Uncivilized Genes

"Uncivilised Genes" is one of the first truly academic books that we have found on the subject of the urban paradox - our genetic mismatch with modern life. While the likes of Mark Sisson of the primal / paleo movement have done fine work in raising awareness amongst the general public, a lot of the rationale behind it is left up to secondary sources or stated in fairly generic terms.

The basic premise that we did not evolve for city life makes complete sense for existing sympathizers who have already made up their own minds but breaking the argument down piece by piece into a bulletproof argument is the work of an academic, be it anthropologist or archaeologist.

Gustav Milne is an example of the latter, currently teaching at University College London (UCL). What sets him apart is that he previously spent 20 years at the Museum of London, giving him a unique perspective on evolutionary history within the context of an urban metropolis.

His basic premise is that "wellbeing and good health are dependent on us following evolutionary concordant behaviors". This appears to be a similar starting point to the ancestral health community in California, however Milne adopts more of a macro view that helps set him apart.

When he states that "our uncivilised past is many, many millenia longer than the history of our civilisations", we have the sense of a writer who has spent decades of his own life mulling over this complex theme, attempting to coax it into a series of rules for 21st century living. This book is the fruit of that labour.

Pages 111-112 of the first edition contain a contribution by biofit on evolutionary concordant fitness; Milne himself however is strongest when flipping between deep, evolutionary history and contemporary urban planning themes such as building active design into cities of the future to encourage more walking and cycling. 

Other topics include the importance of building social (semi-tribal) networks for mental wellbeing, the role of music and dance in conveying information, and biophilia (man's innate connection to nature) in urban greenspace. 

A selection of Milne's more punchy Urban Design Protocols looks like this:

• Put human locomotion at the heart of transport policy and street design
• Promote and develop participatory urban greenspace, e.g. city farms
• Promote the development of roof gardens
• Encourage street-based neighborhoods rather than enclosed estates

Overall this is an sparkling, challenging and highly engaging  book that will suit the newcomer to the subject just as well as the seasoned ancestral health aficionado. Highly recommended reading.

"Uncivilised Genes" by Gustav Milne is available now.

9 Tips for Biophilic Living

Here are our top tips for an evolution friendly 21st century lifestyle that is in tune with both ancestral and primal health principles, as well as biophilic and wellness-oriented design. 

Connect with nature outside

Spend time outside in nature whenever possible, be it in 'green spaces' (gardens, parks and forests) or 'blue' (near rivers, seas and lakes), whether for 20-minutes, two hours or two days. Reconnecting with the elements has a restorative affect and helps counterbalance the negative impact of high-stress urban routines as it allows our senses to kick in to overdrive and certain parts of our brain to switch off.

Leverage the health benefits of Biophilic Design

We spend 90% of our lives indoors so bring the outside in to maintain your levels of Vitamin Nature around the home, office and gym. Go big on air-purifying plants such as Mother-in-Law's tongue; incorporate wood, bamboo, leather, and marble into your home decor; prioritize natural daylight and ventilation via open windows and balconies; use large format images of natural landscapes on the walls and incorporate circadian lighting that energizes with blue-white tones by day and amber tones after dark to improve sleep patterns.

Eat a Real Food Diet

Base your diet around an abundance of organic, seasonal fruit and vegetables with meat and fish in moderation. Cut out processed foods with long ingredient lists and reduce your intake of bread, pasta and other high-carb 'plate fillers' with minimal nutrient value. Consider not just what you eat but where it came from and how it made the journey from farm to table.

Movement and physical activity

Move every darn day, no excuses! Whether it be walking or cycling to work, a simple morning stretch routine or a full-on biofit style gym session using sandbags, medicine balls, beams and ropes that encourages 100% mindful engagement rather than high-tech machinery that invites you to switch off from the task in hand. Our genetic code was written when we needed to hunt and forage in order to survive, creating a direct correlation between movement and sustenance; now that link has been broken and calories are so easy to come by, it is imperative we find other ways to keep active.

Mental and physical restoration

Respect your body's need for rest, typically 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Work out what you need personally to operate at 100% every day then protect those hours as doggedly as you can. Avoid all sources of blue light such as TV, phone or computer screens 1-2 hours before bed, use blackout blinds in the bedroom and install a light system with warm amber hues for use after dark to ensure a solid night's sleep. 

Practice Mindfulness

Train your mind like a muscle, it is your greatest asset. Learn a language, study for a qualification, practice meditation or try a dance class to mix things up. Our brain's capacity to develop new neurological pathways directly equates to skill development and nothing has been more instrumental in our rise to the top of the evolutionary tree; use it or lose it however so keep your mind active!

Go barefoot

Take your shoes off in the home, gym and even office (when appropriate!) allowing your feet time to connect with the ground while activating the 26 tiny bones in each foot that might otherwise remain dormant in thick-soled or high-heeled shoes all day long. As this sensation becomes steadily more comfortable, consider a pair of minimalist sports shoes with 'zero drop' (i.e. no raised heel) to replicate a more natural stance even when moving around outside.  

Build your tribe of social connections

Find and foster your tribe; we evolved in small groups making us inherently social animals with an innate psychological need to bond, connect and share with others yet modern technologies tend to encourage isolation. The biological need remains however so find your people, wherever they are.

Sit less / use active workstations

Static seated positions negatively affect the lower back, posture and hip mobility; break the habit of our adult lives by finding alternatives to endless hours at a desk or table. Consider periods working at a high table or standing desk, experiment with a Swiss ball and try to change position at least once each hour to give the body a chance to balance itself out over the day.

