Learning from my Mother Nature
Immersive Biomimicry Workshop with Biomimicry 3.8
When you ask someone how they became interested in Biomimicry, they will often mention the book Biomimicry by Janine M. Benyus. My journey too began with Benyus’s book. From the first chapter, it’s evident that many of our solutions, whether in agriculture, urban planning, or materials, are inefficient and inelegant. Biomimicry offers a superior approach to problem-solving through nature’s lens. Nature has solutions to every imaginable problem with over 3.8 billion years spent on iterations. As a designer, I’m used to asking “How might we…” questions but I also now want to add “How does nature…” questions to my design processes.
GreenPod Labs may have asked: “How does nature naturally preserve produce to prevent it from spoiling?” By observing plants, GreenPod Labs has innovated a method to utilize the natural signalling substances found in parent plants, enabling the preservation of produce for extended periods without requiring refrigeration. Their sachets contain compounds designed to replicate the function of the parent plant, gradually releasing these compounds to emit signals that help maintain the freshness of fruits and vegetables. This solution not only mitigates food waste but also lessens the reliance on expensive, electricity-consuming refrigeration units.
There are numerous examples of Biomimicry such as sunblock inspired by compounds in our eyes, the Japanese bullet train inspired by Kingfishers, search algorithm inspired by Arboreal Ant trail networks, Cleaning agents inspired by enzymes, etc.
By learning from Mother Nature, we can tackle today’s most urgent challenges and work towards a more sustainable and resilient future. When we set aside our preconceived notions and observe existing solutions in nature, we can attune ourselves to the profound wisdom inherent in the natural world.
The workshop
I recently attended a workshop organized by Biomimicry 3.8 to learn more about Biomimicry. The workshop was held in Costa Rica’s biodiverse rainforest, which provided a stunning natural setting for exploration and learning. Since Biomimicry has vast applications, the workshop was designed for people with diverse backgrounds and not limited to those with backgrounds in biology, chemistry or ecology.
Throughout the week, we visited distinct biomes paired with specific exercises to practice various frameworks and develop our biomimicry taxonomy, biometic lens, and critical thinking through direct, real-world observations.
We started exercises by taking a walk and then taking time to observe nature to reengage our senses. Recently, I came across an experiment involving a group who failed to notice a frog’s loud croaking however everyone turned around at the sound of a few coins hitting the ground. My senses are dull too and not attuned to nature’s sounds. Unlike the instructors, who effortlessly identified birdsongs I hadn’t even registered.
Living in a city, I often have to force myself to shut my senses. Don’t make eye contact because you don’t know what type of behaviour you could be inviting, don’t breathe in any funky smells, avoid the sounds of construction, traffic and other people by wearing headphones, and I definitely won’t be investigating the textures of surfaces on the subway because I don’t know what tragedies it carries. If I were as attuned to the city as I was to nature, I’m sure I’d be depressed before 9 AM. This workshop was an invitation to reengage my senses and realize how they’ve been deprived.
Hikes haven’t been the same since the workshop. I urge you to take a walk in your local park and observe nature through all your senses. I’ve been using Merlin Bird ID and iNaturalist to recognize fauna, flora and funga around me. In many ways, I feel my bond with nature has improved, and perhaps repairing the bond is one of the most important facets of conservation.
Once observations are made, you can use resources such as AskNature, Wikipedia, Google Scholar to find out more about any of the species you encountered. You may then brainstorm potential applications. My group had researched Moss, Torch Ginger Flower and Termite tubes. Everyone had an abundance of ideas — ideas that were much more distinct from what conventional methodologies might have produced.
I also found myself surrounded by people who didn’t catastrophize the current state of the planet but rather focused on improving it. I noticed a heightened openness to collaboration and receptiveness to new ideas among the group. There was room for everyone’s ideas — it wasn’t competition, I found us all to find niches through our lenses and solve distinct problems.
Regenerative, interdependent future
By learning from nature's wisdom, we can restore harmony and balance to our relationship with the Earth. By embracing biomimicry, we not only unlock innovative solutions to our most pressing challenges but also foster a deeper connection to the natural world. This approach is not limited to scientists and engineers alone — it’s a call for collective action, inviting everyone to participate in shaping a sustainable future for generations to come. Jamie Miller says, “The planet is a masterpiece, and so far we’ve been scribbling on it, not knowing the proper brush strokes. It’s through biomimicry that we can finally learn better techniques and add to the masterpiece.”
