In 1997, author Janine Benyus defined biomimicry as the conscious emulation of nature’s genius. She elegantly explained that for billions of years nature has been refining strategies for surviving on this planet and that through biomimicry we can create more efficient, sustainable, and beautiful designs by learning from these elders. Velcro is a classic example of biomimicry. It’s the fastener that was inspired by the hooks of the burdock burr that annoyingly stick to your pants or your dog’s hair. Although, it is not the most sustainable solutionit does highlight an ingenious design that was directly inspired by nature. As we move from the “Age of Machine” to the “Age of Biology” the only limitation to a sustainable future is our creativity.
The technologies that are emerging will make some of the most inventive ideas a reality. All we need is to be creative in how we leverage the genius of nature and existing technologies to solve our big problems.
We envision a world that is in harmony with nature, where our built environments are contributions to our natural ones. Where communities, companies and individuals tap into the genius of nature to learn to think, behave and create from a paradigm that is inspired by nature. – Biomimicry Frontiers
The alignment of design philosophy and vision of Arterra and Biomimicry, a Canada based sustainability consultancy firm, made the two come together to collaborate on multiple levels for their future projects.
