Biomimicry and "necessary products and services"

As I’ve been reading the book Cradle to Cradle I’ve been both simultaneously inspired and frustrated. I’ve been inspired by many of the ideas put forth in the book, but frustrated by how little action I see in making these ideas a reality. Obviously there are tons of great ideas out there and I don’t expect everyone to follow the ideas outlined in one book. However, my frustration surfaces because the degradation of our natural world is not one person’s idea, but is instead, at this point, a pretty well known phenomenon. Thus, while I don’t expect to see every idea in this book acted upon, I do want to see the underlying inspiration for these ideas (finding ways of doing things that enhance the vitality natural systems) gain greater acceptance. While I believe in permaculture as a way to restore natural systems and simultaneously produce food, I believe there are many other things that permaculture isn’t capable of providing for us. For example, living in the Northwest and fiddling with our permaculture gardens round the year, it can be expected that we will get cold and wet from time to time (or nearly all the time). As such, it’s nice to have a well-made raincoat to keep me dry. I suppose there are some oils that I could extract from plants that could serve this function, but I think it’s also reasonable to assume that there are ways of making things that will not destroy the earth. Currently however, my options are limited. While the outdoor gear company’s raincoat does a great job of keeping me dry, it simultaneously pollutes and destroys our environment. My other option, the oils extracted from plants and animals is (I’m sure) totally time consuming and beyond my understanding. Thus, in a more sustainable future it makes sense that we will retain some degree of specialization. And that’s where biomimicry comes in. How cool would it be if you could trade some food from your permaculture garden for a compostable raincoat that repels water not with chemicals, but instead with the power of design? As I was thinking about how the “lotus effect” is currently being utilized I began thinking how great it would be for raincoats. However, raincoats are just one example of what I’m going to call “necessary products.” There are many other “necessary products” as well as “necessary services” that aren’t essential to our lives, but they certainly make things easier and more enjoyable. However, because of the destructive way we produce things in this country and around the world, we are often made to feel guilty for wanting these products and services. Instead of imagining a future without these products and services, we should instead imagine a future in which we can have these things (I’m not talking about extravagances such as margarita machines, but useful products) while simultaneously encouraging natural systems. I believe biomimicry is a fantastic way to achieve this goal and I’m excited to see what development come from this field as we move forward.