THE ART OF LEARNING FROM NATURE

Imitating Life’s Genius with Biomimicry

Claire Janisch (Director of BiomimicrySA, CEO of Learn Biomimicry, and a Certified Biomimicry Professional) grew up with a deep love of nature as a child. When she chose a career path, she wanted to make an active difference in changing humanity’s devastating environmental footprint. Diving straight into the belly of the beast of one of the biggest polluters in the industry, she decided to obtain her MSc Chem-Engineering in Industrial Ecology.

Janisch was especially interested in sustainable development, and remembers thinking how surreal it is that the chemical manufacturing industry refines oil and produces hazardous materials and toxins that can’t be reintegrated into nature. In the natural world, waste like peels and dead leaves are decomposed before being reintegrated into the cycle of life, but we’ve been doing the exact opposite and are paying the price for ignoring the genius of the natural world.

Ten years ago, Janisch embarked on an intensive programme to become a Certified Biomimicry Professional. The course, which was in its infancy at the time, combined biology, engineering, design and business, and explored the myriad ways these fields can inform each other. It was during this time that Janisch visited six vastly different ecosystems around the world. From the wet and hot climate of the Amazon Rain Forest to the cold, arid Arizona desert, she was learning how to draw inspiration from nature to answer and speak to contemporary challenges.

What is biomimicry? Biomimicry is essentially innovation that’s inspired by nature.

Bio (life) + mimicry (to mimic/imitate) = to mimic life Biomimicry is the practice of learning from and emulating nature’s genius to create products, processes and systems that are sustainable and resilient - even “regenerative.

According to Janisch, biomimicry can be thought of as a design process, a branch of science, a problem-solving method, a sustainability ethos, a movement, a stance toward nature, and a new way of viewing and valuing biodiversity. It is as broad as the diversity of life itself, and is grounded in its pursuit to imitate nature to find solutions to engineering, design and other challenges we face today.

The field isn’t exactly novel; biomimicry was practised by many native cultures. For example, the Inuit used to mimic the way that polar bears built their dens by modelling their igloos after the structures, while other isolated cultures looked to animals to know which plants were safe to eat or use for medicine. Even Leonardo da Vinci used it to solve many of his engineering challenges. Yet slowly over time we’ve distanced ourselves so much from the natural world that we started to forget that there is wisdom to glean from it in the first place. That’s why Janisch asserts that it’s only fitting that we think of biomimicry as the re-emergence of a formal discipline based on ancient cultures. We’re surrounded by the answers. We simply need to turn away from the industrial and towards the natural.

How has it been used? If you look at the materials that exist in the natural world – whether tough, light-weight, strong or flexible – they’re all made at ambient temperature. Spiderwebs are spun by cold-blooded spiders; mussel shells produce a nontoxic glue that can stick under cold water despite being made at sea-water temperature; while some sea shells are tougher than human-made ceramics. If we can learn how to move away from toxic processes that produce materials under high pressures and extreme temperatures, we’re not only going to solve a chemical and recycling problem, but also an energy consumption problem.

For example, by understanding how spiders spin their webs one protein at a time and then exploring the ways we can connect those proteins in a similar way, scientists have been able to invent a new super-strength, light-weight fibre that could replace other more toxic materials. Similarly, by mimicking the natural glue of mussels, engineers have been able to invent a biodegradable glue that can be used to stick plywood together. And other companies have been able to create a type of mushroom that helps with treating contaminants to clean up polluted land.

From architects designing cities to function like carbon-absorbing forests to inventing plastic inspired by the exoskeleton of insects, and drawing inspiration from the feet of geckos to invent machine suctions, there is no limit to the myriad ways biomimicry can be applied and adapted to make a sustainable impact on the world.

What is the regenerative impact of biomimicry? Biomimicry goes beyond just being sustainable to being regenerative. For example, in the agricultural sector, it can help with repairing and rebuilding an entire region’s soil health, air quality and water systems, rather than just eliminating one specific problem.

When we look at our water and energy systems, organisations and economies, it’s crucial to reconsider how we can

create less destructive and more life-enhancing conditions. What if our cities functioned like ecosystems? Not just urban centres with separate green spaces that are closed off in a nature reserve somewhere, but a city that functions like a catchment area using sustainable water drainage systems to distribute water to everyone. Imagine if we were to integrate wetlands and plants in our cities or recycle carbon in the same way that a forest does, working to clean the air rather than to pollute it? What if humans actually left a regenerative footprint that provided ecosystem services in everything they did – from home to city level?

Who is it for? Biomimicry isn’t just for engineers, scientists or professionals. It can be for everyone. In the wise words of Janisch, conservation begins from a place of affection. “If you love something, you care for it. And if you study and look to nature for inspiration, knowledge, and wisdom, you will fall in love with it and never be able to look at a tree the same way again. If you want to fall in love with nature and learn from its incredible designs, or you simply want to learn more about the practice of permaculture, you are a biomimic.”

Depending on whether you’d like biomimicry to be an inspiration or a vocation, there are plenty of ways you can learn more about this fascinating field. Learn Biomimicry (learnbiomimicry. com) offers various short courses, masterclasses and wildlife immersion expeditions to help you grow in the art of leaning from nature. Alternatively, if you’d like to take the specialty route, you can enroll for the same two-year course that Janisch completed to become a Certified Biomimicry Professional, or choose a sub-branch of biomimicry as your Master’s topic in a relevant field of research.

