Producer’s Blog: Industry’s next step is to go back to nature

Growing up in California, I am a nature lover. But before I was assigned my most recent story for “TechKnow,” I had never heard the term biomimicry. Certainly I, like many people, recognized that Mother Nature has done a wonderful job of adapting to environmental changes and obstacles over the last billion years. However, the idea that some of the greatest scientific minds have realized “she” may be better at solving scientific problems than we humans are was very exciting to me. The researchers I met on this story were also nature lovers.

Having covered the California blackouts and brownouts in the early 2000s, I can clearly remember trying to explain this state’s power grids and deregulation in a minute-and-a-half news story. It’s complicated.

But at Regen Energy in Newport Beach, we saw how bees not only simplify the company’s energy model but can take credit for its ability to cut electrical usage even during peak summer months. Using swarm theory, Regen has built energy adapters that make large commercial air conditioning smarter. In a swarm, bees all have their assignments. They work together for maximum efficiency and the least amount of energy expenditure—smarter, not harder.

While major energy providers were initially skeptical, the amount of money big retail chains and movie theaters are saving as clients of Regen Energy is causing them to become more open to this alternative.

We also traveled to Aurora, Colo., just outside Denver. At Sharklet Technologies, the skin of one of the most feared oceanic predators is keeping people healthy. Sharklet’s CEO, Mark Spiecker, spent years determined to find a sea creature that could remain algae and barnacle free. Today, Sharklet is manufacturing an array of products—from office furniture, to hospital tubing—that are covered in their shark-inspired material. They are finding they can eliminate the spread of bacteria, thereby preventing the spread of infection.

Our last part of the shoot took place just outside Oakland, where we had the rare opportunity to meet Dr. Jay Harman. Long considered the “father of biomimicry,” Harman believes that in the next 20 years, the U.S. will leave the Industrial Revolution behind—and move into the “biomimicry revolution.” This is not only because of the cost cutting and energy saving advantages, but also because there is no question biomimicry is a viable “green” alternative.  

Harman has an incredibly busy speaking schedule spreading his passion for this field and rarely is able to grant interviews—but his excitement over the growth of biomimicry during the past 10 years is contagious. Our expert contributor Kyle Hill was so drawn into his conversation with Harman, I think he forgot the cameras were rolling.

Watch "TechKnow," Sunday 7:30ET/4:30PT, to learn more about biomimicry.