LESSONS FROM NATURE FOR A WORLD IN CRISIS

We unrecorded successful nan Anthropocene – a clip that privileges nan quality acquisition supra each else. 

The satellite is continually harmed and exploited, making group seemingly oblivious to nan quality interactions that are integral to life. 

What if nan reply to a much harmonious co-existence could beryllium recovered successful nan often overlooked earthy world?

IMITATION OF LIFE

The word ‘biomimicry’ was popularised by biologist and writer Janine Benyus. It comes from the Greek bios (life) and mimesis (imitation). 

“Our planet-mates – nan awesome meshwork of plants, animals, and microbes – person managed to move stone and oversea into a life-friendly home,” Janine wrote successful her 1997 book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.

“They person done everything we want to do, without guzzling fossil fuel, polluting nan planet, aliases mortgaging their future. What amended models could location be?” 

It’s successful this tone that group person drawn inspiration from nature’s forms and processes to create much sustainable and innovative technologies.

But biomimicry is much than bully design.

BIOMIMICRY BEFORE ‘BIOMIMICRY’

Drawing inspiration from quality has been astatine nan halfway of different knowledge systems for millennia.

Camilo Garzón is simply a philosopher and Program Director astatine nan Biomimicry Institute’s AskNature hub, which was founded by Janine Benyus. 

Caption: Camilo Garzón
Credit: via The Biomimicry Institute

“Indigenous peoples astir nan world person utilized biomimicry, actively aliases passively, not needfully [calling] it biomimicry,” says Camilo.

“It’s embedded successful their world views.”

The cultural burning carried retired by Indigenous Australians tin beryllium seen arsenic a biomimetic practice.

“Nature teaches america that location are systems of disruption and renewal successful what is known arsenic nan adaptive cycle,” Camilo says. 

“It’s basal to clear up for maturation to really happen.”

THE MODEL, THE MEASURE AND THE MENTOR 

Camilo describes biomimicry arsenic a philosophical schoolhouse and method. It’s a displacement from learning about to learning from nature.

Nature tin supply lessons that tin beryllium applied to immoderate of our existent wicked problems. In times of hardship, quality tin thatch america astir resilience.

“In a fire, gopher tortoises create a burrow. The burrow becomes a refuge for different species,” says Camilo.

“What tin we study from that successful times of chaos? We could go much collaborative.”

Biomimicry is guided by 3 principles: quality arsenic model, quality arsenic measurement and quality arsenic mentor. 

“What if quality [becomes] nan measurement of each things?” says Camilo. “You tin conscionable imitate it. But if you’re going to study from it, you person to fto it thatch you.”

Caption: Fire is an important portion of patient ecosystems.
Credit: Overlay by Jen Fredette/The Biomimicry Institute

Embracing quality arsenic a mentor intends recognising non-human beings arsenic sources of knowledge and wisdom.

It invites america to spot quality successful a caller light. 

THE GENIUS OF NATURE 

Anthropocentrism is nan belief successful nan supremacy of humans complete nan earthy world and different beings. Under this logic, humans exist supra nature.

Biomimicry invites america to mobility this belief and our spot connected Earth – and nan thought of immoderate type being astatine nan centre.

“If life is astatine nan centre, past location is nary centre,” says Camilo.

“It is astir looking astatine really interdependent we are pinch quality – what we do to quality will impact america arsenic well. Yes, we’re special. But truthful are these different species.

“The champion portion astir biomimicry is we tin get to a constituent successful which we’re acknowledging nan brilliant of nature.”