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- Trips and Explorations -- ZERI China Projects
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- Publications and Reports -- ZERI China Projects
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- New Urbanisation -- ZERI China Projects
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- Ocean Conservation -- ZERI China Projects
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- The ZERI 100 Solutions -- ZERI China Projects
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- The Economy of Happiness -- ZERI China Projects
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- Innovative Business Models -- ZERI China Projects
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- The China Urban Construction Steering Committee visited the Functional Agriculture Center of the Institute of Industrial Research of Chongqing University to conduct in-depth research
Source: China New Urbanization Construction Steering Committee, February 27, 2022 On February 26, 2022, He Ningchuan, Assistant Secretary-General of the China New Urbanization Construction Steering Committee, was invited by Duan Hongtao, Assistant Dean of the Chongqing Design and Research Institute Group of China Coal Science and Technology, to visit the Functional Agriculture Center of the Industrial Technology Research Institute of Chongqing University. The "Miaozhai Functional Agriculture "With or without" Technology" jointly developed by the Functional Agriculture Center of the Institute of Industrial Technology of Chongqing University and Chongqing Miaozhai Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is the only Sino-Arab technology selected by the "Belt and Road" China-Arab Technology Transfer Center Transferred 10 agricultural-related technological achievements that mainly promote important scientific and technological achievements. Their technologies were showcased at the 2018 China Xinjiang (Aksu) "Military-Civil Integration of Science and Technology to Promote Agriculture" Achievements Exhibition, the 13th Chongqing Hi-Tech Fair and the 9th International Military Expo Brilliant. The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations call the lack of vitamins and minerals in the diet "hidden hunger." Currently, about 100 million people around the world are suffering from "hidden hunger", and the number of people with "hidden hunger" in my country has reached 300 million. According to the "Report on Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status of Chinese Residents (2015)" released by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, the dietary structure of the Chinese people is often unreasonable, and minerals and vitamins such as calcium, iron, selenium, vitamins, and vitamins do not meet the recommended intake. quantity. Among them, the intake of calcium, vitamins A, B, etc. is obviously insufficient, and the situation of zinc deficiency in children and adolescents and iron deficiency in women is also worrying. To solve "hidden hunger", functional agriculture came into being. In 2018, Zhao Qiguo, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, first proposed the concept of "functional agriculture" in the "China's Agricultural Science and Technology Development Roadmap to 2050". It is mentioned that the future development of China's agriculture should be to make agricultural products functional and move toward functionalization. Functional agriculture uses biological nutrition enhancement technology to add trace elements and mineral nutrients to the soil to improve the mineral level of the soil and the rhizosphere environment of crops, so that the crops can absorb trace elements and then return to the human body through food. Simply put, it means that the agricultural products produced can quantitatively meet the micronutrient needs that are beneficial to human health. For example, it can meet the needs of calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, etc. for different age groups and groups, thereby achieving the goals of promoting growth and development, enhancing immunity, resisting cancer, and delaying aging. According to Academician Zhao Qiguo, high-yield agriculture solves people's problem of "eating enough", green agriculture solves people's problem of "eating safely", and functional agriculture mainly hopes to solve people's problem of "eating healthy". Under the background of the big health strategy, my country's agriculture will also enter a new period of development. Following high-yield agriculture and green agriculture, functional agriculture is considered the third stage of development. The market structure and consumer demand of agricultural products will undergo important changes. Miaozhai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a functional agriculture center of the Institute of Industrial Technology of Chongqing University, is an enterprise engaged in the research, development and cultivation of "functional nutritional agricultural products". Liu Weidong, dean of the School of Pharmacy of Army Medical University, and Li Xiaohui, professor of Army Medical University, are the core members of Miaozai Biotechnology. Under their leadership, Miaozai has cooperated with many scientific research units and successfully grown fruits, vegetables, grains, tea, and traditional Chinese medicines. There are five major categories of "functional nutrition" agricultural products with mature technology and good effects. The core is the application of "technology with or without technology". Relying on the "have-not" technology, Miaozai Technology has successfully grown products such as "folic acid-rich apples for pregnant women," "zinc-rich kiwi fruits for children," and "Alzheimer-preventing tangerine fruits for the elderly." At present, they have carried out functional nutrition planting in more than 40 planting bases of different types of agricultural products across the country and established a functional agricultural technology system. The "yes" in the "with or without" technology is to make fruit, vegetable and rice rich in folic acid, zinc, selenium and other nutrients through biological nutrition enhancement technology to solve the current selling point problem of agricultural products - nutritional problems; "without" is to use soil microorganisms Ecological technology and biochemical barrier and passivation technology reduce the content of harmful heavy metals in agricultural products such as fruits and vegetables, tea, and Chinese medicinal materials to zero, solving the current pain point of agricultural products - safety issues; such as the "Shougna 00254" variety, tested by a third-party agency No pesticide residues or harmful heavy metals were detected, and its folic acid content reached 254 micrograms/kg, far exceeding that of ordinary apples. "In the future, we are expected to realize the model of "you customize, I grow and produce" agricultural products. Under certain standards, "privately customized" agricultural products are created. 