Last year, a unique partnership between UBC Botanical Garden and local luxury tea purveyor TEALEAVES resulted in the film The Garden of Secrets, which continues to be streamed online and shown at science museums and design collectives throughout the world.
In the film, a series of scientists, inventors and artists share how their work has been influenced by biomimicry: the practice of observing and utilizing the lessons the natural world teaches us to inspire innovation in science, design, engineering and public health.
Now, Garden Director Patrick Lewis, Research Manager Daniel Mosquin and TEALEAVES Co-Founder and CEO Lana Sutherland are ready to extend the conversation to a specialized audience at the World Biodiversity Forum in Davos, Switzerland, February 23-28, 2020.
The team, made up of a cross-disciplinary panel representing business, academia, gardens and NGOs, will facilitate a presentation and workshop on the importance of biodiversity to human health and biomimetic solutions for global challenges. In exploring solutions to problems as varied as infectious diseases, clean water and food security, the panel hopes to promote the importance of preserving and renewing biodiversity and the role of botanical gardens as ‘idea libraries.’
Showcasing both the film and the collaboration between TEALEAVES and the Garden is something that Lewis is keen to do.
“We are proud to be working with a loved global brand like TEALEAVES, a company committed to biodiversity and love for nature, whose inspiration aligns with our core values,” says Lewis. “We hope that our partnership will raise the profile of botanical gardens and the importance of this critical work, helping us highlight the role plants play in the service of humanity and the Earth.”