Challenge yourself to design generously.
Can human designs give more to the planet than they take? We need a new generation of innovators, who know how to create man-made materials, products, and systems that are regenerative, circular, and generous to all species.
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How might we fall in love with industrial waste? Create value from landfill-bound materials.
Sustainability is a journey and we have to start where we are today. How might we create real change within an industry? Embrace waste and all of its potential. This is an inside look into how our team is working to change industry from within a large manufacturing corporation by turning what we normally think of as waste into something better.
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What does planetary thinking mean?
We are human beings, who live as part of a planet. It behooves us not to gloss over either of these facts or the relationship between them.
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From an “aha” moment to a thriving network: A look at Biomimicry India
We’ve all seen renditions of Hollywood movies that depict our protagonists’ breakthrough moment where suddenly the clouds part, revealing blue skies and sunshine, and miraculously they know exactly what it is they are meant to do. For architect Seema Anand and entrepreneur and architect Prashant Dhawan of Biomimicry India, that revelation came in the form of a lecture. The duo describes their first encounter with biomimicry at a sustainable urban futures lecture given by Peter Head as an “aha” moment.
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It’s full speed ahead for the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge Accelerator teams
It’s been a busy six months for the 2015 Biomimicry Global Design Challenge finalists. Last October, eight teams from around the world were chosen to be part of the first-ever biomimicry food systems accelerator. After pitching and getting feedback on their design concepts in-person during SXSW Eco in Austin, TX, these intrepid innovators began working furiously to test and prototype their nature-inspired design concepts.
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Meet a Biomimic: Julia Chiang
Our next guest on the Meet a Biomimic series is Julia Chiang. Julia is from Taiwan and works as a public relations manager for an agriculture company. She spends much of her time doing outreach as the Secretary General of Biomimicry Taiwan. Some of her recent efforts have been to translate the film “Biomimicry” by Tree Media and other news for native Mandarin speakers. This is no small feat considering Mandarin is the world’s most common language with approximately 14.4% of the human population! Read on to learn more about Julia.
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Want to build an organization that lasts? Create a superorganism.
As an evolutionary biologist, a businessperson, and a biomimic, I’m always looking for the deep patterns in life, trying to find out what lasts. And here’s one thing I know is true:
Organizations can’t keep growing the way we structure them today.
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Building resiliency in the face of a rising sea: How coastal communities can learn from nature
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges the world has ever faced. Flooding, storm surge, and sea level rise are serious threats to natural resources, infrastructure, and human communities in coastal areas. In effort to adapt to these changing conditions, planners and policymakers should consider nature’s strategies when developing coastal resiliency plans to protect communities from increasing coastal erosion and flooding due to rising sea levels.
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What nature’s information network can teach us
Today, we are well on our way to a complete digital transformation – where smart sensors and interconnected devices will reshape our economy. But as we build this new Internet of Things, how can we avoid the pitfalls and waste of our current system? In an article on Circulate, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s blog, Janine Benyus explores examples of how the ways that natural systems interact and share information can help us create intelligent assets that maximize our resource productivity while minimizing waste.
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Strengthening the “fragility of grand discoveries” with biomimicry
Close calls make for compelling origin stories, but the sheer randomness of this approach to scientific innovation means that we may be missing a lot. It’s discouraging to think that small decisions and chance events have enough sway to knock innovators off course so easily, even with the rigors of the scientific process. So what can we do to strengthen this “fragility of grand discoveries?” We can start by looking in the right places to begin with.
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Meet a Biomimic: Colleen Mahoney
If you heard about the great BioBlitz of the Americas earlier this month, then you might be familiar with our next guest for the Meet a Biomimic series: Colleen Mahoney. Colleen is a principal architect, and as a parent and a recognized advocate for sustainable building practices, she has set a new standard for family-focused residential architecture with hundreds of projects to date. Beyond her work, Colleen spends her time fostering a community of nature lovers as the co-director (along with biomimicry specialist AJ Wacaser) of the Coastal Redwood Biomimicry Network. She continues to share her love and passion for the natural world by teaching kids and adults alike, encouraging them to contribute to the health and well-being of our planet. Read on to learn more about her path and what she aims to accomplish.
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(Re)defining the Future: Meet the first graduates of the new Master of Science in Biomimicry program
Sitting in a safari jeep for four days, deep in the Okavango Delta with animals teeming all around us, it was maybe only once that our cohort of Biomimicry Professionals experienced a moment of silence lasting longer than 30 seconds (max!) before someone would pipe up, even with an elephant in our camp! That is what it’s like experiencing a new habitat with a team of passionate instructors and nineteen fellow biomimics on their final in-person session before graduation – rare is the silence, rarer still is a lack of inquisitiveness or enthusiasm for the wisdom in nature all around us.
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Meet a Biomimic: Alyssa Stark
Our Meet a Biomimic series continues with Alyssa Stark. Alyssa is a scientist, or a functional morphologist as she calls herself, studying biological adhesives. Her current research focuses on the adhesive systems of ants and geckos (learn more at her website). From developing biomimicry science programs for elementary school kids to mentoring participants in the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge, Alyssa remains heavily involved in spreading and teaching biomimicry. Read on to learn more about her journey and hear her advice on how to incorporate biomimicry into your work.
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Message to COP21 leaders: Need solutions? Ask nature.
Nature is full of clues for how we can approach our climate change problems, in ways that not only reduce our climate impact, but help us to “…become producers of ecosystem services” (Janine Benyus). Biomimicry studies and then translates nature’s architecture, design and engineering strategies to human design. Many of these strategies can apply directly to climate change challenges such as how nature upcycles carbon, harnesses the sun’s power, and creates electricity.
COP21 is focused on developing solid action plans and solutions. In that spirit, we want to share just a few of nature’s strategies and corresponding innovations that can lead us down a more life-sustaining path.
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#ThankOutside: Share what you’re grateful for in nature
Being thankful is part of the joy of being a biomimic. Once you see that the living world is teeming with tangible wayposts that direct us to a more sustainable future, it’s hard not to feel profoundly grateful each time you step outside.
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