🐠Biodiversity loss asks for drastic solutions… or should we just leave nature alone again for some healthy rewilding – and is that even possible nowadays with so many people on our planet? Listen back to the stories of: Product designer Anouk van der Poll (initiator the Embassy of Water) Max Dijkstra: founder of Reefsystems innovation & Paul Peters: environmental engineer at the Hydronamic Engineering Department of Royal Boskalis Westminster.

The How to Biodesign meetups are made possible with the support of  the creative industries fund NL/Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie.

🌿Fungi can provide solutions where plants cannot: Like sustainable pigments, packaging and construction materials. Yet how can we work with these solutions when a large part of the fungi has been patented? Listen back to the stories of: Nick van Biezen: Senior scientist, fermentation specialist and owner of Bio-aNAlytiX. Jan Berbee: Co-Founder and entrepreneur at Grown.bio and Mark Slegers Co-Founder of Rotterzwam.

The How to Biodesign meetups are made possible with the support of  the creative industries fund NL/Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie.

🌿How do we strengthen existing ecosystems through diversity, in the lab and on the streets? An interesting trend from last year’s How To Biodesign meetups was that many bioneers prefer “wild” microbes for their processes over genetic modified ones. In biotech, this preference is unusual to work with polycultures rather than standard model organisms, while nature has no monoculture: there is always a symbiosis. Listen back to the stories of:  Ivan Henriques, scientist, artist, and student doctor & Student doctor Sarah Adkins-Jablonsky. 

The How to Biodesign meetups are made possible with the support of  the creative industries fund NL/Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie.

👜The product many biodesigners all over the world are working on is a replacement for animal leather. This conversation is about how choices are made in these new production chains. How local can these “leathers” be produced, what kind of resources do they need and what are the pittfalls to avoid? And when is a good time to go to market? Listen back to the stories of:  David Breslauer , PHD, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder at Bolt Threads & Mira Nameth, Founder & CEO of Biophilica -Treekind materials.

The How to Biodesign meetups are made possible with the support of  the creative industries fund NL/Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie.

Biomaterials like mycelium and kombucha leather are oftentimes not water resistant and therefore need a coating. Biopolymers like beeswax or natural rubbers provide solutions, yet also fungi can give an interesting coating for biomaterials. How can designers apply these innovations, and how do you choose or develop a coating? Listen back to the stories of: Stephanie Rensink (Microbiologist and researcher at Xylotrade BV) & Ward Groutars (Designer and researcher from TU Delft, the Caradt institute and Hoekmine b.v.)

The How to Biodesign meetups are made possible with the support of  the creative industries fund NL/Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie.

By using enzymes, many polluting catalytic processes can be replaced. How can cell technology be used to make new materials? Can we use enzymes as one of the building blocks of the future? In this meetup we talked about how we can use these beauties and how to avoid high costs researching them. Listen back to the stories of: Amanda Cattermole: head of the Cattermole Consulting & Maria Cuellar-Soares: Science and Technology Officer at Planet B.io. 

The How to Biodesign meetups are made possible with the support of  the creative industries fund NL/Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie.

The city as a living organism is a metaphor that is far from the truth in our cities. Biodiversity is a grant topic, yet how can we bring nature back when there is so little soil left for nature to thrive? What do bioneers encounter when contributing to the living metabolism of our cities? We will investigate creative and structural ways to stimulate nature in the concrete jungles that are our cities in this How To Biodesign meetup. Listen back to the stories of: Dr Nadina Galle: An ecological engineer by training, And Ir. Pierre Oskam: Pierre is a landscape architect, researcher and teacher.

Fungi are the future, yet there are different cultivation methods. It matters where you get your fungus from, what kind of bioreactor you use, and if you work with a wild culture or a known safe version. How do you know whether it is dangerous or not? What knowledge and equipment are required to carry out first tests? Let’s talk about fermenting fungi with: Iris Houthoff from Mylium B.V., And Maurizio Montalti from Mogu and Officina Corpuscoli.

How can we grow wood to build our wooden skyscrapers that have grown in a nature-enhancing way without damaging communities or ecosystems? Lets find out with: Architect Mo Smit, one of the initiators of Bouwtuin: a place where #flax, #hemp #wood and other construction materials are grown for local use & Mark Compeer - developer at Nice developers B.V. and one of the two initiators of Rotterdam based wooden skyscraper Sawa, which is planned to rise this year.