Use the Whole Buffalo

What is waste in nature? The word reeks of privilege. The privilege of a closed mind and closed system thinking ignorant of a larger symphony. A perspective that ignores anything not considered relevant. The same system that values production and consumption over health and harmony. Is sleep a waste because it is not so easily understood?

What nourishes the roots of a tree? What nourishes our bones? We are natural engineers, not scientists. Science chases objective truth; we care about what works. We look for what serves us so we can move forward.

This is an ode to the earth worms and fungus, nature’s great recyclers. Those that take what nature offers and make shit happen in recognition of the infinite return. May we have the same respect for the recyclers of man, those who refuse to settle for what others view as trash. Those who can find value where others have turned a blind eye.

I am doubtful we can consume our way to sustainability, rather I think we need an ownership model. A model that moves past the naïve expectations of staple-on sustainability. Modern man is a technophile, but we do not need more metrics and devices, rather we need ownership and understanding with investment when it matters.

Nature points towards complex answers. Interconnected cycles. 

The word waste hints towards uselessness, but what of purpose not yet understood?