Biomimicry Resources

Educational Resources
The San Diego Zoo offers introductory presentations and workshops on biomimicry.  For more information, please click here or call us at 619-557-3927.

The Biomimicry Institute offers formal and non-formal biomimicry educational curricula for students of all ages.  To access their resources, please click here

AskNature is an online database that organizes nature’s most elegant ideas organized by design and engineering function. 

Books on Biomimicry

Design For Life: The Architecture of Sim Van der Ryn, by Sim Van der Ryn	The gecko’s foot: Bio-inspiration, engineering new materials from nature. By Peter Forbes	Biomimetics: Biologically Inspired Technologies, by Yoseph Bar-Cohen	Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage, by Daniel Esty, Andrew Winston

Recent Articles on Biomimicry

The 15 Coolest Cases of Biomimicry. Brainz.org.  February 2009.

“Harvard Business Review’s top Business Breakthroughs of 2009: The Business of Biomimicry.”  Harvard Business Review.  By Janine Benyus and Gunter Pauli.  January 2009.

“Biomimetics: Design by Nature”. National Geographic.  By Tom Mueller, April 2008.   Using Nature as a Design Guide. Business Week.  By Matt Vella, February 11, 2008.   (slideshow: Green Design: Design Tips from Mother Nature).

TED Talk: 12 sustainable design ideas from nature. Janine Benyus, Filmed February 2005 at the TED Conference.

Janine Benyus: The Thought Leader Interview. Strategy+business, Amy Bernstein. Autumn 2006.