The world is our oyster, filled with endless possibilities to explore and implement in an effort to become more circular in what we produce. Nature holds the key to how we can create a sustainable, flourishing future.

ABOUT CLAIRE JANISCH Claire is the founding Director of biomimicrySA and CEO of LearnBiomimicry. As a Certified Biomimicry Professional, she spends her time exploring nature’s genius in diverse ecosystems and shares this new way of viewing and valuing nature through biomimicry expeditions and teaching and training professionals, students and scholars. She also dives deeper into research for companies and organisations - translating nature’s innovation and sustainability principles for the design of new products, processes and systems. She was honoured as one of the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and was a finalist in the Most Influential Women in Business & Government awards in 2012. She is also a holistic health practitioner specialising in kinesiology and biofield tuning.

ABOUT BIOMIMICRYSA

As a regional network of The Biomimicry Institute, biomimicrySA promotes the study and imitation of nature’s remarkably efficient designs, bringing together scientists, engineers, architects and innovators who can use those models to create sustainable technologies. This process of consulting life’s genius utilises a clear, proven design methodology, complete with effective implementation tools developed over a decade of work with companies, entrepreneurial organisations, universities, governments, and nonprofits. biomimicrySA connects, inspires, educates, and enables biomimics in South Africa.

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NATURE IN FULL. HEALTH IN FORCE.

Powered by Plants

Plant-based eating is on the increase globally, with the lifestyle showing a particularly significant explosion over the past few years. A rising awareness of the health impact of meat consumption coupled with a growing consumer conscience around ethically produced and environmentally sustainable food is to thank for the landslide movement. The majority of people choose to go plant-based for one or more of three fundamental reasons:

Health

• Meat and dairy products contain a large amount of the saturated fats that can contribute to cardiovascular health challenges. • Farmed animals and fish are fed a wide variety of drugs to fatten them faster and keep them alive in conditions that would otherwise kill them. These drugs enter the human food chain either through direct consumption or pollution of our waterways. • Plant-based foods provide phytochemicals – biologically active compounds that help prevent and heal the body from cancer, boost protective enzymes and work with antioxidants in the body. • Vegans tend to eat more nuts, seeds and dark leafy greens, all of which are excellent sources of magnesium - which can help increase energy, calm nerves, improve digestion, relieve muscle aches and spasms, and more. • A vegan diet is generally higher in fibre than those in which plants are not the primary source of nutrition. • Vegans tend to eat diets rich in whole grains, which are particularly beneficial in lowering high blood pressure. • Several population studies have shown that a diet without meat leads to a lower average Body Mass Index (BMI), which is usually an indicator of a healthy weight. • Vegans tend to eat more nuts and vegetables rich in vitamins A and E. These contribute towards healthy skin, and those switching to a vegan diet often report a noticeable reduction in blemishes (this could also be due to the elimination of dairy). • A diet high in grains, nuts and dark leafy greens is full of vitamin E, which has benefits for heart, skin, eyes and brain health. • Countries where women eat very little meat and animal products have a much lower incidence of breast cancer than those in which they consume more animal products. • Several studies indicate that those following a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle live an average of three to six years longer than those who do not.

Ethics

• Most agree that animals are sentient - that they are living, feeling beings that experience pleasure and pain. Almost all ‘use’ of animals for food, clothing, vivisection and entertainment includes the suffering or dying of animals. • Over 150 billion land animals are slaughtered each year for human consumption. If we add the 2.8 trillion fish, marine animals, and even bees and silkworms, this figure goes into the multiple trillions. It’s estimated that each vegan saves over 100 animals a year. • On today’s factory farms, animals can be kept in cramped, cruel and oppressive conditions. Many will never be permitted to raise families or do anything else that’s natural and important to them. Some won’t even get to feel the warmth of the sun on their backs or breathe fresh air until the day they’re sent off for slaughter.

Environment

• Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, planes, and other forms of transportation combined. • Raising animals for food (including land used for grazing and growing feed crops) now uses no less than 30% of the Earth’s total land mass. • Nearly 80% of land deforested in the Amazon is now used as cattle pasture. • The amount of water required to produce a kilo of beef is estimated at between 13,000 and 100,000 litres. The water required to produce a kilo of wheat is somewhere between 1,000 to 2,000 litres. • Pollution of our waterways is caused by animal waste, antibiotics and hormones entering the water cycle alongside chemicals from tanneries, fertilisers, and the pesticides used to spray feed crops.

If you’re moved and motivated by these sound reasons to ditch animal products in your diet and lifestyle, you may be wondering where to start.

After its huge success online in 2020, The Plant Powered Show is a not-tobe-missed three-day event that will take place both at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and online from 27 to 29 May.

Relish being in the company of other plant-based, vegan, vegetarian, and conscious living enthusiasts, and make time to enjoy each element of the event. Including… - Live cooking demonstrations by professional chefs, celebrity cooks, and local rising stars - Diverse and compelling talks sponsored by Wellness Warehouse and ProVeg - Various premium interactive experiences - Exclusive industry networking opportunities - A marketplace offering a new and innovative vegan and plant-based solution around every corner

For more information and to book your tickets, visit plantpoweredshow.com.

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