How jaw-dropping ideas become reality
A podcast and a deep-dive into living materials
An auditory adventure
My fist appearance on a talk show (a comfy couch and all!) has been published as a podcast. Have a listen! Prompted by our host, Maria Atkinson, Pablo Berrutti of Stuart Investors and I discuss global trends, the influence of the impending US election on social impact and sustainability initiatives around the world, the gaps and next frontiers in ethical investment, why transformation is stuck at the abysmal 70% failure rate and how we reverse the odds, and the immense personal cost so many of us bear in remaking the world for the better.
Image credit: The Fifth Estate
Dear changemaker, meet engineered living materials
If hungry for a deep-dive into regenerative innovation, meet the emerging, future-ready, and breathtaking industry of engineered living materials. It is one of several that I and my consulting practice, Vivit Worldwide, have been helping accelerate globally.
We need living materials because the traditional materials, products, and methods of construction are inadequate, if not altogether obsolete. My introduction to a mini-series, this article elaborates on this problem, defines engineered living materials (ELMs), introduces their application on real-life examples, explores the main obstacles to their adoption, and sets the stage for the rest of the series.
The second article shares my conversations with three creators:
Joshua English (JE), founder and chief executive of Okom Wrks Labs, which is developing a replacement for steel (and other biggies) through its structural mycelium solution.
Loren Burnett (LB), co-founder and CEO of Prometheus Materials, which has developed an algae-based, carbon-negative alternative to Portland cement.
Mitchell Joachim (MJ), co-founder of TerreformONE, which has been demonstrating the potential of ELMs across multiple applications such as grafted-tree structures (the stunning image below) and gorgeous and durable furniture grown from from mycelium.