』 Zhao Bei, executive director of the Functional Agriculture Center of the Institute of Industrial Technology of Chongqing University and chairman of Chongqing Miaozai Biotechnology Company, said that Miaozai has cooperated with the Institute of Industrial Technology of Chongqing University to establish the first "Functional Agriculture Research Center" in China. In order to further serve rural revitalization and assist poverty-stricken areas, Miaozhai Biotechnology has successively established offices in Luchun County, Yunnan Province, Wuchang Rice Core Area, Heilongjiang, Baishui, Gansu, Henghe Township, Wanzhou District, Chongqing, Jiangjin District, and Yubei Qianzhan Village of the District, Daguan Town of Nanchuan District, Zhulin Village of Qingjiang Town of Rongchang District and other places have widely promoted the "with or without" technology of wonderful planting, provided technical training guidance and financial support, and actively helped to connect production and marketing, while improving the quality and efficiency of agricultural products. It has also opened up sales channels, solved the worries of growers, and formed a closed-loop assistance model of "technology goes to the countryside + improving quality and efficiency + consumption assistance". At present, many major agricultural provinces have proposed using functional agriculture to help revitalize rural industries after the issuance of the State Council's "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Revitalization of Rural Industries" and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' "National Rural Industry Development Plan (2021-2025)". The Miaozhai team took the lead in proposing system solutions from three major aspects: shortcomings in agricultural product production, pain points in agricultural product safety, and selling points of agricultural product nutrition. The China Urban Construction Steering Committee will make use of its own advantages and resources to promote the "With or without Miaozhi functional agriculture technology", carry out research and application development in the fields of functional agriculture and functional food, and form a scientific research center integrating technology research and development and achievement incubation. and incubation platform to help expand China's big health industry, strive to build a national safety food sample base, and strive to implement and develop "science and technology to promote agriculture" to help Miaozai Biotechnology strive to become China's leading enterprise in functional agriculture. The in-depth cooperation between the two parties is conducive to the development of the safe and healthy food industry, and will also help promote the development of functional agriculture along the “Belt and Road Initiative”.
- Five Biomimicry Design Principles -- the Scientific Research of ZERI
The Scientific Perspective of Zero Emissions From biology to architecture, from the arts and humanities to economics, the scientific research behind Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives is dedicated to realizing various innovative ideas. While improving access to water, food, housing, healthcare, employment, energy, and education, it also actively enhances the environment. As people continue to envision a sustainable future that evolves with nature, ZERI has already established an information foundation. This foundation provides us with an endless source of inspiration, guiding us in the ongoing search for solutions to global challenges while meeting the basic needs of all species. Five Biomimicry Design Principles Biomimicry Design Principle 1 No species consumes its own waste; the waste produced by one species becomes food for another kingdom's species. If a species feeds on its own excrement, it will degenerate. When cattle farmers began feeding cows with the manure of other cows, they violated this principle—resulting in the outbreak of mad cow disease. Shrimp farmers made a similar mistake when shrimp were fed their own waste, leading to the white spot virus. While there are rare exceptions, such as dogs occasionally eating their own excrement, this behaviour strengthens and challenges their immune system. However, if an animal exclusively eats its own waste and behaves like a cannibal, it cannot survive. If industries try to reuse all of the waste they produce, they reduce their flexibility and increase the risk of failure. One industry's waste should serve as an added-value input for another industry. Biomimicry Design Principle 2 Any toxin produced by a species in one kingdom will either be neutral or serve as a nutrient for another species in a different kingdom. As humans, we tend to classify toxins solely from our own perspective, assuming that what is toxic to us is toxic to all species in every kingdom. Similarly, we often view viruses as universally dangerous. Cyanide and arsenic are well-known animal toxins, yet several plants produce these toxins and effectively use them to defend against predators. Apples and peaches, for instance, contain cyanide, but there’s no need for a “Warning: Contains Cyanide” label on them. If faced with an issue like cyanide contamination from old gold mines, planting an apple orchard would eventually eliminate the toxin—probably even before legal battles over liability and costs are resolved. We cannot define toxins solely from the human (animal) perspective. Instead, we need to assess their importance from the viewpoint of all species across the five kingdoms. If a species attempts to eliminate all toxins within its own system, it risks degeneration. Biomimicry Design Principle 3 Whenever highly complex ecosystems are functioning, viruses remain inactive or even disappear without passing through at least two other kingdoms and harming their species. The reality is that viruses are kingdom-specific. If we apply the first design principle, viruses can be eliminated. The practice of boiling waste meat at slaughterhouses before feeding it to other cattle doesn’t always work because of this first principle. Prions, which cause mad cow disease, can survive high temperatures. To fully eliminate prions or viruses, the waste must pass through the other four kingdoms. Over time, the use of antibiotics is harmful. While antibiotics can kill viruses, they cause significant collateral damage. A single dose of antibiotics can reduce gut microbiome efficiency for years, and chemotherapy can severely damage the digestive system. If we try to kill viruses within the same system, the species will degenerate over time. Biomimicry Design Principle 4 The stronger a system's diversity and locality, the more efficient and resilient its operation becomes. As systems become more efficient and resilient, their diversity and