This document discusses how nature responds to boom, bust, and bailout cycles in a sustainable way. It provides examples of how nature optimizes resources rather than maximizes consumption, eliminates waste, exhibits resilience by incorporating past mistakes, and respects ecological boundaries and carrying capacities. The document suggests that to avoid future crises, humans could learn from nature by stabilizing populations and consumption locally, developing feedback loops, and co-evolving solutions with local environments instead of attempting to control or dominate natural systems.

1. Boom, Bust, Bailout: What Would Nature Do? Dr. Trista Patterson (and friends)

2. Cost Per Household 1970$51 1975 $132 1980 $50 1984 $111 1989 $3,159 2008 $8,749

3. Ecological Footprint (Vertical Axis) Versus the Human Development Index (Horizontal Axis) __ _ Wackernagel et al 2007

4. BOOM Part I:

5. Economic System Energy & Material Waste

6. Economic System Energy & Material Waste

7. Economic Subsystem Energy & Material Inputs Waste Emissions Recycling

8. Economic Subsystem Energy & Material Inputs Waste Emissions Recycling

9. Travel time to major cities Nelson (U. Sheffield): EU / Worldbank

10. GDP is a specialized tool Includes: activity Excludes: Quality Net Exports Consumption Expenditures Government Expenditures Built Capital Natural resource assets Ecosystem Services Social Capital Democracy Education Planetary limits Quality of life Pollution

11. Land area Courtesy: Worldmapper

12. Total population Courtesy: Worldmapper

13. Biocapacity

14. Ecological Footprint Worldmapper /Global Footprint Network

15. Luxury Goods (Net Import) Courtesy: Worldmapper

16. Fast Food Restaurants

17. Timber Imports Courtesy: Worldmapper

18. BUST Part II:

19. Forest Loss Courtesy: Worldmapper

20. Ecological Footprint of Imports to EU 27 from TOP 20 trading partners, 2005

21. Vision: Living off the Interest Natural Capital

22. Ecosystem Services

23. Societal Demands

24. Holy Crap! What the heck is he doing?! SocialPerception

25. Unintended Consequences

26. Rockström et al. Nature, Oct. ‘09 Climate Change Ozone depletion ? Phosphorus flow Latest data Atmospheric aerosol load ? ? 90-00 ? Ocean acidity Nitrogen flow 70-80 ? 50-60 Biodiversity loss Freshwater consumption ? Pre- Ind. Chemical pollution Agricultural land use F.T.Chapin, U AK Fairbanks

27. Ecological Creditors and Ecological Debtors

28. Ecological Creditors and Ecological Debtors

29. BAILOUT? Part III:

30. Collapse is integral to Resilience See crisis as opportunity Incorporate Prior Mistakes. Vision. Embrace the chaos. Seed. Fertilize innovation that respects boundary cond. Holling & Gunderson 1999, Westley 2008

31. What WOULD NATURE DO? Part IV:

32. Biomimicry: Nature as model, measure and mentor.

33. Life friendly materials/ Benign manufacturing Lotusan® paint M.Zanowick/US EPA/Biomimicry Inst.

34. Lightweighting – Scots PineTrunks and branches of trees withstand external stresses through load-adaptive growth.

35. Eco-machine Wastewater treatment without chemicals Dr. John Todd (UVM)/ M. Zanowick US EPA / Biomimicry Inst.

36. Architecture: Learning from termites how to create sustainable buildings. Passive Climate Control in the EastgateBuilding, Harare Zimbabwe M. Zanowick, US EPA & Biomimicry Inst.

37. all OPs More OPs few OPs regenerative = provides ecosystem services sustainable = net zero (minimum) LEEDS “green” = better than average conventional = status quo M. Zanowick, US EPA / Biomimicry Inst.

39. Optimize rather than maximize

41. Wilderness exhibits ‘genius of place’ in a way which is uniquely attuned to boundary conditions.

42. Optimize rather than maximize. Humans are K selected species, living an r-selected strategy @Bio.miami.edu

43. Genius of place: functional adaptations of the characteristic species and ecosystem relationships in that habitat.

44. Define/Adhere to Operating Parameters “Climate” conditions “Nutrient” conditions “Social” conditions “Temporal” conditions

45. Diversify Strategy. Live like K-selection counts.

46. Respect Carrying Capacity

47. Earth Overshoot Day: Sept 25th, 2009 Re-tune the antennae

49. Locally attuned and responsive

50. Re-tune our Feedback loops

51. Respect Operating Parameters.

53. Use simple, common building blocks. Local currency. Renewable Energy.

55. Be resilient.

56. Incorporate prior mistakes.

57. Leverage interdependence/cooperation

59. Network Efficiency.

60. Incorporate past mistakes.

61. Be Resilient.

62. Account value in relationships versus transaction.

63. Nature would: Be resilient. Incorporate Prior Mistakes. Leverage Interdependence. Create Feedback Systems.

65. Care.

66. Widen the circle of concern.

67. Do whatever necessary to maintain an open heart.

68. Speak in such a way that it opens others.

69. Nature would: Vision Care Love

70. Nature Would: Incorporate prior mistakes. Respect Operating Parameters Co-evolve with ‘genius of place’. Develop. Isolate and control malignant growth. Bank on Natural Capital. Live off the interest. Focus antennae on indicators of true success.

71. Start where you are. Do what you can. Use the gifts you have. It’s in your nature.

72. Start where you are. Do what you can. Use the gifts you have. It’s in your nature. Share! Trista.Patterson@gmail.com