Bio Building: Biophilic Buildings - The Eco-Friendly Concept of the Future — Biofilico Wellness Interiors

The concept of sustainable, eco-friendly, green, and now - biophilic buildings has been around for the past 20 years, helped along by organizations such as the Green Building Council that have dutifully guided developers, architects and corporations with their star certification system and LEED recognition.

The concept of biophilic architecture revolves around the principles associated with human healthcare, aiming to reconnect us with nature again. Biophilic buildings can also improve the general landscape, tipping the scale towards “greener”, more natural scenery, that ultimately benefit every part of our being. Constructing buildings using bio-based materials, such as timber, straw, and clay, offers sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives to petrochemical and mineral-based materials, further enhancing the eco-friendly nature of these structures.

Sustainability movement with suitable rating systems for sustainable construction

Born of the massive recent upswing in urbanization and the resulting high-density cities that then put added strain on our planet, the green, biophilic building movement within the construction industry pushes an earth-friendly agenda onto our built environment by emphasizing sustainable practices and materials.

With over 92,000 projects using LEED in over 165 countries around the world and more than 2.2 million sq ft of built environment certified every single day, this is by far the most prominent rating system out there today.

LEED’s key tenets include energy, water, waste, location & transportation, sustainability of a site’s location and indoor environmental quality.

Moving beyond this green, eco philosophy though, more recently we have seen two concurrent trends that take the sustainability movement in a new direction.

Biophilic buildings & biophilic design in architecture using bio based materials

Like we said, there are a few trends that are currently directing the sustainability movement, including the use of bio based materials.

Firstly there is biophilic, nature-inspired design that adopts a similarly planet-oriented mindset yet zeroes in on how organic and evolution-friendly design principles can have a positive psychological and physiological health impact on humans. Plant based materials, such as timber, straw, reed, hemp, and engineered timber, play a crucial role in this by offering practical and sustainable options for construction. Engineered timber, in particular, stands out for its structural properties and sustainability, making it a key component in bio-based building technologies.

This planet + people mindset instantly gives biophilic design in architecture a more commercial edge, cutting through the externally oriented benefits of doing no harm to the planet with a more human-centric view of the built environment while also opening the door to overtly aesthetic choices that prioritize natural beauty.

When picturing or creating biophilic buildings in your mind - think vertical garden walls; air purifying plants; circadian lighting that follows the body’s daily rhythm; natural colors, patterns, textures and materials, all of which are designed to bring the outside world in, re-uniting city and countryside to create uplifting, restorative green spaces as closely aligned with our deep past as feasibly possible.

A holistic standard that advocates a healthy interrelationship with nature

Living Future is a holistic standard that has so far logged over 330 projects and 14.1 million square feet of built environment since 2008. Key concepts that it addresses include:

• Place: restoring a healthy interrelationship with nature by maximizing the use of natural resources;

• Water: creating developments that operate within the water balance of a given place and climate;

• Energy: relying solely on current solar income;

• Health + Happiness: creating environments that optimize physical and psychological health and wellbeing;

• Materials: endorsing products that are safe for all species through time, including plant-based insulation materials like hemp and wood, which offer benefits such as moisture regulation and sustainability;

• Equity: supporting a just, equitable world;

• Beauty: celebrating design that uplifts the human spirit.

Introducing key proponents of human oriented buildings

The final segment, after eco/green/sustainable and bio/natural/organic comprises explicitly human or people-oriented buildings designed for human health, wellness and fitness, whilst also doing no harm to the planet through sustainable construction. Sustainable materials, such as timber, straw, hemp, and cork, offer numerous benefits in human-oriented building design, including reducing environmental impact, improving indoor air quality, and promoting resource efficiency. The use of local materials in bio-architectural residences further enhances sustainability by reducing transportation emissions and supporting local economies.

Key proponents of this approach are the WELL Building Standard and the US government-backed Centre For Active Design FITWEL standard.

WELL standard - environmentally oriented standard addressing global carbon emissions

WELL focuses on best practices when it comes to biophilic design in architecture and construction, backed by evidence-based medical and scientific research. To date, it has over 700 projects under its belt in 32 countries equating to 139 million sq ft of built environment. The standard covers eight key categories.

An evolution of green building standards such as LEED, the increasingly popular WELL Building Standard from Delos identifies 100 performance metrics, design strategies and policies that can be implemented across a building to have a positive impact on the health and wellness of its occupants, and transform it into something that can be described as a biophilic building. By incorporating bio-based materials, WELL also aims to improve indoor air quality, reducing the presence of harmful chemicals and VOCs, thus creating a healthier environment for the occupants.

WELL is complementary to other, more environmentally-oriented standards and in many instances directly overlaps as a nature-first approach is also inherently healthy for humans; the emphasis however is simply skewed towards the occupants rather than the environment. By using such materials, including plant-based and biocompatible options like plant fibers, timber, and straw, WELL promotes sustainable cultivation practices that integrate with forestry, agriculture, and conservation. The standard is happy to roam far and wide, from homes to offices, healthcare facilities, schools and restaurants.

FITWELL standard with a heavy data approach for indoor air quality

FITWEL, standing for Facility Innovations Toward Wellness Environment Leadership, was launched in March 2017 and has currently impacted over 250,000 building occupants with over 380 projects around the world. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a significant concern in indoor air quality, and reducing VOCs through the use of green building materials can create a healthier environment for building occupants. They too take a heavily data-focused approach with a database of over 3000 academic studies backing up their efforts to inspire healthier workplaces and residential communities specifically.

Biophilic architecture concept

Biophilic buildings are supposed to represent something more other than sheer connection with nature. Biophilic design in architecture is here to bring necessary transformation in the field that is responsible for the greatest negative environmental impact, including reducing carbon emissions.

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