Biomimicry: Imitating Nature

fern fronds unfurling
I admit that I first became aware of biomimicry at the Cultivating Women’s Leadership Conference I attended in July of last year. So what is it and why is it so vitally important that more and more of us know and understand just what Biomimicry is and its significant value to citizens of this planet? In short, Biomimicry is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies. The goal is to create products, processes, and policies – new ways of living – that are well-adapted to life on earth over the long haul. Translation? Learning from nature. Biomimicry 3.8 is the global leader in biomimicry innovation consulting and professional training, helping innovation leaders, designers, business and sustainability leaders, to solve human problems with biological intelligence and brilliance of nature’s designs. How do they do it? By accessing the powerful intelligence embedded in 3.8 billion years of evolution, Biomimicry 3.8 has collaborated with innovation teams and individuals at more than 250 companies to achieve competitive advantages through biomimicry. Their consulting staff of biologists, chemists, and designers work with innovation and design teams to zero in on the relevant biological intelligence and unpack nature’s proven processes and structures to inspire new solutions for the world’s challenges. Talk about improving our Environmental IQ – bring it on!

SHOW NOTES

INSIGHTS

Biomimicry 3.8 uses the practice of Biomimicry to help innovators find design solutions. They train professionals to be the next generation of Biomimics and they share the amazing ways that nature’s wisdom solves human problems with people around the world.
In simple terms, Biomimicry is “the conscious emulation of nature’s genius” looking at the design of how organisms have evolved over time and applying that to today’s problems.
Life on Earth has an incredible amount to teach us!
There are millions of organisms all over the planet that have specific roles and functions within their ecosystems, which provides vast amounts of information for new ways that we can make our products, factories, and other means of innovation more efficient.
Biomimicry 3.8 has helped companies like Seventh Generation look for better packaging designs for liquid dispersal. Their inspiration? A sea cucumber!
The purpose of Biomimicry 3.8 is to help people learn, appreciate and inspire, while working to mitigate risk, build resilience and advance innovation.
Biomimicry 3.8 helps companies identify their functional challenges, go to the biologic literature to find how different species function, which they can then use to help overcome their own challenges.
Single organisms are not only looked at for inspiration for strategies, but the interactions between organisms and those around them (how can a company function like an ecosystem?).
In a world full of saddening events (social and environmental), Biomimicry comes from a place of hope and aims to inspire, “Get outside and be uncomfortable!” You might find something fascinating!

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