RingTailed lemur
Lemur catta
These podcasts are drawn from Naturally Intelligent by Design– a fine art picture book and poetic tale that illuminates the creative strategies of 365 animals to adapt to a changing world. Their biological designs, community dynamics, lifestyles, movement, behavior– natural intelligence, can inspire us every day of the year to live happy, healthy, sustainable lives.
Naturally Intelligent
by Design
Weekly Podcast
Zero Waste
I am inspired to be my zero waste me, like the Ring-tailed lemur. Hailing from Madagascar, these lemurs are industrious primates. Unfailing– they regenerate all forest biomass — leaves, flowers, tree sap, bark, and tree fruit to fuel their daily high canopy commute. Every day the females awake at daybreak to meticulously clean themselves before taking charge of the most urgent activities her fellow lemurs face at large. First, she ensures that the size of the troop, the environment it will suit, or else a few from the canopy troop, may get the boot. The males, then, spend part of the day, swinging their long black-white tails to engage other mates in a hilarious stink fight fest, which is meant to determine who’s stink is best. In this way, male lemurs will battle for dominance in their tree-sleeping groups not by outshining other male folk, but by out-stinking each with personal scent, bespoke. Of course the aim of this game is ultimately to attract the dominant female nose–who knows who is her dominant male rose. That said, these elaborate games and evolved social hierarchies are not enough to protect the lemur’s future. Many lemurs are at risk and may not in the near future, exist. So, those of us who swore to always keep our ear close to the forest floor must now hear the lemur’s eerie cry for deforestation no more. The biology and science is clear. We have good cause to fear that extinction is real; as the lemur’s ghostly eyes, reveal. The good news is that the solution is simple. We must learn to co-exist and blacklist developments causing forest biodiversity risk OR face losing the lemur and her zero waste living insights if they no longer persist.
Nature’s Reflection: What three new lifestyle choices can you make to reduce your family food waste by 30% and emulate the zero waste lifestyle of the lemur?
Nature’s Challenge: Decide today to only buy local wood products; which are forest stewardship council (FSC) certified and learn about the forests—ecology, ownership, and protective measures where you live.
