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Janine Benyus, the world-renowned “Godmother of Biomimicry,” and her colleagues at Biomimicry 3.8 have been demonstrating what it takes to design human settlements—cities, village, homes, and businesses—that create the same ecological gifts as the wildland next door. We also feature excerpted discussions from advocates like Anne LaForti and Dayna Baumeister, both from Biomimicry 3.8. Learn how biomimicry isn't just about emulating nature's aesthetics but understanding its functional mechanisms for survival and thriving. Unpack the principles of biomimicry, its implications for industries, and the ethical considerations of borrowing from nature's playbook. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Biomimicry aspires to create a world mentored and inspired by Nature's 3.8 billion years of infinite creativity and evolutionary ingenuity. Janine Beynus's seminal book: Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature defines biomimicry as a "new science that studies nature's models and then imitates or draws inspiration from these designs and processes to solve human problems." Designing, creating, and innovating in a generous and abundant vs extractive way that regenerates and reciprocates life is a fundamental aim of biomimicry. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio LINKS Janine Benyus, from the film Biomimicry https://youtu.be/sf4oW8OtaPY?si=7W26J9cyuTayDTda Janine Benyus, from the Bioneers Conference keynote 2025: https://youtu.be/2ioEtnUjzQw?si=oawftg0O_wWGJVeY Interview with Anne LaForti on EcoJustice Radio: https://soundcloud.com/socal350/biomimicry-innovation-inspired-by-nature Dayna Baumeister "Learning From Nature" Omega Institute for Holistic Studies https://youtu.be/2SvltP8IcTk?si=5cqOAduiyyK2M26O Janine Benyus, from a TED Talk https://youtu.be/k_GFq12w5WU?si=4i1ChxIT7q6xe1FR Janine Benyus, a winner of countless prestigious awards, world-renowned biologist, thought leader, innovation consultant and author of six books, including 1997's foundational text, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, is widely considered the “godmother of Biomimicry.” In 1998, she co-founded the Biomimicry Guild, which morphed into Biomimicry 3.8 [ https://biomimicry.net/], a B-Corp social enterprise providing biomimicry consulting services to a slew of major firms and institutions. In 2006, Janine co-founded The Biomimicry Institute, a non-profit institute to embed biomimicry in formal education, and over 11,000 members are now part of the Biomimicry Global Network. Among various other roles, Janine serves on the board of the U.S. Green Building Council, the advisory board for the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, the advisory board for Project Drawdown and as an affiliate faculty member at The Biomimicry Center at Arizona State University. Anne LaForti has a Master's Degree in Biomimicry from Arizona State University, and is a project manager supporting nature-based innovation in the built environment and beyond at Biomimicry 3.8 [http://biomimicry.net]. She is deeply interested in ITEK (Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge), regenerative agriculture and landscapes, and is constantly curious about how to grow nutrient dense foods. Anne was the 2022 Spring Nature, Art & Habitat Residency (NAHR) Fellow [https://nahr.it/] in Santa Ynez, CA, working on "Soil as Pattern Language: Emulating Healthy Soil Communities" and has been a NAHR Ambassador since 2022. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Intro: Jack Eidt Hosted by Carry Kim Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 258 Photo credit: Janine Benyus
Questions, suggestions, or feedback? Send us a message!Our guest today is Janine Benyus, who is the Co-founder of Biomimicry 3.8. She is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Since the book's 1997 release, Janine's work as a global thought leader has evolved the practice of biomimicry from a meme to a movement, inspiring clients and innovators around the world to learn from the genius of nature.She has personally introduced millions to biomimicry through two TED talks, hundreds of conference keynote presentations, and a dozen documentaries such as Biomimicry, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio's Tree Media, 11th Hour, Harmony, and The Nature of Things with David Suzuki, which aired in 71 countries.In 1998, Janine co-founded the Biomimicry Guild with Dr. Dayna Baumeister. That consultancy morphed into Biomimicry 3.8, a B-Corp social enterprise providing biomimicry consulting services to clients like Nike, General Electric, Herman Miller, Procter and Gamble, and Levi's.In 2006, Janine co-founded The Biomimicry Institute, a non-profit institute to embed biomimicry in formal education and informal spaces such as museums and nature centers. Over 11,000 members are now part of the Biomimicry Global Network, working to practice, teach, and spread biomimicry in their region. In 2008, the institute launched AskNature.org, an award-winning bio-inspiration site for inventors.Janine believes that the more people learn from nature's mentors, the more they'll want to protect them. This is why she writes, speaks, and communicates so prolifically about biomimicry.We talk about:Learning from biological systemsWaging war against nature rather than allyingHow profitable emulating nature can beFitting form to functionHow ant colonies inspire mobile phone networksThe dependence of the agricultural system on oilPhotosynthetic Reaction CentreNature is the best chemistAI helping the detective work of biologistsLet's get inspired by nature!Web: www.whereshallwemeet.xyzTwitter: @whrshallwemeetInstagram: @whrshallwemeet
Colin Rohlfing, sustainability and regenerative design expert, architectural engineer, TedX speaker and global opinion leader on all things regenerative design. Colin has been recognized and awarded by many organizations and publications. Over the last 20 years, Colin has been actively involved with President Obama's Export Council Sustainability Committee, the United States Green Building Council, the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment, the Biomimicry Guild, and the International Living Future Institute. This is the architect you want to listen to when it comes to the future of architecture and going beyond sustainability.Support the show
Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature | Bioneers Radio Series
Biomimicry is decoding astonishing treasures from nature’s recipe book that we can mimic for our technological and industrial practices. Biomimicry Guild co-founder Dr. Dayna Baumeister chronicles the latest biomimicry inventions and educational breakthroughs. The U.S. Government’s first certified biomimicry professional, Marie Zanowick , shows how biomimicry is influencing federal policy and actions.
Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature | Bioneers Radio Series
Biomimicry is decoding astonishing treasures from nature’s recipe book that we can mimic for our technological and industrial practices. Biomimicry Guild co-founder Dr. Dayna Baumeister chronicles the latest biomimicry inventions and educational breakthroughs. The U.S. Government’s first certified biomimicry professional, Marie Zanowick , shows how biomimicry is influencing federal policy and actions.
Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature | Bioneers Radio Series
Biomimicry is decoding astonishing treasures from nature’s recipe book that we can mimic for our technological and industrial practices. Biomimicry Guild co-founder Dr. Dayna Baumeister chronicles the latest biomimicry inventions and educational breakthroughs. The U.S. Government’s first certified biomimicry professional, Marie Zanowick , shows how biomimicry is influencing federal policy and actions.
Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature | Bioneers Radio Series
Biomimicry is decoding astonishing treasures from nature’s recipe book that we can mimic for our technological and industrial practices. Biomimicry Guild co-founder Dr. Dayna Baumeister chronicles the latest biomimicry inventions and educational breakthroughs. The U.S. Government’s first certified biomimicry professional, Marie Zanowick , shows how biomimicry is influencing federal policy and actions.
Biomimicry – What We Can Learn From Nature Can Save Our World with Janine M. BenyusAired Thursday, 13 October 2016, 7:00 PM ETNature is far more wondrous that we think – in fact, as scientists across the globe are proving, the natural world is full of hidden design clues that can save our world. Biomimicry is a revolutionary new science that analyzes nature’s best ideas – spider silk and prairie grass, seashells and brain cells – and adapts them for human use. In her seminal book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, science writer Janine Benyus reveals how nature is offering real solutions to human design challenges that can help us save our world– from creating toxin-free materials, to developing waste-free products and systems, to building entire cities that function like Redwood forests.Topics will include:* What leaves can teach us about gathering energy * What spiders can teach us about weaving fibers * What chimps can teach us about healing ourselves * And much more…About the Guest Janine M. BenyusJANINE BENYUS is a biologist, author, innovation consultant, and self-proclaimed “nature nerd.” In her 1997 book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, she names an emerging discipline that emulates nature’s designs and processes (e.g., solar cells that mimic leaves) to create a healthier, more sustainable planet. Since the book’s release, Janine has evolved the practice of biomimicry, speaking around the world about what we can learn from the genius that surrounds us.In 1998, Janine co-founded the world’s first bio-inspired consultancy, Biomimicry 3.8 (formerly the Biomimicry Guild), bringing nature’s sustainable designs to 250+ clients including Boeing, Colgate-Palmolive, Nike, General Electric, Herman Miller, HOK architects, IDEO, Interface, Natura, Procter and Gamble, Levi’s, Kohler, and General Mills.In 2006, she co-founded the Biomimicry Institute, a non-profit dedicated to making biology a natural part of the design process. The Institute hosts annual global biomimicry design challenges on massive sustainability problems, mobilizing tens of thousands of students and practitioners through the Global Biomimicry Network to solve those challenges, and providing those practitioners with the world’s most comprehensive biomimicry inspiration database, AskNature, to use as a starting place.https://biomimicry.org/ and http://asknature.org/
Envision what our world would and could look like if we actually started reading and following the directions contained in “Life’s Operating Manual.” Co-founder with Janine Benyus of the Biomimicry Guild and Biomimicry Institute, Dayna Baumeister provides an eagle’s-eye view of biomimicry breakthroughs using ecological design and nature-inspired technologies that emulate nature’s profound design sophistication. She has worked in the field of biomimicry with Janine Benyus since 1998 and designed and teaches the world’s first Biomimicry Professional Certification Program. Introduction by Byrony Schwan, Executive Director of the Biomimicry Institute. This speech was given at the 2011 Bioneers National Conference. Since 1990, Bioneers has acted as a fertile hub of social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary solutions for the world's most pressing environmental and social challenges. To experience talks like this, please join us at the Bioneers National Conference each October, and regional Bioneers Resilient Community Network gatherings held nationwide throughout the year. For more information on Bioneers, please visit http://www.bioneers.org and stay in touch via Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Bioneers.org) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/bioneers).
Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature | Bioneers Radio Series
Biomimicry is decoding astonishing treasures from nature’s recipe book that we can mimic for our technological and industrial practices. Biomimicry Guild co-founder Dr. Dayna Baumeister chronicles the latest biomimicry inventions and educational breakthroughs. The U.S. Government’s first certified biomimicry professional, Marie Zanowick , shows how biomimicry is influencing federal policy and actions.
Bioneers: Revolution From the Heart of Nature | Bioneers Radio Series
Biomimicry and How Nature Would Do It - Biomimicry is decoding astonishing treasures from natureandapos;s recipe book that we can mimic for our technological and industrial practices. Its also changing how we think: a crash course in environmental education from natures viewpoint. Biomimicry Guild co-founder Dr. Dayna Baumeister chronicles the latest biomimicry inventions and educational breakthroughs by asking, How would nature do it? The U.S. Governments first certified biomimicry professional, Marie Zanowick, shows how biomimicry is influencing federal policy and actions.
Aired 06/12/11 JANINE BENYUS is a natural sciences writer, innovation consultant, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. Since the book's 1997 release, Janine has evolved the practice of biomimicry, consulting with sustainable business, academic, and government leaders. Janine has co-founded the Biomimicry Guild, the Biomimicry Institute, and the web portal http://www.asknature.org/ to further this work. Her next book will be Nature's Code. http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/
Aired 12/16/08 After 3.8 billion years of R&D, failures are fossils. The conscious emulation of life's genius is a sustainable survival strategy for the human race. Biomimicry (from bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate) is a new science that studies nature's best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. Studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell is an example of this "innovation inspired by nature." The core idea is that nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with. Animals, plants, and microbes are the consummate engineers. They have found what works, what is appropriate, and most important, what lasts here on Earth. We are learning how to grow food like a prairie, build ceramics like an abalone, create color like a peacock, self-medicate like a chimp, compute like a cell, and run a business like a hickory forest. Learn more at www.biomimicryinstitute.org and www.asknature.org Janine Benyus' luscious 1997 book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature is unique and profound. In the book, she not only invents a new field that she has named biomimicry, but she inverts the way we all think about design - the alchemy that turns intention into action. Benyus draws her design inspiration from nature's wisdom, not people's cleverness. Some 3.8 billion years of evolution have exposed the design flaws of roughly 99% of nature's creations - all recalled by the Manufacturer. The 1% that have survived can teach powerful lessons about how things should be built if they're to last. For example, nature's design genius has led to the creation of bat-inspired ultrasonic canes for the blind, synthetic sheets that collect water from mist and fog as desert beetles do, and paint that self-cleans like a lotus leaf. Little plastic-film patches have been designed using adhesiveless gecko-foot technology, so that carpet tiles can be stored in a big roll, but also easily removed. Equally promising, we'll soon make solar cells like leaves, supertough ceramics that resemble the inner shells of abalone, and underwater glue that mimics the natural as forests. Biomimicry isn't biotechnology. Biomimicry learns and emulates how spiders make silk; biotechnology transplants spiders' silk-making genes into goats, then sorts silk from milk and hopes the genes don't get loose. Biotechnology is smart kids in an oil depot with matches; biomimicry is wise adults in a rain forest with flashlights. Biotechnology is pure hubris; biomimicry is luminous humility - treating nature as model and mentor, cherished not as a mine to be stripped of its resources but as a teacher. Steering this design revolution is a centered, gentle, funny, lovely lady who lives in North America's Montana Rockies, observes deeply, writes with rare beauty, and lectures breathtakingly. By reorganizing the biological literature around function not organism - to reveal which organism knows how to solve your design problem - Benyus and her colleagues at the Biomimicry Guild and Biomimicry Institute in Montana are starting to help the world of the made work like, and live harmoniously with, the world of the born. This will change your life. And it may save the world. -- Amory B. Lovins, chairman and chief scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute