_ The Zero Emissions Strategy Conference
_ The Zero Emissions Strategy Conference
Initial communication from by Gunter Pauli of ZERI and the UNU
For the Zero Emissions Targeting Conference, The Commons, 7 August 1997
The focus for my work with ZERI in the next 12 months is reflected in the congress objectives for 1998 which will be held in Windhoek, Namibia at the invitation of HE President Sam Nujoma.
It is clear there are many biota totally unexploited. Worse… some are considered a pest since we do not know what to do with them.
ZERI has provided the core research on water hyacinth and tropical mushrooms both backed by first rate researchers Prof. Dr. Keto Mshigeni, chairman of the agricultural commission of the Third World Academy of Sciences and a well know marine biologist Water hyacinth is considered a pest. We applied the ZERI concept and have come up with an integrated biosystem that generates revenues, jobs and eliminates the pollutants destroying the water ecosystems.
This will require further input and research. By next year we wish to have both research results as well as concrete projects to demonstrate.
The tropical mushroom is one of the most neglected biota and is part of this tremendous biodiversity of the fungi (1.2 million species). There are some 5,000 edible varieties and for some reason business focuses on the least nutritious on ... le champignon. We have prepared a major research program on the use and the critical role of fungi in general and the tropical mushrooms in particular in a drive to boost the integrated biosystems. This program is global with research activities in 5 African countries, a center in Mutare (Zimbabwe), in 3 Latin American Countries, a center in Manizales (Colombia), in the South Pacific, a center in Suva (Fiji) and in South East Asia, a center in Bogor (Indonesia). Since the focus is on tropical mushrooms the tropics are playing a central role.
Since the successful implementation of an integrated plan for zero emissions as demonstrated in the Las Gaviotas Case (video will be posted soon on the net) we search for a similar approach to the forgotten and wasted biota.
This requires both a blending of traditional and modern technologies, and needs additional technological breakthroughs.
Since our congress will be held in Africa, we will search for the immediate application in that part of the world, though it is not to be "a helping of the poor syndrome". We believe that there are major opportunities for medicinal industries, energy production, etc. The whole approach must be one from the area where "there is only one season" so that know-how from those parts of the world with 4 seasons will be assessed with a critical eye.
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The author has been invited to expand this presentation. For more background on his work and on ZERI, you are referred to the ZERI Website We would also draw your attention to the following oveview piece by Nicholas Gertler entitled
Industrial Ecosystems: Developing Sustainable Industrial Structures, from which you will easily find additional and instructive ZERI links.
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