July 9th, 2013
Creativity bequeaths creativity.
This morning, I listened to a piece on PRI’s The World featuring a Chinese entrepreneur pursuing a new concept in crop irrigation.
Zhu Jun of Beijing is searching for an irrigation method that reduces water use and creates uniform and healthy plants. According to Zhu, surface drip irrigation uses excess water and underground drip irrigation frequently clogs and creates uneven plants.
Zhu’s solution is “Trace Irrigation". Harnessing capillary force, Zhu uses a series of PVC pipes that narrow down to strings, from which the plant drinks. There are some skeptics, but if his claims are true, it could mean big things for water, pesticide, and fungicide reduction.
My morning routine includes listening to the NPR or PRI live stream. This is when I find myself most often scrambling to write down ideas or concepts to research.
As a green thumb, Zhu’s story is interesting to me in and of itself. Perhaps what interested me more was the creative exchange from the reporter to my imagination. I spent my morning visualizing Zhu’s series of pipes and green plants and imagining different irrigation scenarios. These daily creative exercises are an invaluable personal benefit of public radio. Regardless of source, creative stimulation allows me to think creatively about every day solutions at work and at home.