Previous Green Oasis Now Blog
March - May 2020
March-May 2020
March 01, 2020
Nature as Teacher
March 15, 2020
Forests of the Future: Origin
April 01, 2020
Change: Thriving Redefined
April 15, 2020
Microalgae as Food: Rewriting History
May 01, 2020
Demonstrating Possibility
May 15, 2020
A Perspective: Water From a Rock
March 01, 2020
Nature as Teacher
Scientists who speak of the communication among trees, plant species and fungi within forests are finding that their audiences are both receptive and enthusiastic. Scientific experiments prove what indigenous peoples and others closely observant of Nature have known for centuries: interconnectedness is Nature’s natural way of being.
Scientific experiments also prove something that every sensitive gardener knows: there is communication between plants and people. Where respectful and appreciative relationships exist, plants flourish.
By example, Nature informs us about interconnectedness and relationships/harmony and inspires possibility.
Interconnectedness and harmony are inherent in innovation/invention which is based on observations of Nature:
Nature is simplistically redundant.
A current trend in renewable energy systems includes the utilization of many smaller identical devices, connected in a series, instead of one large unit. For example: Very small spherical wind turbines can provide efficient energy production silently and unobtrusively. The most efficient size is approximately that of a cantaloupe.
Nature recycles.
Humans are becoming increasingly imaginative about recycling. Current examples include the recycling of plastics. There are now six individual companies in six countries recycling plastics for the molding of roof tiles, floor tiles, or paving tiles used for driveways.
Nature is in constant change.
Nature’s resiliency amid change is consistent. It is Nature who teaches us about sustainability as well as adaptability.
To align with Nature’s innate cooperation, harmony and interconnectedness is to walk comfortably into the future.
March 15, 2020
Forests of the Future: Origin
The global interest in planting trees, and cloning ancient tree stumps, is not currently matched by an effective long-term plan for forest management. It is estimated that 25% of the trees planted will not reach maturity.
Green Oasis Now’s approach to forest management — Forests of the Future — has been meticulously developed over decades.
Our co-founder’s interest in, and concern for, forests began when he was four years old. Having begun reading very early, he regularly read the newspaper while sitting on the arm of his father’s chair. One day he read an article about Richard St. Barbe Baker, a pioneering environmentalist, which included an invitation to join “Men of the Trees”.
“The point of membership was to go out and plant trees,” David explained. “I immediately wanted to become a member. Although I could read well, I wasn’t writing yet so I asked my father to sign me up. When he said ‘No’, I hopped off the arm of the chair and I went to the door.”
My father asked, “Where are you going?”
“To find somebody who will sign me up.”
My father relented and sent off a membership application.
My early membership in “Men of the Trees” encouraged me to expand my knowledge base about trees and forests. In a very real sense, this was the beginning of my planning for “Forests of the Future” and a commitment to what effective forest management entails.
For more information about “Forests of the Future”, see our Environment page.
Note: The Environment page is not included in the Archives.
April 01, 2020
Change: Thriving Redefined
Change is a constant whether we acknowledge it or not. Stark change, as we are now seeing globally, invites us to look at our world from a new perspective.
For those who can embrace change, adaptation occurs with relative ease. Creativity is sparked and priorities shift as appropriate.
The current wave of change has brought forth, more visibly:
• kindness
• compassion
• interdependence
• cooperation
• resilience
• resourcefulness
In a previous blog “Adaptability: Embracing Change” (15 Nov 2019) it was noted that social scientists now suggest that adaptability quotient (AQ) may become more important than EQ (emotional quotient) or IQ in our rapidly changing world.
Both individually and collectively, the opportunity to redefine priorities is asking for our attention.
In developing our innovations, adaptability to changing circumstances — both societally and environmentally — has consistently been part of our Green Oasis Now overview.
As thriving is increasingly redefined during these times of unprecedented change, Green Oasis Now offers — in our areas of expertise — creative solutions for thriving.
See also — Adaptability: Embracing Change.
April 15, 2020
Microalgae as Food: Rewriting History
As part of their ongoing series, Follow the Food, the BBC last week published an article in which this question is posed: “Microalgae is rich in protein, amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins. Should we all be eating it?”
