Janine Benyus is a biologist, science writer and co-founder of Biomimicry 3.8 (consultancy) and Biomimicry Institute which deals with the study of nature and how it can inspire ideas in order to create designs with sustainable solutions. Born in 1958 in New York City, she graduated with a BS in Natural Resource Management and a BA in English Literature; both from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Her aspiration for our planet has led to many biomimetic concepts, incorporating nature’s sustainable designs to over 250 clients which include General Electric, IDEO, Levi’s, and, Kohler to name a few. Other notable accomplishments consists of writing six books that relate to Biomimicry and receiving several awards for her contribution such as the Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development 2013 and being recognized as one of the World’s Most Influential Designers by BusinessWeek.
What started out as a meme, the movement of Biomimicry gained momentum after Janine’s book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature was published in 1997; leading to the creation of Biomimicry 3.8, which brought biological intelligence to innovators. Another factor that brought interest to this organization would be the increasing concerns of global warming or climate change as we are currently facing extreme weather conditions due to non-eco-friendly designs. This movement of using models from nature has spread into many positions including engineering, architectural infrastructures, computing, medicine, robotics, and, product design.
While the concept of biomimicry isn’t new as it has existed thousands of years ago and also practiced by other notable figures like Leonardo Da Vinci, it wasn’t really recognized until recently that Janine gave light to this campaign a couple of decades ago after the formation of Biomimicry 3.8 and Biomimicry Institute. The importance of designing through nature gained a lot of attention for its role in preventing unintended consequences and will continue to grow as we move forward in keeping a healthier, sustainable planet through good, no-regret designs.
Works Cited
Benyus, Janine M., Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Design, New York: Harper Perennial, pp. 2-7, 2002.
“Janine Benyus.” Biomimicry Institute, biomimicry.org/janine-benyus/.
Implications. “Learning from Nature.” InformeDesign, University of Michigan, Vol. 4.1. pp.1-5, 2010. http://www.informedesign.umn.edu.
“Interview with Janine Benyus.” American Society of Landscape Architects, 2020, www.asla.org/ContentDetail.aspx?id=47496.
Schreiner, Wyatt. “Biomimicry: A History.” EHISTORY, Department of History at Ohio State University, 19 Apr. 2018, ehistory.osu.edu/exhibitions/biomimicry-a-history.
