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Who would win in a battle between a unicorn and a zebra? The zebra, for it has so many black belts! With that (stellar) joke out of the way, this article aims to provide you with an instruction manual for growing a Zebra business and share how we’re thinking about it at Learn Biomimicry.

Step 1: Know your species and ecosystem

What is the Zebra business model?

Zebra companies are both black and white: they are profitable and improve society. They won’t sacrifice one for the other....

When you think of sustainability, what comes to mind? Perhaps it’s electric cars, the solarpunk movement, or regenerative agriculture. Personally, I imagine a forest. For what is more sustainable than a thriving ecosystem that gives more than it receives, produces no waste, cleans our air and filters our water. Now, what if our cities, our designs and our services did the same? That’s essentially biomimicry. Learning from nature's secrets, biomimicry is a practice that can assist...

For 20 years I’ve driven environmental and social impact at iconic organizations including National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy and United Way. A few years ago I began to question the efficacy of conventional conservation. One day when talking with a colleague we wondered what it would take to create a world that doesn’t need conserving. Wouldn’t it be amazing if the word “conservation” became as outdated as the word “suffragette”? 100...

In early March 2022 when Russia voted against a UN Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution condemning its invasion of Ukraine, thereby using its veto power as a permanent member to block the resolution, it got people talking about the effectiveness of the Security Council’s voting system. As fate would have it, about six months ago, Learn Biomimicry gave me a chance to fulfil my long-standing dream of becoming a Biomimicry Practitioner and my project was aimed...

Have you been thinking of expanding your biomimicry knowledge or looking to take a biomimicry course or Master's program, but don’t know where to start or which course to take? This article is here to help you by answering those lingering questions you may have. Below is a guide to assist in giving you a better understanding of which biomimicry courses exist, how they compare to each other, and how to go about choosing the right learning path for you.

Do you seek qualifications or...

Dear Change Makers

It is with earth-shaking sadness to share with you that our dear course director and facilitator, friend and colleague Claire Janisch, has passed away peacefully on Monday the 7th of Feb 2022, surrounded by family and friends, at her home in the Midlands, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

Claire brought Learn Biomimicry  team together, where we shared incredible experiences building a business based on Biomimicry Lifes Principles. Her vision lives within us, as we...

A single gram of DNA is capable of storing 215 petabytes (215 million gigabytes)... Could all your digital data be stored as #DNA? MIT engineering believes that Nature holds the questions to answers we yet learnt how to ask ... including how #Nature stores data. 

On earth right now, there are about 10 trillion gigabytes of digital data, and every day 2.5 million gigabytes of data is added. Much of this data is stored in enormous facilities known as exabyte data centres (an exabyte...

Hi Change Maker,

This article explores biomimicry careers, offers advice to biomimics-to-be on how to get started, and how we might design the future of work for the 21st century. This week I sat down with the Learn Biomimicry course creators, Claire Janisch and Jessica Berliner, to find out more. 

Claire Janisch and Jess Berliner - Kruger National Park 2020

Is biomimicry a career or methodology?

Biomimicry is both a methodology and a career. It's a profession for me because I made...

Today, information technology and biotechnology are two trends exponentially growing around the world. One can hardly fathom the wealth of knowledge and applications these two genres will bring to our futures, much like we could never predict the apps such as Uber and Airbnb in the 1980s. This article discusses the benefits that biomimicry can bring to biotechnology. 

What is Biotechnology:

Biotechnology (or biotech) is any innovation or technology that makes use of biological systems or...

Hi there, Change Makers

Below is a list of our top 10 innovations inspired by nature for 2021. Each solution has an emerging biomimicry-based business. We look forward to seeing how they grow and evolve over time. 

This year’s Biomimicry Institute Ray of Hope Prize goes to Spintex, a spider-inspired silk company! Spintex has been awarded $100,000 to support their groundbreaking work, made possible by the generous support of the RCA Foundation. Huge thanks to the...