Indigenous peoples all over the world have been eating algae for generations. Observing the superior strength and vitality of animals who ate the algae along shorelines of ponds, lakes or ocean, they recognized this beneficial food source.
Given the contemporary food systems which have developed since the industrial revolution, it is only recently that the potential benefits of growing algae as food is gaining attention — for both nutritional and environmental reasons.
Over fifty years ago, the science teacher who founded a company to harvest and process the blue-green microalgae, aphanizomenon flos-aquae, known as AFA, envisioned feeding the world with this highly nutritious food. The company changed hands several times as the production costs and other costs escalated.
The BBC article points out: “While microalgae consumption is not yet widespread, the case for algae becoming a source of food in our future is strong.” Experimental systems for growing algae are now broadly under development. Several are described in the article.
As a youth, our co-founder saw the potential of microalgae and studied accordingly. He emphasizes,”You cannot begin to produce microalgae and expect to have a superior product without an extensive knowledge base.”
When, decades ago, he saw the importance of algae as a food source, he was looking though a lens which included possible environmental issues in the future. He developed the expertise to create an indoor environment which would replicate and exceed nature’s requirements.
That future has arrived. With the widening acceptance of cultivated microalgae as an excellent source of nutrition — on an increasingly broader scale — we will be rewriting history in our relationship with food and the environment
May 01, 2020
Demonstrating Possibility
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, recently declared that the world must not return to where it was “before the pandemic”. Instead, this is an opportunity to build more sustainable and inclusive societies — a more resilient and prosperous world. “…we must deliver new jobs and businesses through a clean, green transition.”
All of the Green Oasis Now innovations have been designed to maximize sustainability and resilience within the ongoing process of global change.
Because of the current global food situation, in which increasing shortages are projected, our commitment to provide high quality nourishment on a large scale — as soon as possible — remains uncompromised.
Continuing agricultural disasters and limitations caused by changing global weather patterns suggest that structurally secure indoor, year-round agriculture — powered entirely by renewable energy — is the wave of the future for this most basic of human needs. This is an application of true sustainability.
The uniqueness and quality of our approach is amply described throughout our website. Everything is in place for our demonstrating possibility — swiftly and efficiently.
The current imperative is co-creative investor collaboration and increasing funding, ongoing, for expanding this opportunity to make a beneficial difference.
We welcome investor co-creators who share our vision and commitment to creating beneficial societal and environmental change at this pivotal time in history where choices for vitality — planet wide — are called for.
Note: The Heart Greenhouse page is not included in the Archives.
May 15, 2020
A Perspective: Water From a Rock
Sometimes the past illuminates the present in surprising ways. It occurred to me to ask David, our co-founder and head of R&D for Green Oasis Now, the following question:
“When you were walking across the desert for hundreds of miles, with only a small rucksack and a canteen, what did you do to have adequate water?”
“You can smell water,” he replied. “Water is present in the subsurface, even in the desert, if you know where to look. The smell of water is pulling you toward the place to look. The water in a desert is shielded; otherwise it would evaporate. It can be found in fissures in some rocks. I always had a white linen handkerchief in my rucksack. I could put the handkerchief into the fissure of such a rock and siphon the water to drip into my canteen. Often it took twelve hours or more, siphoning in this way, to become refreshed and then fill my canteen and continue my walk.”
David’s description can be seen as an analogy for a creative process which has countless applications.
Sensing that which was needed (smelling the water), recognizing the rock (which could provide the solution), working out the details (to obtain the water) — this was for him essential during extensive walkabouts when in his twenties.
The developmental process for the Green Oasis Now innovations has been similar.
• Sensing that which is needed, or will be needed, and which can be brought forth as a solution.
• Recognizing the form which can provide the solution.
• Working out the details.
Unlike the siphoning of water from a rock, which required few steps, the working out of the details for visionary innovations has been significantly more complex.
For effective innovations the focus has been simplicity, efficiency and longevity — achieved through years of development and refining, with persistent patience, as with the drop-by-drop overnight filling of a canteen in the desert.