Two species. Two ways of living. One clear winner.

Species A:

Builds towering cities with built-in climate control.

Uses only what’s needed – no waste, no excess.

Thrives in some of the harshest environments on Earth.

Works together to ensure survival, balancing growth with long-term stability.

Species B:

Bulldozes forests to build sprawling, resource-hungry cities.

Extracts materials faster than they can be replenished.

Dumps waste into oceans and landfill, polluting its own habitat.

Prioritises short-term profits over long-term survival.

One of these species has been around for over 250 million years, with colonies that function like self-sustaining ecosystems. 

The other? Well… it’s us.

Termites have been mastering sustainability long before we even figured out how to boil water. Their cities are models of efficiency – they don’t over-expand, they recycle everything, and they use smart, passive ventilation instead of energy-guzzling climate control. Meanwhile, we’re still trying to work out how to build a city that doesn’t overheat, flood, or crumble under its own weight.

What if we started designing our own societies with the same principles?

What if we built for longevity, not just convenience?

What if waste wasn’t an afterthought, but a resource?

What if we worked with nature instead of against it?

It turns out progress doesn’t mean starting from scratch – it means learning from what’s already working. 

And termites? They’ve been getting it right for millennia.

Maybe the real question isn’t what we can learn from termites – but whether we’re willing to learn at all.

What will you do now that you know?

Simon