Five Design Principles from ZERI International

SCZ USES ZERI DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Sustainable Communities/ZERI-NM (SCZ) designs our projects using the five design principles of the ZERI International organization. They are based of the five kingdoms of nature:

1) Bacteria 2) Algae 3) Plant 4) Animal 5) Fungi

ZERI's Five Design Principles

In nature, everything has value, whatever is waste for a species of one kingdom, is a nutrient for a living organism in another kingdom. The five kingdoms of nature generate sufficient resources for everyone on Earth. It is possible to use nature's systems to provide for all.

The five design principles of nature become apparent when we study the five kingdoms of nature, and when we analyze the results of our trials and errors made when implementing pioneering zeri projects:

1. Waste of a species is always a nutrient or an energy source for a species belonging to another kingdom. The waste of one industry should be used as a value-added input for another industry. If one species is fed its own waste, it will degenerate.

2. A toxin produced by one species is always a nutrient or an energy source for a species belonging to another kingdom. The toxin of one species can be used as input for species of another kingdom.

3. A virus threatening the life of a living species has no chance of survival in species belonging to at least 2 other kingdoms.

4. The more local, the more diverse, the more productive, the more resilient. The more diverse and local the systems are, the more efficient and resilient their operations will be.

5. When species from all 5 kingdoms live and work together, they will integrate and separate all matter at ambient temperature and pressure.

SCZ recognizes ZERI's Five Kinds of Intelligence. They are:
1) Academic knowledge
2) Emotional intelligence
3) Artistic expression
4) eco-literacy
5) Capacity to implement.

This graphic is from, http://www.zeri.org/initiative/basicconcerns.htm

ZERI International has been very important to the development of Sustainable Communities/ZERI-NM. We are grateful for their assistance and look forward to many more years of cooperation between our groups.

Selected articles by Gunter Pauli

Sustainable Communities/ZERI-NM
P. O. Box 8017,
Santa Fe, NM 87504 USA
Phone: 505-820-0186
FAX: 505-986-6019
E-mail: info@scizerinm.org

Sustainable Communities/ZERI-NM is a public 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

This page was last updated on October 8, 2004

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E-mail: info@scizerinm.org for permission to use contents of this web site.
Unless otherwise indicated, all photographs are © 2001-2004 Lynda Taylor.