Erin Meezan: What nature can teach us about sustainable business | In The Green

譯者: Xianbin YE 審譯者: Helen Chang

Director: Alright, whenever you’re ready.

各就位，準備開始

Erin Meezan: There's so much debate right now

世上關於氣候問題的爭議紛紛

about what companies and countries should be doing on climate.

企業與國家在此問題中又處於何地位

Nature is actually the best benchmark.

我認為自然法則至上

Why don't we just follow what it would do?

何不人人照著做呢？

Nature has 3.8 billion years of R and D under its belt.

自然法則的演變與發展長達三十八億年

So, you know, there's certainly something nature has

其中定有「黃金屋」

that maybe humans always don't.

待人發掘

Nature can do complex chemistry,

大自然巧妙運用各種元素

really interesting engineering.

構造方面亦巧奪天工

And so how can we look to nature

人們該如何看待自然

and really harness what we know works

並盡人們所知

to provide solutions for business to be more sustainable?

以實現商業可持續發展

【綠在其中：氣候行動之事】

[In the Green: The Business of Climate Action]

[Presented by: TED Countdown and The Climate Pledge]

【以下內容由TED Countdown 及 The Climate Pledge聯合出品】

[Erin Meezan; Company: Interface; Sector: Manufacturing; Location: USA]

【艾琳-米讚；企業：Interface； 行業：製造業；地址：美國】

This is a carpet tile that we make.

這是我們做的「地毯片」

We operate in the building and construction space,

我們在建築領域開展活動

which is close to 40 percent of global carbon emissions.

該領域的碳排放量 接近於全球排放量的四成

So in that space,

在這樣的環境下

we’re putting a lot of materials, like flooring, into buildings.

我們把這一材料在建築物的地板上普及

When we started on sustainability as a company,

我們的出發點在於公司的可持續性

most of these products had a significant impact on the planet.

同時我們的材料對環境有巨大的影響

We wasted a lot of resources, we recycled nothing,

人類大量浪費資源，回收率卻極低

and they had a carbon footprint

然而遺棄資源造成的碳足跡

that we had never even measured or understood.

卻高至難以估計

Interface became inspired

Interface受此啟發

to take the company in a more sustainable direction.

發現了可持續發展的新途徑

We took our product design team out in the forest and asked:

我們讓研發團隊置身於森林中 並詢問他們

How would nature design a floor?

自然會怎麼設計它的「地面」

What lessons could nature give us

我們又可以從中學到什麼

about moving away from adhesives in our business?

能否讓我們的地板不再使用粘合劑

And that led to an exploration of gecko's feet

這些疑問帶領我們深入研究可持續發展

that allowed us to design an innovation

全新的設計

that took the company off glue

摒棄的不僅是膠水

and really helped us build a whole new business

更是舊的企業模式 在自然的帶領下迎接新生

by being inspired by nature.

We did things to reduce waste.

我們的目標是減少浪費

We've swapped out less sustainable materials

我們採用了可回收及生物基等 更環保的材料

for recycled and bio-based materials.

And so over 20 years,

二十年來

we've been able to innovate and create something

我們得以研發新事物 來儲存被排放的二氧化碳

that actually stores more carbon than it emits,

且儲存量大於排放量

has a net benefit to the environment.

給環境帶來更多的「淨」效益

We really challenged ourselves to say, what's beyond that?

但我們不止步於此

Could we create a factory that has a positive impact,

倘若基於此效益開設一個工廠

and what might that look like?

又會帶來何種變化

Nature, for example, harvests and collects and purifies rainwater.

大自然可收集、淨化雨水

So what we've done in some of our factory locations

我們的工廠透過雨水收集裝置亦可實現

is install rainwater collection devices

to be able to take that rainwater out,

取出的雨水可在生產經營中使用

use that in our manufacturing operations.

Nature stores carbon.

大自然可以儲存二氧化碳

And so we have opportunities onsite through planting,

人類亦有同等機會 通過種植

possibly removal of parking lots,

取消停車場

possibly by establishing green roofs,

搭建綠色屋頂

to store carbon on-site

在屬於我們企業範圍內的建築 實現實地固碳

and in the buildings within our company.

And I'm really excited now

我現感到非常高興

that it's not just Interface trying to figure this out.

不僅是因為企業在環境問題上的付出

Other companies started to hear us talking about it

我們的項目更 吸引了其他企業的興趣

and got really interested in it.

We could share the work that we had done,

借此機會，我們可以共享現有成果

and other companies could accelerate their learning,

其他企業可以加速學習

but also they committed to share what they were doing.

同時相互交流，互利共贏

And we're hopeful that this will continue to pick up momentum.

我們也希望這一勢頭可強盛不衰

I think the question for everybody is:

我覺得大家可以思考一下

What’s your carbon-negative carpet tile?

自己的固碳方法是什麼？

It goes from the idea of a sustainable carpet tile

由主意到產品的誕生

to a sustainable building to a sustainable city.

由可持續的建築到城市的普及

If we're going to meaningfully address global warming,

如果人類要深入思考全球變暖

we have to imagine not just these products alone,

不應該只考慮產品效益

but the collective effort of what we can do together

集體效益給環境帶來的利處更值得關注

to have a positive impact on the environment.