Biomimicry 3.8

The Biomimicry 3.8 Institute is a not-for-profit organisation which promotes the transfer of ideas, designs, and strategies from biology to sustainable design. The Biomimicry 3.8 Institute’s programmes aim to broaden and deepen teachers’ knowledge of biomimicry and facilitate the integration of biomimicry into the curriculum. One of these programmes is The Biomimicry Education Network (BEN), a global community of teachers who are integrating biomimicry into classrooms, university courses, and informal learning environments. BEN provides a platform to connect with colleagues, with news and information on the cutting edge of biomimicry thinking and education. The Biomimicry Institute has also developed the AskNature database, which is a free, open source digital library founded on the principle that truly sustainable solutions will always be inspired by nature. The database presents biological adaptations by function so that architects, engineers, designers and business people alike can look towards nature for design strategies to apply to their own challenges. The Biomimicry 3.8 Institute was co-founded in 2006 by Janine Benyus, science writer, consultant, and author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.