Bioneer (root: "biological pioneer") is a

neologism A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...

coined by filmmaker, author and eco-activist

Kenny Ausubel Kenny Ausubel is a social entrepreneur, investigative journalist, and award-winning filmmaker. He launched the annual National Bioneers Conference in 1990 with Nina Simons. He has received the Buckminster Fuller Institute’s Challenge Award as wel ...

.Utne Reader. (1999 Mar-Apr)
"15 Ideas That Could Shake the World"
. ''

Utne Reader ''Utne Reader'' (also known as ''Utne'') ( ) is a digital digest that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and ...

''. Retrieved on 2007-03-20. According to ''

'', 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 A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

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 Bioneers, under its parent foundation, Collective Heritage Institute, is a nonprofit organization based in New Mexico and California that promotes practical and innovative solutions to global environmental and bio-cultural challenges. Founded in ...

conference founded by Ausubel and his wife

Nina Simons Nina Simons (born January 10, 1957, in Manhattan, NY) is a co-founder & co-CEO of Bioneers, and an organizer of women's leadership retreats and trainings. Her book ''Nature, Culture & the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership'' (2018) received t ...

and held annually in San Rafael,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, 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 Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat ( tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil ...

fuels in northern

was titled "Bioneering Biodiesel." An April 2007 symposium and art exhibition at

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and p ...

focused on food production, consumption, and distribution was called "Bioneering: Hybrid Investigations of Food."

Other usage

''Bioneer'' and its derivations have also been used in relationship to

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

. This usage of the term appears to come from independent coinages based on a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsCambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

drug-screening company Bioneering Technologies describes itself as being focused on "the fusion between biotechnology, engineering, and pioneering services (hence, Bioneering)." Students in the Bachelor of Biotechnology Innovation program at

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Australia called themselves ''bioneers'' "as they regard themselves as pioneering a new era in biotechnology." The

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

-based international biotechnology firm Korea Biotech, Inc., founded in 1992, changed its name in 1996 to Bioneer Corporation. Bioneer is also a term adopted by those who visit the Biomatrix website for self-improvement. This site and forum advocated the use of bodybuilding, training and technology to improve not only one's muscles (as would a bodybuilder) but also your other physical attributes such as speed, agility and intelligence. The fictional biotech company Bioneer Research appears in episode 7 season 8 of Quincy M.E., "Science for Sale" (1982), where it is used to illustrate Wall Streets influence on science.

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

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 Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

, including genetic engineering, which he decries, and what he has termed "true biotechnologies" based on biomimicry, natural design, and the restoration of

natural capital Natural capital is the world's stock of natural resources, which includes geology, soils, air, water and all living organisms. Some natural capital assets provide people with free goods and services, often called ecosystem services. All of t ...

.Ausubel, Kenny, and J. P. Harpignies, eds. (2004) ''Nature's Operating Instructions: The True Biotechnologies''. The Bioneers Series. Sierra Club Books.

Notes

{{Wiktionary Environmentalism 1980s neologisms