locality also increase. In simple terms, if non-native species are forced to become part of an ecosystem, they will degenerate. Plants and trees in temperate climates never find it necessary to introduce tropical fungi. Plants and trees that have coexisted and co-evolved with species from the other four kingdoms create the best and most efficient systems within the boundaries of their own micro-ecosystems. Our global economy is interconnected, and we see that we desire anything, anywhere, at any time. This has increased the vulnerability of our systems because if one or two links break, the entire system may collapse. The stronger the locality of activities, the stronger the system becomes. As diversity increases, flexibility grows significantly, making a local system more efficient and resilient. Companies are now seeking local supplies and better integration into local economies. While global (outsourced) procurement, supply chain management, and customer relations are essential components of successful businesses, the ability to localize globally requires a new round of creative and innovative strategies. Biomimicry Design Principle 5 All kingdoms combine, integrate, and separate materials under ambient temperature and pressure. Spiders produce nylon-like fibres using raw materials at environmental temperatures and pressure. When tension decreases, the silk starts to degrade. The spider works at environmental temperatures and pressure, using fungi and bacteria in its system to control the process, with plant-based components as its food. Similarly, certain molluscs produce ceramics in cold water that are stronger than bulletproof ceramics. In nature, no one arbitrarily generates fire or alters pressure, yet products from nature often outperform man-made items. The industry has built a supply chain management system that delivers components within very precise and uniform parameters. All assembly and disassembly require high temperatures and pressure, leading to pollution and entropy. The use of chemicals, temperature, and pressure speeds up production and facilitates standardization. On the other hand, creativity and innovation are the only ways to combine the best of both worlds. If the industry mimicked nature’s "inclusive" approach, it could achieve greater efficiency, lower costs, and significantly reduce energy consumption. Though it may seem impossible today, this kind of creative approach requires a passion for thinking outside the box. It requires taking risks. This is the unique role that businesses must take on. When materials are combined and separated without considering the specific participation of all five kingdoms—beyond the energy provided by the sun—entropy will result. #ZERI #ZERIChina #TheScienceofZeroEmissions
- The Five Intelligences of Human Cognition -- the Scientific Research of ZERI
The Scientific Perspective of Zero Emissions From biology to architecture, from the arts and humanities to economics, the scientific research behind Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives is dedicated to realizing various innovative ideas. While improving access to water, food, housing, healthcare, employment, energy, and education, it also actively enhances the environment. As people continue to envision a sustainable future that evolves with nature, ZERI has already established an information foundation. This foundation provides us with an endless source of inspiration, guiding us in the ongoing search for solutions to global challenges while meeting the basic needs of all species. The Five Intelligences of Human Cognition Emotional Intelligence Humans are the most emotional animals on Earth, with our cognition, behaviour, and social organization largely driven by emotions. In interpersonal interactions and groups, emotions are the hidden force behind social commitments to others. They not only shape the formation of social structures but can also act as a destructive force that drives collective activities that transform social culture. Emotions foster friendships, create commitments to social structures, or lead to collective fears manifesting in acts of terror. Given the central role emotions play in human events, we should develop a universal theory to explain why specific emotions arise in individuals and groups, particularly focusing on the consequences of emotions in social relationships and broader cultural patterns. Academic Knowledge Knowledge is the act of "cognition" and "recognition" of a subject, leading to a "recognition" that can be utilized for specific purposes. People gain familiarity and understanding through experience or association, which constitutes knowledge—encompassing scientific, artistic, or technical understanding. Academic knowledge refers to the depth of research into objective phenomena, revealing the objective regularities they reflect. The fundamental requirement of academic research is innovation, including the formulation of new questions, exploration of new fields, introduction of new perspectives, construction of new theories, discovery of new materials, and provision of new evidence. Artistic Intelligence Art is the expression of aesthetic experiences or significant emotions through a blend of skills, will, imagination, and experience. It embodies the process by which individuals share feelings of beauty or deep awareness, encapsulating personal or collective experiences. Art reflects our innate appreciation for harmony, balance, and rhythm. It offers a non-grammatical means of expression, unconstrained by spoken or written language forms. Art presents diverse forms, symbols, and concepts, with meanings that can evolve. Ecological Literacy The public has actively engaged in building ecological civilization, playing a significant role in the process. The term "ecological literacy," coined by David W. Orr in his 1992 book Ecological Literacy: Education and the Transition to a Postmodern Society , refers to the integrated competence acquired through learning and living, encompassing ecological knowledge, awareness, and behavioural abilities. Ecological literacy includes the individual understanding of ecological knowledge and methods, as well as ecological thinking and behaviours. It also embodies an individual's ecological values, attitudes, and consciousness, integrating knowledge, behaviour, and ecological spirit. Organized and impactful ecological education can further enhance public awareness of ecological civilization. Implementation Capability Implementation capability intersects the four intelligences mentioned above. By cultivating an exploratory environment, we aim to foster students who can think systemically, design, create, and dream, allowing them to continuously develop and expand their ideas. This approach encompasses the integrity of individuals and these five distinct modes of understanding and expression. #ZERI #ZERIChina #TheScienceofZeroEmissions