In the realm of eco-engineering, or as it is increasing being called - Nature Inclusive Design, where technological solutions to environmental problems often follow a traditional business-as-usual doctrine, Artecology stands as a provocateur, challenging the entrenched systems that perpetuate our planetary crises. Artecology’s work is a stark critique of what it calls the ‘Business Bind,’ a concept that encapsulates the paradox where “business as usual“ economics, which drive ecological and environmental degradation, is paradoxically positioned as the saviour tasked with rectifying the damage it has itself wrought.
The Business Bind: A Vicious Cycle
Artecology’s critique is first rooted in the acknowledgment of the ‘Business Bind.’ This dilemma highlights a profound contradiction: businesses, driven by profit motives and growth imperatives, are both the primary instigators of environmental crises and the entities proposing solutions to these same problems. This cyclical logic fails to recognise that the metrics and methodologies businesses use to measure success always focused on economic growth as the measure of efficiency, are inherently flawed when it comes to addressing ecological and enviromental existential challenges.
Shaping Better Places: A New Paradigm
Artecology does not claim to have the solution to the Business Bind, but it does take a pragmatic approach through its philosophy, ideology, and delivery framework known as ‘Shaping Better Places.’ This framework diverges from traditional business dogma, which Artecology views as not only unhelpful but also shrouded in denial, and therefore immensely destructive to life on the planet we call home.
The ‘Shaping Better Places’ framework embraces a human/willdife-centric and craft-driven practice, emphasising the need for ecological and social regeneration over endless economic growth. This approach recognises that the conventional metrics used to gauge business success often create a self-sustaining reality that perpetuates further environmental harm. Instead of relying on abstract and disconnected metrics like those driving ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), Artecology’s practice is grounded in tangible, place-based interventions that prioritise ecological wealth and community health.
Creativity Over Convention
Artecology’s approach calls-out the superficial and often clumsy attempts by businesses to address ecological threats through conventional ESG, and other metric driven frameworks which measure the impacts of diminishing environmental and ecological health as risks to business wealth, rather than the negative impacts of business on environmental and ecological health. These frameworks, while often (not always) well-intentioned, are frequently co-opted by corporate interests that use them to maintain the status quo rather than drive genuine change. In contrast, Artecology’s human/wildlife-centric methodology prioritises the nuanced and context-specific needs of ecosystems and communities.
By focusing on creativity, craft (Artecology CoCreate) and locality, Artecology’s interventions are inherently more adaptable and responsive to the unique challenges of each environment. This creativity-driven practice values the intricate and often unquantifiable aspects of ecological and social health, challenging the reductive and one-size-fits-all solutions typical of traditional business approaches.
Living with the Dilemma
“To live with, and then attempt to tackle the dilemma, one must first acknowledge its existence” says Nigel George, R&D lead at Artecology. “Only then are we able to recognise and confront the inherent contradictions in attempting to solve environmental problems via the very systems that caused them”.
By openly confronting this paradox, Artecology aims to positions itself as a conscientious actor in the field of Nature Inclusive Design/eco-engineering, one that is willing to both acknowledge the ‘Business Bind’ dilemma and engage with it critically.
Nigel explains - “Our organisation’s work is a call to action, particularly for business start-ups working in environmental/conservation fields, to search for ways to move beyond business-as-usual approaches, and to rethink the metrics and frameworks they, their sponsors, funders, investors, and shareholders use to measure success. Of course, whilst we advocate for a shift towards practices that are genuinely regenerative, ecologically sound, and socially just, we also understand that adopting those things as a business is very much easier said than done. But, we also know that there is inherent tension in using ‘business-as-usual’ approaches to solve the multi-faceted polycrisis, and so denying the dilemma exists will only drive us deeper in to environmental and ecological crisis. We must understand that where business is concerned, especially for those of us working in the conservation and regeneration of nature and the environment, it’s time to get real!”.
Has the penny/pound dropped yet?
Today the green and pro-enviroment industries represent the fastest growing business sector on the planet, and it seems the answer to the question “has the penny dropped yet?” remains at uncertain. However, Artecology hopes their own relentless critique and innovative S.T.E.A.M driven practice (Science. Technology. Engineering. Art. Mathematics) may serve as a beacon for those willing to question the status quo. By themselves challenging the Business Bind and offering a compelling alternative through ‘Shaping Better Places,’ Artecology exemplifies a path forward that prioritises the planet over profit, creativity over convention, emergency over externalities,… and living-planet health over superficial business metrics. Theirs is a call to acknowledge the paradoxes we face, and to embrace more holistic and ecosystems aware approaches to shaping our future world for the better.