I watched a Ted Talk today that really exemplifies what I feel like doing with my career.

Watch it here: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/18

Nature has always been an inspiration to me, and talk of sustainable practices and design really interest me. The focus of that talk is something I really believe in and plan on pursuing through my career.

The idea outlined is basically that many if not all of the design problems found in industry can and already have been solved by nature. A simple example is the calcium carbonate buildup in pipes, found commonly in your home, and more extreme buildup can be found in chemical manufacturing processes. Generally to dissolve that buildup toxic chemicals are flushed through the pipes; This process is expensive and not eco-friendly. Janine Benyus uses the example of seashells which are the same compound, calcium carbonate, and also form in the same way the buildup occurs. The question left is why do the shells not become infinite, instead the buildup is controlled and quite beautifully at that. The answer she reveals, is a naturally occurring protein which stops the buildup. Using this natural example engineers were able to apply that protein to the pipes and eliminate the toxic chemicals used to clean them.

Janine, in her talk, outlines 12 examples of ways in which we can mimic nature and improve our industrial way of life. The examples are striking and to me very exciting. The talk is definitely worth watching.

Biomimicry on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimicry