Introduction:

The first two weeks of this course, you made an overview of all the interactions you have and all the tasks you do. You have mapped your own work environment and analyzed your tasks, concerning waste opportunities, in detail. During the third week of the BiTL course, information about how to find and apply Nature based solutions into your own work environment, will be given.

The Nature based solutions given this week, are only to give you an idea what nature provides and to show you a natural way of thinking. In the end, it is up to you, what solutions fit into your personal work situation.

Supporting Knowledge:

Before details of Nature based solutions are being discussed, first watch the video below.

And what exactly does this video have to do with you and your work environment? The video is basically a metaphor of your work environment right now. You as the earth, under a lot of work pressure, and forced to keep a lot of plates spinning, in sometimes harsh conditions. However, nature has some intriguing solutions to change, adapt and survive, three things that are also essential in your work environment. Facilities, managers, systems and colleagues change all the time. How do you react and be more resilient to those changes? By first looking into Nature Based Solutions.

These Nature based solutions provide sustainable, cost-effective, multi-purpose and flexible alternatives for various objectives and situations.

Nature based solutions, also called ‘Biomimicry’ can be subdivided in three levels:
– Product
– Process
– System

In the video below, these levels will be explained with some examples out of nature.

It is essential that you understand that this information, is the outside of the box where you are working in. Use the examples given and the experience and knowledge you have of nature, to look for solutions in your own complex and dynamic work environment.

ASSIGNMENT

Use a blank piece of paper (A4) and draw, photoshop or describe the current challenges/problems of your own work environment (communication with colleagues, malfunctioning software or equipment, bad facilities, etc.). Try to find potential nature based solutions for all the challenges/problems and categorize them into the three different levels (product, process or system). The solutions does not have to be fully developed. Next week we will continue with the solutions by using the Kanban concept to visualize your work and tasks.