ABSTRACT
What is nature? What is our relationship with nature? How can we change our relationship with nature to mitigate the impacts we have brought upon its systems and ourselves?
The word “nature” has its roots in the Latin word natura, which in the classical era meant “birth” or “begetting.” “Nature” is also conceptually close to the Greek word physis, which refers to a material system that exists and grows. Accordingly, nature is by no means static and is constantly regenerating and transforming itself. The interconnectedness of natural systems on Earth supports life, which evolves at myriad speeds and scales so far not found anywhere else in the universe. Interconnectedness is the theoretical concept for this book, defined as the integration of nature’s solutions with innovative problem solving for manmade environments. The Earth’s natural resources are finite and the planet is increasingly vulnerable to human activities, making apparent the responsibility we have to lessen our impact on it.
