Upcoming Biomimicry Professional Program Webinar

Interested in learning more about the Biomimicry Professional program? Join a webinar on Wednesday 1/9/13 at 9am MDT and talk directly with the program director, Dayna Baumeister, to get answers to your questions about the program and to compare this program with the BSpecialist Program. Erin Leitch, the Program Director for the BSpecialist Certificate Program will also be present at the webinar.

Here is the information on how to connect to the webex on your phone or via your computer:
Topic: BProfessional Applicant Webinar
Host: Biomimicry 3.8
Date: Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Time: 9:00 am, Mountain Standard Time (Denver, GMT-07:00)
Session number: 576948713
Session Password: This session does not require a password.
Host Key: 658435

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To start the session
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1. Go to https://biomimicry.webex.com/
2. Enter your First and Last Name and Email Address
3. Click "Join Now".
4. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

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Audio conference information
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Call-in toll number (US/Canada):
1-408-792-6300
Access code: 576 948 713

AskPlace Kickoff!

You've heard us talk about AskPlace, an initiative affiliated with the Biomimicry 3.8 Institute, that we're starting here in Chicago, learning from the genius of our place to inspire locally attuned sustainable design. Well, here is your chance to get involved! We're collaborating with the Living Building Challenge Collaborative: Chicago and their LBC design competition as a site to test out what we can learn and how this information can be applied. Contact us for more information and to sign up!

"Naturally Resilient" Seminar at CCGT this Thursday!

Spots are still available for our "Naturally Resilient: Thrive Through Disturbance by Learning from Nature" at the Chicago Center for Green Technology this Thursday at 6pm.  Register now for this FREE opportunity to learn about the intersection of biomimicry and resilience from Amy and Lindsay!

Register at CCGT's website here.

Biomimicry Specialist Certification Applications Open!

Interested in diving deeper into the world of biomimicry? Looking to travel to an interesting natural location and learn how to apply biomimicry to your career from thought leaders in this field? Consider applying to the Biomimicry Specialist Certification Program! Application ends 12/17 and friends of Biomimicry Chicago can receive a discount code - email us for details!

Learn more and apply here!

Learning from the Genius of our Place

Ever wonder what ecosystem existed where you live and work prior to settlement? 
Would that influence what plants you select for your landscaping? 
What natural elements you bring into your office? 
How locally-attuned buildings are designed and maintained? 

Learning from the Genius of our Place can help us design our lives and work to fit in with our native natural context using the least amount of energy and resources possible. 

"At the time when the first Europeans entered the Chicago region, the predominant vegetation was a mosaic of prairie, oak woodland, and savanna, with distinctive vegetation on sand dunes adjacent to Lake Michigan. Soils, topography, and firebreaks strongly controlled the vegetation pattern. Before European settlement, fire was a major influence. Every year the copious prairie vegetation dried in late summer, becoming highly flammable, and fires, mostly set by Native Americans either accidentally or purposefully, occurred annually. These fires carried easily through the prairie and burned into adjacent woodlands. As a result, the woodland vegetation was dominated by fire-resistant trees and occurred in areas protected from fire by rougher topography or water bodies—rivers and lakes."

Learn more: http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/410.html

(re)connecting with the genius of our place

As we enter fall and the relentless heat of this summer has broken, I’m remembering how much fun it is to get outside!  One of the best things I did this summer was go on long bike rides through the prairie – the sights, smells, and sounds of natural environments reconnect me with why I have dedicated my career to creating sustainable environments.  Getting outside allows me the freedom to explore and observe and inspires me to think of new possibilities.

As someone trained in the science (and art) of biomimicry, I have learned to look to natural environments as more than beautiful vistas and peaceful respites.  I’ve learned to look to them as a mentor through which I can learn new ways of thinking about the problems we face.  Through this lens, we can look to leaves as inspiration for more efficient photovoltaic cells, spider silk as inspiration for strong, light-weight materials with benign manufacturing, termite mounds for bioclimactic, adaptive architecture, and our native ecosystems for lessons in creating resilient businesses and communities.  Biomimics across the world are looking to nature for inspiration, harnessing 3.8 billion years of experience, and finding innovative solutions to the problems that we face.  You can do this too.

This fall, go outside as much as you can.  Observe and reconnect with the reasons you chose to work in sustainability, and begin to look to the “genius of our place” as inspiration for new ways of thinking and creating.  From observation comes inspiration and innovation.  The possibilities are endless!

