Update and miscellaneous

(Left: biomimicry: Japan's 500 Series Shinkansen bullet train is modeled after a kingfisher's beak. Getty Images)

I thought I would give everyone an update since it has been a while (2 weeks and 2 days) since our last post. We want to post at least weekly but incorporating it into the weekly routine will take some adjustment.

Since the last post a few things have happened:

• We had our meeting (see last post), which went very well. It was great to have representatives from three state government departments and the local council looking at the project strategically.
  
• One of the most important outcomes was that our architects (FMSA Architects) have agreed to produce a Vision Document that will greatly assist us seeking additional resources for the project.
  
• Gina and I have been working on broadening the support for the project in a number of ways. For instance, in two weeks we will be meeting with our local federal MP, Maria Vamvakinou.
  
• I am back at Uni after the summer break and will be able to use the Eco Warriors project for my main assignment in the course Sustainable Energy Systems and Design, in which I will be looking at the energy efficiency and renewable energy generation sides of the project.
  
• Next Tuesday we are meeting with representatives from DSE to start the process of signing the Funding Agreement and to jointly analyse the Project Milestones that will inform the agreement.
  
• I have been reading the Garnaut Review and I am working on a small review on the Review. Not quite there yet, by the time I finish the may publish the final report!
  

Finally, just some food for thought about the picture I used for this post. This week we learned a bit about biomimicry in the Masters. Biomimicry could be roughly described as a sustainability strategy that looks at incorporating some of nature's design features into human technology.

You can find out more about it by following the following links:

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/feb2008/id20080211_074559.htm
http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/

What could we learn from the Banksia, I wonder?