Sustaining humanity's ability to learn from nature
We work across research, education, and open knowledge infrastructure to ensure that what nature teaches us is never lost.
501(c)(3) public charity · since 2025
To strengthen the long-term resilience of communities and ecosystems
Sustainability itself is not self-sustaining. The knowledge, cultural frameworks, and institutional capacity that make sustainable practices possible require deliberate investment. SOS Foundation works to improve how sustainability is understood, communicated, and practiced — ensuring that humanity's ability to learn from nature persists and grows.
We organize our work around three interlocking pillars — Meaning, Pattern, and Mechanism — with Education as a cross-cutting layer that connects them all.
What if sustainability had a language people actually feel?
Art, design, and culture give sustainability a shared language — felt before it is explained.
What is happening in this division?
Meaning is where sustainability becomes felt rather than argued. Through art, design, and cultural experience, it creates shared understanding before debate, policy, or persuasion takes place.
- Nature Salon
- Exhibitions & Installations
- Narratives & Archives
What is happening in this division?
Pattern is where ecosystems become legible: we translate natural collections into shared, computable representations — supporting research, education, and bio-inspired inquiry.
- SOS Research Unit
- Mountain Digital Twins (MDT)
- Open datasets
What if nature were readable as a shared, computable knowledge commons?
By transforming natural collections into structured, computable representations, we create a shared foundation for research, education, and bio-inspired innovation.
What if nature's knowledge were open, searchable, and accessible to everyone?
Open knowledge infrastructure makes nature's design intelligence findable and usable — connecting researchers, educators, and innovators through shared data and tools.
What is happening in this division?
Mechanism is where knowledge becomes accessible — when open infrastructure, shared datasets, and contributor networks make nature's design intelligence available to those who need it.
- Discovery Commons
- Internet of Bioinspiration (IoBI)
- Open datasets & tools
SOS Research Unit + Education
Research generates knowledge. Education turns it into lasting capacity. Together they form a self-reinforcing cycle.
Co-directed by Cong Liu & Wei-Ping Chan — bridging natural history and computational innovation. 40+ publications, 800+ citations.
Education should not end with learning. It should lead to real contributions.
What is taking shape?
Selected works and signals emerging across Meaning, Pattern, and Mechanism.
Ideas, in public
Field notes, project updates, and essays from SOS Foundation.
Should Buying and Selling Ants Be Banned?
In March, a traveler was stopped in Nairobi with more than 2,000 live ants in his luggage. Notes from my RFI interview on what the online ant trade actually looks like — and why neither a ban nor a free-for-all is the right answer.
Want to turn the loop into continuity?
Join at the layer where you contribute most — Meaning, Pattern, Mechanism, or Continuity.
Meaning: translate sustainability into shared language through art, culture, and lived experience.
Pattern: turn nature and collections into shared, computable representations through digitization and open datasets.
Mechanism: build open knowledge infrastructure so nature’s design intelligence becomes accessible to all.
Continuity: provide the support that lets projects persist and compound — funding, hosting, and long-term stewardship.
Foundation: embed sustainability into learning at every level through curricula, workshops, and youth engagement.
Leave your email and tell us which layer you're coming from. We'll follow up with the most relevant next step.