Our colleague Anne Hews writes: You probably know the story of how Vlademir and his wife, Inge, coined the phrase "Industrial Symbiosis"in 1989. She copies a snippet of her 2005 Ph.D. dissertation that describes the emergence of the term (below). She remained close with the Christensen family since they met in 2001. In fact she brought Vlademir and Inge to Devens during one of their regular visits. Sadly, she writes, " he passed away on July 7, 2020 (age 80 years).... Vlademir was a generous leader and such an inspiration to meand a very significant attribute to my dissertation project. Industrial Ecology has lost a "hero." "Hero" is a great term that Graham Aid just mentioned to me in an earlier email," she concludes.
Dissertation snippet:
"The phrase industrial symbiosis emerged from a brainstorming by Vlademir and Inge prior to his address to a local high school. On learning about the concept of sustainable development, the students were upset that many local industries were destroying their future. Vlademir felt that the reuse of waste products underway in Kalundborg was sustainable, but it was his wife's background in pharmacuetical sciences that brought to her mind the idea of symbiosis. "Inge took a little dusty word, hidden away about plants, bees and wild flowers and now everyone is talking about symbiosis. It could be a good symbiosis between two schools or two businesses. It's very much local here and very much used. Isn''t that correct Inge?" "Yes, a biological word now used in Industry", Inge replies. HEWES 2005.