From Treehugger.comI went to an incredible panel yesterday about biomimicry and its implications for the design of technology projects. The talk was put together by several key personalities in this space. If you are curious about bioIogy or design or both, I highly recommend taking a look at Biomimicry.net and Beedance.com. Representatives of both organizations were represented on the panel.
At the end of the panel Holly Harlan of E4S and Michael Dungan of Beedance said two very profound points that have stuck with me since the panel and I think they hold very important pieces of advice for living, particularly for people passionate about technology. Holly said that if we’re really curious about design, really interested in learning from nature then we need to dig around in the dirt. It’s all well and good to read and research and ask questions of others. It’s necessary, though the greatest learning is found through our own personal exploration of the physical world. Michael encouraged us to put down our devices, unplug, and look around. Really see what’s happening in our natural environment. It sounds so simple and yet the world is whizzing by us at a dizzying pace while we remain glued to our glowing screens.
I found these two pieces of info particularly poignant last night at the Foursquare party. I was with some friends from work and we were having a great time dancing and enjoying a really beautiful and balmy Texas evening. As I took a look around, I was blown over by the number of people who were with other people but not present. Every 30 seconds they were on their mobiles, half listening to the people talking to them, lost in some digital experience of some kind. It made me wonder and start to worry about what all of these devices are really doing to our personal awareness. Despite constantly being in the know, constantly being “connected”, flooded with information on every conceivable subject, we seem to be in a fog of our own design. Existing, though not living. We really may be entirely disconnected from our own intuition and from others.
I’ll be the first to say I love technology and its potential for good. I love piles of information. I love design. I also love, in equal if not greater proportion, the trees, the grass, and the sky. I have yet to come across any piece of technology that wows me more than something that the natural world has created from its own immense intelligence and experience. To design as nature designs is the ideal, is the genius we’re all so desperately looking for. To take in its teachings requires dirty knees and a clear mind. I’m making a vow to unplug more often, get out into the world with more compassion than ever before, and live. I hope you’ll join me.
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
1 thought on “Beginning: A Lesson from Biomimicry – Looking Around and Get Your Knees Dirty”
Thanks for your post! Biomimicry is a fascinating subject — and surprisingly new. You would think we’d have figured this out a long time ago — mimicking nature — but it’s not a widespread concept. In fact, there are no degrees offered in biomimicry! Only recently have people begun to consider the extraordinary possibilities of natural design. It’s good to hear that people are spreading the word.
And one other quick (not quick) comment in regards to our devices and our collective love of technology and the mass distraction it seems to be perpetrating. I used to be concerned about this too, but I don’t think we have anything to worry about for a few reasons.
First, many of the people who share this concern have a real love for technology and are aware of how distracting our devices can be. This is good news. The people who are passionate about technology will ultimately address this. Our devices connect us in the most extraordinary ways. In fact, human beings have never been so connected to one another. Our technology brings us together in profound ways — it’s just the limitations of having to stare at a small screen that seems to remove us from the rest of the world. This is merely a design hurdle that will ultimately be overcome.
Also, I’ve discovered that the people who are most passionate about the natural world, the people who wish to embrace it, connect to it and protect it are the same people who are involved in the design and development of our technology.
Anyway, to make a long comment long, I think we’re going to be okay. Human beings are becoming more connected than ever before and our technology is helping us better understand the natural world.
Thanks for your post! Biomimicry is a fascinating subject — and surprisingly new. You would think we’d have figured this out a long time ago — mimicking nature — but it’s not a widespread concept. In fact, there are no degrees offered in biomimicry! Only recently have people begun to consider the extraordinary possibilities of natural design. It’s good to hear that people are spreading the word.
And one other quick (not quick) comment in regards to our devices and our collective love of technology and the mass distraction it seems to be perpetrating. I used to be concerned about this too, but I don’t think we have anything to worry about for a few reasons.
First, many of the people who share this concern have a real love for technology and are aware of how distracting our devices can be. This is good news. The people who are passionate about technology will ultimately address this. Our devices connect us in the most extraordinary ways. In fact, human beings have never been so connected to one another. Our technology brings us together in profound ways — it’s just the limitations of having to stare at a small screen that seems to remove us from the rest of the world. This is merely a design hurdle that will ultimately be overcome.
Also, I’ve discovered that the people who are most passionate about the natural world, the people who wish to embrace it, connect to it and protect it are the same people who are involved in the design and development of our technology.
Anyway, to make a long comment long, I think we’re going to be okay. Human beings are becoming more connected than ever before and our technology is helping us better understand the natural world.
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