Amy

Nature Walk and Biomimicry Seminar

Don't forget to register for Amy and Lindsay's Nature Walk and Biomimicry Seminar this October 20th at Ryerson Woods - an opportunity not to be missed!

http://www.lcfpd.org/programs/index.cfm?fuseaction=programs.viewDetail&section_id=2695

Take an inspiring walk at Ryerson Woods during the peak of fall color, guided by a naturalist and two experts on the cutting edge of biomimicry: the emerging science of solving human problems by learning from the way nature works. Learn about the plants and wildlife in this unique nature preserve and the principles underlying these natural systems. Then return to Brushwood for a fascinating, interactive seminar with Amy Coffman Phillips of the B-Collaborative and Lindsay James of Interface, who will teach you how to apply these lessons from nature to a vast array of human problems. From artists to engineers, everyone can benefit from this unique opportunity to gain a new perspective on nature.

This is a Friends of Ryerson Woods (FRW) program.  $15 public, $10 (FRW) members. To register with a membership discount, call 847-968-3321.

Symposia on "Healing Nature"

Amy and Lindsay are attending this amazing event hosted by the Chicago Regional Forum on Ethics and Sustainability- join us?

Healing Nature

Tuesday, October 16, 2012
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.  Only $35 including lunch. 

The Center for Humans and Nature and the Chicago Botanic Garden present this forum for the Chicago region that continues to focus on the ethical dimensions of conservation issues.
This forum is designed for members, leaders, and volunteers in conservation-minded organizations like Chicago Wilderness. Additionally, members of the public and academics/practitioners with a focus on ethical issues will enjoy engaging with like-minded peers who have the same goal of increasing sustainable impacts on the environment.

Why is nature critical to human well-being? Why is it important that we contribute to the well-being of nature? A robust body of research from across disciplines—including ecopsychology, city planning, landscape design, evolutionary biology, conservation psychology, and the health professions, among many others—points to the physical, social, psychological, and spiritual benefits of interacting with nature. This research also offers insights into encouraging sustainable behaviors. This year's Chicago Regional Forum on Ethics and Sustainability, presented in partnership between the Center for Humans and Nature and the Chicago Botanic Garden, brings together local and national experts to present their perspectives on the relationship between nature and personal and social health. Engage in a discussion about how our current knowledge can inform ethical relationships to a particular area, community goals and policies for shared natural areas, and effective conservation strategies.

more information:
http://www.chicagobotanic.org/school/symposia/ethics_symposia.php

2012 Biomimicry Design Challenge: Water!

Anyone interested in starting a team?  We'd love to help you!

Registration for the 2012 Biomimicry Student Design Challenge is now open!  This year, the Biomimicry 3.8 Institute invites you to tackle one of the world biggest sustainability challenges: WATER.

Join teams of university students from around the world for the only design competition that both trains students in biomimicry and awards substantial cash prizes for the best biomimetic innovations. Participating teams will use biomimicry to design sustainable solutions that improve water access and management–an issue that is quickly becoming one of the most critical global challenges impacting health, security, and sustainability.

Up to $11,000 in cash prizes will be awarded over two rounds of competition, including a $5,000 Grand Prize to help the winning team take their design to the next stage of development.

Assemble your team and register today at biomimicrydesignchallenge.com. 

Locally Attuned and Responsive Stormwater Management?

To "Be Locally Attuned and Responsive" is one of Life's Principles that we strive to emulate when using biomimicry to rethink how we design.  Finding ways manage our resources, such as stormwater, that are attuned to our regional characteristics is one way that we can begin to emulate nature into our work.  

If you are interested in water issues that effect our region, consider attending this event and asking the question "how would nature hold, filter, and divert stormwater?"  Maybe even ask that question on AskNature before you go to find possible solutions!  Asking questions such as this will help us find optimized solutions to "problems" that are locally attuned and responsive to our region while remaining respectful of our natural environment.  

Water Roundtable: "Rain Check: Regional Solutions to Stormwater Management"Thursday, September 13, 12 - 1:30pm.  Metropolitan Planning Council, 140 S Dearborn St, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL.  Co-hosted by Openlands and Metropolitan Planning Council, this roundtable features senior staff from the regional stormwater/wastewater agencies in the Chicago, Milwaukee, and Cleveland metro areas for a frank discussion of managing wet weather. Thanks to ComEd for sponsoring this event.  Learn more and register!

