Bioneer

Bioneer (root: "biological pioneer") is a neologism coined by filmmaker, author and eco-activist Kenny Ausubel.Utne Reader. (1999 Mar-Apr). [http://www.utne.com/cgi-bin/udt/im.display.printable?client.id=utne&story.id=2 "15 Ideas That Could Shake the World"] . "Utne Reader". Retrieved on 2007-03-20.] According to "Utne Reader", a bioneer is "a biological pioneer, an ecological inventor who's got an elegant and often simple set of solutions for environmental conundrums." As coined by Ausubel, the term describes individuals and groups working in diverse disciplines who have crafted creative solutions to various environmental and socio-cultural problems rooted in shared core values, including whole systems, (anticipatory) thinking, a view of all life as interdependent, and sustainable mutual aid.

The greatest use of the term since its coinage has been in relation to the annual Bioneers conference founded by Ausubel and held annually in San Rafael, California and its participants. However, in recent years the term or derivations has seen increasing use independent of the Bioneers organization, suggesting an increasing acceptance of the term in popular usage. For example, a 2005 article on the use and manufacture of biodiesel fuels in northern California was titled "Bioneering Biodiesel." [Holland, Laura McHale. (2005 August). [http://www.northbaybiz.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3877&Itemid=0&search_keywords=biodiesel "Bioneering Biodiesel: Local entrepreneurs bet on biodiesel to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and clean the air."] . "NorthBay Biz". Retrieved on 2007-03-20.] An April 2007 symposium and art exhibition at University of California, Irvine focused on food production, consumption, and distribution was called "Bioneering: Hybrid Investigations of Food." [Tucker, Lisa, curator. (2007). [http://yin.arts.uci.edu/~tucker/ Bioneering: Hybrid Investigations of Food] (symposium). University of California, Irvine. Retrieved on 2007-03-20.]

Other usage

"Bioneer" and its derviations have also been used in relationship to biotechnology. This usage of the term appears to come from independent coinages based on a portmanteau of "biotechnology" and "engineering" and/or "pioneering." The Cambridge, Massachusetts drug-screening company Bioneering Technologies describes itself as being focused on "the fusion between biotechnology, engineering, and pioneering services (hence, Bioneering)." [ [http://www.bioneering.com/ Bioneering Technologies] . (2006-2007). [http://www.bioneering.com/About "Drug Discovery Services That Make Sense."] Retrieved on 2007-03-20.] Students in the Bachelor of Biotechnology Innovation program at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia called themselves "bioneers" "as they regard themselves as pioneering a new era in biotechnology." [Collet, Chris and Wyatt, David. (2005). [http://eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00002541/ "Bioneering" - teaching biotechnology entrepreneurship at the undergraduate level.] "Education + Training" 47(6): 408-421. Retrieved on 2007-03-20.] The Korea-based international biotechnology firm Korea Biotech, Inc., founded in 1992, changed its name in 1996 to Bioneer Corporation. [ [http://www.bioneer.com/ Bioneer Corporation] . (2005). [http://eng.bioneer.com/ "History"] . Retrieved on 2007-03-20.]

Difference between usages

While Ausubel's coinage does not specifically refer to biotechnology, the second coinage of "bioneer" referring to biotechnology is clearly antithetical to the term as understood by Ausubel and those influenced by him and the Bioneers organization. In the book "Nature's Operating Instructions: The True Biotechnologies" (coedited with J. P. Harpignies), Ausubel has made a clear distinction between corporate biotech, including genetic engineering, which he decries, and what he has termed "true biotechnologies" based on biomimicry, natural design, and the restoration of natural capital. [Ausubel, Kenny, and J. P. Harpignies, eds. (2004) "Nature's Operating Instructions: The True Biotechnologies". The Bioneers Series. Sierra Club Books.]

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