LESSON 1.1: WHAT IS BIOMIMICRY?

The Conscious Emulation of Life's Genius

Janine Benyus, co-founder of the Biomimicry Institute and author of the seminal book, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, defines biomimicry as the “conscious emulation of life’s genius.”

That is:

  • “Conscious”: being intentional
  • “Emulation”: learning from living things, then applying those insights to the challenges humans want to solve.
  • “Life’s genius”: recognizing that life has arrived at well-adapted solutions that have stood the test of time, within the constraints of a planet with finite resources.

 

What is Biomimicry?

"Biomimicry is the practice of applying lessons from nature to the invention of healthier, more sustainable technologies for people. Biomimetic designers (“biomimics”) focus on understanding, learning from, and emulating the strategies used by living things, with the intention of creating designs and technologies that are sustainable." (The Biomimicry Institute, 2015)

 

Watch this short video that is a quick introduction to what biomimicry is, narrated by Janine Benyus (2mins; 2011).

  Download Transcript for this video.

 

Watch my video about what biomimicry is and is not (~9mins).

  Download Transcript for this video.

 

Watch this video to get a good overview and introduction to biomimicry. It was narrated by Janine Benyus Links to an external site. and was produced by TreeMedia in 2015. (~20mins)

  Download Transcript for this video.

 

**There will be short quiz at the end of this Lesson.**