If you go, take notes and pass them on to us!  We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Amy

Project Haiti and Biomimicry

Project Haiti Orphanage and Children's Center is about the people of Haiti who are facing ongoing devastation following the earthquake of January 2010. It's about a replicable, RESILIENT model for rebuilding and it's not surprising that the USGBC, HOK and Lend Lease are utilizing the principles of Biomimicry to inspire the design.

http://www.usgbc.org/haiti/haiti.html

Envelope:
Lightweight, porous, self shading, low-emissivity and optimal solar reflecting skin keeps solar radiation from reaching the concrete structural core while still allowing desired ventilation into the inner-core areas. This design principle mimics the low-emissivity of local plant leaves, stems and barks.

From www.asknature.org:
"Barks, through tannin and cellulose, efficiently absorb radiation between 6 and 10 microns. Other bark surfaces have developed a very rough surface that produces a lot of self-shading along-side the illuminated areas. Such a morphology stimulates the convection of air, which then transports heat away from the surface.

"Leaf temperature data support micro-climate buffering and create leaf temperatures that are cooler than ambient temperatures, especially during the hottest part of the day. Leaf size often affects the boundary layer, a thin layer of still air hugging the surface of the leaf."

Structure:  

Lightweight yet robust reinforcement strategies improve the resiliency of the structure. Wood and concrete hybrids mimic the diversity of the natural forest and the strength of the Kapok tree can respond to abiotic disturbances such as the earthquake in 2010.

From www.asknature.org:

"A patchy forest is made up of a variety of species, spacing, ages, heights, densities and stages of succession. Combined with abiotic elements such as soil types, topography and micro-climates, the forest becomes more resilient. Tree root link together to form a heterogenous pattern which becomes more resilient to outside disturbances."

Exciting Exhibits!

Biomimicry inspired art exhibits are popping up all over Chicago - be sure to check them out!

Nature's Toolbox: Biodiversity, Art & Invention

The Field Museum is hosting this art exhibition through December and looks at the importance of biodiversity through creative expression.  Randy Jayne Rosenberg of Art Works for Change was kind enough to give us a tour of this exciting exhibit.  Be sure to check out the video of the web of life as seen from a bug's eye view - it's amazing!

"Harnessing technology and inspired by nature’s amazing design concepts, Nature’s Toolbox features innovative, eye-capturing contemporary art which helps visitors understand and appreciate the life-or-death interdependence between the 10-20 million species on earth – including humans – and the quality of the environment we share.For More Information visit www.artworksforchange.org"

Genius Loci: Listening to Nature's Muse 

This new exhibit focuses on showcasing artwork inspired by the genius of our local ecosystems. I'm excited to check it out when it opens July 8th at the Ryerson Woods.

"The ancient Romans believed that every place on Earth is protected by a guardian spirit or genius loci, literally “spirit of place.” Today, we use this phrase to mean the collective characteristics—cultural, environmental, and psychological—that define a specific locale and distinguish it from all others. Throughout history, some of the most successful works of art and architecture were created by people who captured the genius loci of natural places. Their works appear to fit seamlessly within the environments that inspired them. This legacy of listening to and learning from the genius loci continues today as a new generation of artists and designers responds to Nature."

Biomimicry Summit for Innovation & Financial Tools - Switzerland!

This summer, Amy and Lindsay's BProfessional colleague and dear friend, Jacques Chirazi, is leading the design of a biomimicry summit focused on cleantech innovation and financial tools in his home land of Switzerland.  Check out this link to learn more.  If you are interested in cleantech, innovation and finance/venture fields or just fancy a trip somewhere beautiful this summer, check it out.

Understanding the Living Building Challenge Workshop

While not affiliated with Biomimicry Chicago, this workshop may be of interest to those interested in biomimicry in the built environment.  In fact, the Living Building Challenge was heavily influenced by the thought meme of biomimicry.  Early bird pricing ends 6/4.  I am going.  Join me?  Amy 

Understanding the Living Building Challenge Workshop

Time: Monday, June 18 · 9:00am - 3:30pm

Location:  PepsiCo Sustainability Center  555 W Monroe, Chicago, IL

This workshop is hosted by Jason La Fleur, Regional Director of Alliance for Environmental Sustainability and one of our own LBC Collaborative members.  Attendees are the green building leaders in their community: design professionals, contractors, developers, owners, government officials and employees of public agencies.  In short, anyone and everyone who can impact the development of the built environment.  

For a workshop overview and to register, visit: www.alliancees.org/lbc

Biomimicry and teaching business the 'secrets of life'

Our own Lindsay James of Interface wrote an amazing article for greenbiz.com on the intersection of Biomimicry and business.

