Welcome to this mini season of the Bamboo U Podcast!
In this episode, I sit down with Gunter Pauli, the mind behind the concept of the Blue Economy to talk about Gunter's journey and the life experiences that shaped his optimistic, action-driven worldview. We also discuss how Gunter got involved with bamboo and how Bali was the starting point of his journey with the material.
In this podcast, we discuss the following topics:
- Gunter Pauli’s personal journey and the life experiences that shaped his mindset
- The origins of Gunter’s work in bamboo and how Bali played a pivotal role in his bamboo journey
- The creation of the ZERI Pavilion with Simón Vélez and how it became a turning point for modern bamboo architecture
- Overcoming permitting, engineering, and fire safety challenges for large-scale bamboo structures
- How the term “vegetable steel” emerged from structural testing of bamboo
- Bamboo as a regenerative material for land restoration, water production, and climate resilience
- Scaling bamboo for social housing: lessons from Ecuador and Colombia
- Bamboo housing as a pathway from extreme poverty to long-term stability
- Shifting the narrative from “temporary housing” to safety, dignity, and opportunity
- The importance of acting quickly when windows of opportunity appear
- Why “analysis leads to paralysis” and the power of prototyping with your hands
- Unexpected future applications of bamboo, including fiber-based products like diapers
- How bamboo fits into the broader Blue Economy philosophy: Using what you have to meet immediate needs
- Why trust, timing, and action matter more than perfect plans
