applications are in pharmaceuticals and agriculture, there are increasing applications for industrial materials like acids and polymers (Geiser, 2001, p. 282-304). Biodegradation is the opposite of biosynthesis, breaking down chemical and cellular structures. Safe biodegradability is essential to creating the closed loops of a green economy. One major application is, of course, the detoxification of human wastes, and experimentation with various forms of biodegradation has been taking place on the municipal level for decades. New concerns with water quality and with organic waste are driving new research and experimentation. Biodegradation is also finding uses in industry. It can be used to degrade inorganic ores to separate out desired materials. Such bacterial leaching processes require comparatively small energy inputs, and can be very handy for difficult-to-reach ores. Biodegradation also has applications in product designe.g. in packaging where disposability is desirableand for geo-textiles made to act as agricultural mulches. Biomimetics is an emerging field in biology that focuses on studying and replicating the processes of living organisms, including the making of materials. It is a fertile ground for finding out how we can make things with less energy, less waste, stronger and compatible with surrounding contexts. One key area is that of proteinderived fibres like silk, wool and hair. Another area focuses on shells, bones and tusks natural ceramics of great strength. Still another fertile area is adhesiveslearning, for example, from the sea mussel who produces and cures an incredibly powerful adhesive completely underwater (Benyus, 1997, p. 118-125).