"Creating conditions conducive to life could very well be considered life's "purpose," and this secret of life is one that we have forgotten in our industrial system design. We can't currently claim that business creates conditions conducive to all life -- but imagine if we could.

At a systems level, life is more than simply sustainable; it's regenerative. Which brings to bear the question: should we be striving for merely sustainable business, or should we aspire for business to be regenerative?"

Read the rest of the article here.

PhD in Biomimicry!

Lindsay and Amy's fellow BProfessional colleague and friend, Doug Paige, has developed a PhD program in Integrated Bioscience as well as a biomimicry fellowship program through a partnership of the University of Akron and the Cleveland Institute of Art.  Pass the word and apply to this one of a kind program today!  More information here.

The Bees are out...and it's March

Photo credit: World of Warmth via AskNature.org

Bees buzzing your head is a startling occasion at any time, but when they started to buzz Amy's head as she sat outside in March, she started to wonder how our unseasonably early spring will affect our most important pollinators?  And thinking about it, how do bees survive Chicago winters at all?  And is there anything we can learn from them?


Bees are social insects and spend their lives in colonies, or hives.  They live and die in their colonies and do not migrate to warmer climates seasonally, so when the temperatures hit freezing, how do bees keep their nests?  It turns out, they vibrate.  The intentional vibration of their thorax creates heat so that their young can survive the cold.  Intentionally creating heat or harnessing energy from vibration is not something we tend to emulate in the built environment - in fact, it accounts for energy loss and unwanted heat gain.  But perhaps by harnessing vibrational energy as a source of heat, we could save energy on our mechanical systems.


Genetic diversity also plays a role in keeping the hive warm during winter.  When hives are genetically diverse and sired from more than one male, they will have different comfort levels and therefor different temperature response thresholds. When a few individuals with a high threshold feel the hive is cold, they begin to vibrate.  When the temperature continues to drop and others with a lower cold threshold feel the hive is cold, they begin to vibrate at that lower temperature, and so on.  The colder it gets in the hive, the more bees will vibrate to maintain 32 - 36 degree Fahrenheit in the winter.  The opposite is true for cooling the hive in summer when bees use their wings as fans to expel hot air. This distributed response mechanism dampens temperature spikes and keeps the hive at a livable temperature.  From this, we can be inspired to set building thermostats at different thresholds to regulate staggered response, saving energy versus an "all on/all off" approach.  


And this is just a few ideas - the possibilities of biomimicry are endless!  What ideas do you have?


Read Amy's full post at her blog, Liquid Triangle Sustainability

Biomimicry Seminar this April

Be sure to register for a FREE 2-hour seminar Amy and Lindsay are holding about biomimicry at the Chicago Center for Green Technology on Thursday, April 12th at 6pm.  We're holding this as a professional service and as a way to get the word out that biomimicry has much to offer our local design community.  FREE learning units about biomimicry don't come around too often, so be sure to sign up here and we'll see you there!

Upcoming Biomimicry Seminar in Chicago

Amy and Lindsay are presenting a seminar on Biomimicry as a design innovation strategy at the Chicago Center for Green Technology Thursday, April 12th at 6pm.  The course is a professional service and free, but registration is required.  Hope to see you there!

Biomimicry: Naturally Inspired Design Innovation

SPEAKER: Amy Coffman Phillips, Liquid Triangle Sustainability; and Lindsay James, InterfaceFLOR

Biomimicry, the practice of learning from nature to solve human problems, is emerging as a powerful tool for creating sustainable design and systemic transformation. Applied at a variety of scales, from individual products to buildings and organizations, biomimicry bring nature’s 3.8 billion years of innovation experience to the table. Our discussion will examine this quickly evolving practice, review what it is, how it is being applied and its powerful potential for the future. AIA/CES: 2LU

Click here for the full course catalog - lots of fun programs!

Humidity BE GONE! Thanks Biomimicry!

Taking advantage of natural heating, cooling and ventilation is about as biomimetic as you can get on a design project. However, depending on your location, if humidity, temperature and wind velocity metrics do not fall within a specific range, you can kiss natural ventilation goodbye.

The Namibian Beetle (Stenocara gracilipes), found in southwest coast of Africa, utilized the microscopic bumps on its back to obtain all of the water it needs by removing ocean fog. The bumps have hydrophilic (water attracting) tips and hydrophobic (water repelling) sides that cause water droplets to materialize out of thin air on its back, then slide down channels into its awaiting mouth. Fog harvesting material is under development at MIT and can be utilized to dehumidify air before it enters a building space.

