Chapter 1, Problem 1CR

To determine

The meaning of sustainability and biomimicry, and the reason why learning from the Earth can be a key to learn how to live sustainably.

Answer to Problem 1CR

Sustainability can be defined as the indefinite capacity of the Earth’s natural system that supports life and human economics to adopt toward continuously changing environmental conditions.

Biomimicry comprises of all the continuously growing scientific efforts that are being made to understand the ingenious methods developed by nature to sustain life since its emergence on the Earth.

Sustainable living on the Earth can best be learned from the Earth itself. Nature can be a very good teacher to human beings in understanding the ways of living sustainably.

Explanation of Solution

Sustainability is the key to the survival of humans on this Earth. It refers to the ability of the Earth’s natural life supporting system to adapt to the changing environment. Human activities affect the natural system of the Earth. Activities by humans should be carried out in such a manner that they should not deteriorate the quality and functioning of the natural system. It is called sustainable living.

With the continuous development of modern scientific techniques and knowledge, the scientific community has tried to mimic different biological systems in the labs or in vitro conditions. This effort of making the biological systems work in in-vitro conditions is called biomimicry.

Life has been there on the Earth from a few thousand years only, whereas the Earth came into existence billions of years ago. Nature itself has made life to continue on the Earth since its emergence. A sustainable way of living can help in maintaining life in a healthy manner. Different methods are being applied by nature to make life sustain in adverse conditions also. These methods can be observed, understood, and learned to make human life go more sustainably.