MT

• Breweries adopting ZERI principles now operate in
  Namibia, Canada, and Japan.
• Brewing typically produces 5-10 times more waste
  water than beer.
• Likewise, brewing uses only about 10 of the
  grain biomass, leaving nutrient- (and fiber)-rich
  residues. Used as animal feed, they lead to
  excessive flatulance and contribute to global
  warming.

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Spent Grains
Brewery Mushrooms Earthworms
Biodigester Sales product Agriculture
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Biodigester Stream
Brewery Biodigester Algae pond
Fish Pond
Spent Grain Biogas Sales Products
Agriculture
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Preliminary Cash Flow Estimates
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Lessons for Sustainability

• In systems, the whole is greater than the sum of
  the parts and the waste can vanish
• Clusters of industries are diverse robust and
  profitable
• Using waste as food produces more income, more
  jobs, and less pollution

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Comparison with Other Movements

• Cleaner production, 3R, industrial ecology,
  industrial metabolism, eco-efficiency, factor
  4/10 are all great first steps.  
• What the world needs is a clear final vision
•   zero accidents,
• zero defects,
• zero conflicts,
• zero waste,
• zero emissions,
• nothing wasted, everything
  used.

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Further Information

• www.zeri.org
• ZERI Training three 4-day modules, September and
  December, 2003, and March, 2004, in Santa Fe, NM.
  Application deadline is June 2, 2003. For
  further information, contact Taylor_at_zeri.org.
• Subsequent Training March, June, and September,
  2004.