Photo: Patrick Gill


Although the Humidity levels shown below for Chicago (HOK Climate Tool) are relatively low throughout operational hours, they are above comfort levels 60% of the day. Combining humidity with temperature and wind speed further reduces the potential for natural ventilation. See image to the right from the HOK Climate Tool. Removing Humidity from the air before it is brought into the building space can increase the natural ventilation potential for 20% of the year and significantly reduce operational costs for heating and cooling. There are other Biomimetic strategies that can aid in the reduction or increase in temperature and wind speed to create the perfect conditions for natural ventilation. I will save those for a later posting.


HOK Climate Tool



Winning Design!

The stunning #Biomimicry Student Design Challenge winning design, inspired by the humble snail: http://bit.ly/y2kNK9

Press Release:

Using the desert snail as inspiration for their design, a team of students from the Art Institute of Isfahan in Iran took the top honor in the third annual Biomimicry Student Design Challenge, organized by the Biomimicry 3.8 Institute. The team, consisting of master’s level and undergraduate students in architecture and business, conceived of a building that makes use of self-shading, surface reflection, and insulation to create a livable habitat rather than relying on air conditioning.

So the groundhog got me thinking...

...how do animals adapt to freezing Chicago winters?

Humans seal ourselves off in conditioned homes and cars, burning a lot of fossil fuel energy to do so.  But animals don't have that option.  So how do they do it?  I decided to revisit my grade school classes and relearn what I've forgotten.  And maybe there is something we can learn for design.

More at Liquid Triangle Sustainability.

Getting Started on Groundhog Day!

Did the groundhog see it's shadow?  We hadn't heard because the Network Leaders of Biomimicry Chicago were hard at work at HOK in Chicago figuring out how to start our new network!  After much visioning and brainstorming, we have figured out an interim plan for 2012 that will allow us to establish the groundwork for our network while Lindsay and Amy finish the final year in the Biomimicry Professional Program.  This year, we plan to work on select projects while creating collaborative relationships with like minded organizations throughout our region.  We'll also be collaborating to keep this blog up to date with the latest local biomimicry stories as well as announcements and educational opportunities available nationally.  Follow us on twitter @biomimicrychi and our LinkedIn group Biomimicry Chicago and stay tuned - there's much more where this came from!

Amy, Lindsay, Peter, and Colin

Biomimicry Student Design Challenge Finalists

http://www.biomimicrydesignchallenge.com/gallery/finalists

Entries from around the world were received and they've narrowed the selection to 12 finalists.  Which one do you like the best?

Biomimicry Lecture in Rockford, February 21st

Lindsay is speaking about Biomimicry to the USGBC in Rockford next month!

Biomimicry - Use the Genius of Nature in Your Design & Tour the LEED Silver Certfied, Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens hosted by the USGBC - Illinois Chapter!

Date: 21 Feb 2012
Time: 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Location: Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens, 1354 N. 2nd St., Rockford, IL 61107

Program Description:

Join the USGBC-Illinois Rockford/Northern IL Branch for a study of Biomimicry - The Conscious Emulation of Nature's Design and tour of the Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens. (Submitted for 1.5 GBCI Hours)

This program will invite you to take a look at sustainability in nature. You will learn how your design can be influenced by studying the process, products, and performance of the living organism we call earth. Discover how nature provides us the Three "M"s - Models, Measures and Mentoring.  This evening also offers a tour of the LEED Silver Certified, Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens.
Agenda:
5:30 - 5:45 Registration (You must arrive and register no later than 5:45 to take tour)
5:45 PM - 6:00 Late Registration
5:45 - 6:30 PM - Networking and Tour of Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM - Presentation followed by Q&A

Presenter: Lindsay James, Director of Strategic Sustainability, InterfaceFLOR

BProfessional Travelogue: Spain

Lindsay and Amy just got back from our latest intensive week of visioning and deep learning about biomimicry in Spain.  The Biomimicry Professional Pathways sent out this email summary and we thought we'd cross post it to give you a flavor of what we experienced.  As always, it was an amazing experience.  Amy has also written about her experiences at her blog: Liquid Triangle Sustainability.  Please check it out! 

Travelogue: Spain
2011 Biomimicry Professional certification program participants discover the Mediterranean Steppe

  

Earlier this month marked the fourth in-person session for the current cohort of the Biomimicry Professional certification program. Held in the Mediterranean Steppe ecosystem in the Andalucian region of Spain, the biomimics studied how life has evolved in a region of the world where agriculture has been present for many hundreds of years. Michael Pawlyn of Exploration Architecture joined the crew for a couple days of deep diving into the world of biomimicry, and gave us a captivating and intimate presentation of the leading edge work his organization is doing including the Sahara Forest Project. All participants returned home inspired and motivated to continue their individual and collective biomimicry journeys.


Reposted from Biomimicry Professional Pathways:

Follow Us On Facebook
>> Get the latest biomimicry news, event announcements, and photos by 'Liking' the Professional Pathways Facebook page

Stay inspired!

ERIN LEITCH, Certified Biomimicry Professional (CBP), LEED AP BD+C
Professional Pathways Director | Biomimicry 3.8
+1 406 543 4108, x209 | +52 1 55 4383 7838 mobile
Biomimicry.net | AskNature.org

Evolve Our World as a Biomimicry Professional: Application Deadline March 2nd

Two Biomimicry Chicago network leaders are currently enrolled in this amazing program.  Please ask Amy or Lindsay any questions you may have.  We highly recommend the experience!


Currently seeking innovators, early adopters, and change agents to be the world's next leading biomimics

At Biomimicry 3.8, we believe there exists in the natural world a wisdom that can uniquely inform the way we approach and solve problems to make our human world uniquely well-adapted to life on Earth. We've spent the last 13 years developing the sustainable innovation framework and tools to bring nature's genius to the solution space.

Since 2008, a select group of biologists, designers, engineers, and businesspeople have been receiving deep biomimicry training led by Dr. Dayna Baumeister, Biomimicry 3.8 co-founder, in an intense two-year Biomimicry Professional certification program. Future biomimics in this exclusive cohort learn to apply the biomimicry methodology and tools for any type of challenge. Soon they will transform an evolved vision for and pathway to success across industries of all types and develop critical roadmaps for getting there using the natural world as the model of performance.

The world needs highly skilled biomimics to bring nature's genius into the solution space with integrity. If you're an early adopter, innovator, or change agent with a background in biology, design, engineering, and/or business, and you're interested in evolving human solutions towards well-adaptation through innovation, >> learn more about (and even apply online) for this innovative and transformative learning journey here

Reposted from Biomimicry Professional Pathways email:

Follow Us On Facebook
>> Get the latest biomimicry news, event announcements, and photos by 'Liking' the Professional Pathways Facebook page

Stay inspired!

ERIN LEITCH, Certified Biomimicry Professional (CBP), LEED AP BD+C
Professional Pathways Director | Biomimicry 3.8
+1 406 543 4108, x209 | +52 1 55 4383 7838 mobile
Biomimicry.net | AskNature.org

Biomimicry Specialist Certification Enrollment Deadline: March 2nd!

Last Chance to Enroll 

Now accepting participants to the 2012 Biomimicry Specialist certification program until March 2, 2012

Eastern North American and Western North American cohorts will form in the 2012 Biomimicry Specialist (BSpecialist) certification program and welcome participants from all over the world from a wide range of backgrounds. This eight-month intensive training program results in an official certification and is a unique opportunity to gain the critical orientation to biomimicry to jump-start the ability to offer biomimicry to  your company, clients, or students as a specialty skill within your discipline. >> See how 2011 BSpecialist alumni, Thomas Knittel of HOK, has incorporated his biomimicry training into the design of a Haitian children's center here

Online coursework includes Seeds of Biomimicry, Life's Principles, and Integrating Biology in Design as well as a Virtual Design Lab, in which you will tackle a biomimicry challenge with the support and guidance of your instructors. Three in-person sessions provide hands-on experience in orienting to, reading, and learning from an ecosystem in addition to time building community relationships within the cohort.

Want to help us develop a regional biomimicry network in your community? If so, this could make the experience even more rewarding. We’re now offering a 10% reduction on BSpecialist tuition to friends or colleagues who apply to take the course together and are ultimately accepted into the next cohort. We’re calling it our BFriends offer. We’re also offering the same tuition incentive to our friends in the USGBC community who are LEED APs and Green Associates. >> Learn more and even complete your 2012 BSpecialist application online here 


Reposted from email by Biomimicry Professional Pathways:


Follow Us On Facebook
>> Get the latest biomimicry news, event announcements, and photos by 'Liking' the Professional Pathways Facebook page

Stay inspired!

ERIN LEITCH, Certified Biomimicry Professional (CBP), LEED AP BD+C
Professional Pathways Director | Biomimicry 3.8
+1 406 543 4108, x209 | +52 1 55 4383 7838 mobile
Biomimicry.net | AskNature.org