Biomimicry resources
We’ve listed some of the resources we’ve come across here. Our favourite ones are on top, scroll down for further books, videos, podcasts and websites!
Find biological strategies and inspired ideas relative to your innovation challenges, so you can emulate time-tested forms, processes, and systems.
The Biomimicry Institute promotes the transfer of ideas, designs, and strategies from biology to sustainable human systems design. Check out their toolbox!
The Biomimicry Institute’s comprehensive toolbox, walking you through the core principles and tools to put them in practice
Circulab - Circular Economy training and tools (Michel is a trained consultant)
Ellen McArthur Foundation - Accelerating the transition to a circular economy (lots of resources!)
Circular Design Guide - By Ellen McArthur Foundation and IDEO, lots of great tools!
There’s lots of gold in Terrapin Bright Green’s Publications page, we especially recommend ‘Tapping Into Nature’ and ‘14 Patterns of Biophilic Design’. Great resource for architects especially.
Frontrunners in Biomimicry in the Nordics - An interactive stakeholder map of actors and activities in biomimicry or bio-related fields in the Nordic countries (and a bit in the EU) and the report this emerged from can be found here
Books
The Shark’s Paintbrush: Biomimicry and How Nature is Inspiring Innovation - Jay Harman (probably the easiest to read intro to biomimicry!)
Biomimicry - Janine Benyus
Biomimicry in Architecture - Michael Pawlyn
The Blue Economy - Gunter Pauli
Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability - David Holmgren
Teeming - How Superorganisms Work Together to Build Infinite Wealth on a Finite Planet (and your company can too), Tamsin Woolley-Barker
Reinventing Organisations - Frederic Laloux (would start with Teeming before reading this one)
Regenerative Leadership - Laura Storm & Giles Hutchins
Honeybee Democracy - Thomas D. Seeley
The Nature of Investing - Katherine Collins
The Nature of Business: Redesigning for Resilience - Giles Hutchins
Companies that Mimic Life - Joseph Bragdon
Life’s Devices: The Physical World of Animals and Plants - Stephen Vogel (for the technical minds)
The Hidden Life of Trees - Peter Wohlleben
Extraordinary Insects - Anne Sverdrup-Tygeson
Patterns in Nature - Phillip Ball
Videos
Creating the future we want to see. Biomimicry as part of the new paradigm - Michel Wolfstirn at TEDxUSN
From spider webs to elevators: leveraging biomimicry - Rene Polin & Daphne Fecheyr at TEDxCLE
Designing with Nature: The Biomimetic Office Building - Michael Pawlyn
Living Filtration System - 2015 Biomimicry Global Design Challenge Finalist
Lessons from Nature - TED talk by Janine Benyus
Biomimicry in action - TED talk by Janine Benyus
Examples of biomimicry - Janine Benyus
Applying the principles of biomimicry to business - Wiebke Liu at TEDxOlympicBlvdWomen
Designed with the earth in mind - TEDxSacramentoSalon by Beth Rattner
Using Nature's genius in architecture - Michael Pawlyn's TED talk
Introduction to biomimicry - By Janine Benyus and Michael Palwyn at ThinkDIF
The Blue Economy - TEDx talk by Gunter Pauli showing fantastic solutions marrying sustainability, economy and biomimicry.
The Punishment Wars - By Toby Kiers, on cheating/collaboration in nature
The Biomimicry Network Effect - Janine Benyus at the Bioneers
Cities That Function Like Trees - Janine Benyus at Geodesign Summit 2014
Art, Design, 3D printing - Neri Oxman
Designing form inspired by nature - Neri Oxman
Biomimicry and Circular economy - Gretchen Hooker and Colin Webster
Talks/Podcasts
The Bioneers Radio - Browse through the different interviews on The Bioneers
Websites
Ask Nature - Find how nature solves some challenges and how you can apply this in your field
Biomimicry Institute - Organising the global network, AskNature, and challenges
Circulab - Circular Economy training and tools
Ellen McArthur Foundation - Accelerating the transition to a circular economy (lots of resources!)
Circular Design Guide - By Ellen McArthur Foundation and IDEO
Biomimicry 3.8 - Innovation consultancy, professional training, educational training
Regenerators - A collective dedicated to a new regenerative paradigm
Tapping Into Nature - Terrapin Bright Green's report on the state of biomimicry
The Biomimicry Education Network - Ressources for teachers and educators (now part of Asknature.org)
Exploration Architecture - Biomimetic architecture by Michael Pawlyn
Iguana Architects - Biophilic architecture by Yaniv Peer
Honeybee Capital Foundation - Biomimicry in finance by Katherine Collins
Teem Innovation Group - Dr. Tamsin Woolley-Barker’s works on nature inspired organisations and leadership
The Bioneers - Innovative nonprofit educational organisation
Biomimicry Innovation Lab (UK) - The UK network's website
Toby Kiers - Professor of Mutualistic Interactions. Check out her videos on cooperation/cheating/conflicts in nature