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About

Biomimicry Switzerland is an Association of practitioners in or from Switzerland working to translate the genius of the natural world into human innovation and problem solving.  We are based in the Interlaken area, Zürich, Lausanne and internationally.  

Biomimicry is the translation between human and natural design.  It is the practice of learning from and emulating natural design strategies in our own innovation processes to create more efficient, elegant, and sustainable design solutions.  Biomimicry can be applied to emulate and innovate products, processes or systems.  It is a branch of science, a new way of doing biology, a design methodology, and a sustainability framework.  It is also a movement, a stance towards nature, a new way of viewing and valuing biodiversity, and above all, a way forward through the evolutionary knothole now facing our species within the larger planetary body of life.

INSPIRE

Our mission is to empower humanity to learn and apply the greatest lessons from 3.8 billion years of regenerative research and development.  We are dedicated to reconnecting people with nature, and human systems with natural systems.  Our vision is of both a high-tech economy that is equally an extension of ecology, where human and natural systems flow together seamlessly.  We dream of moving from the Anthropocene to the Symbiocene, from an age of human domination over nature to a symbiotic partnership between our species and the rest of Life. 

The process of consulting nature's genius utilises a clear, proven design methodology and effective implementation tools, developed by Biomimicry 3.8 over more than a decade of work with a broad range of stakeholders.  We work with policymakers, business, investors, educators, engineers, architects, designers, and other innovators to consult and translate natural design principles for development of products, processes and systems that create conditions conducive to Life.

Nature sets the standard for both efficiency and sustainability.  Our approach is based on Life’s Principles, which are the deepest and most universal biological design patterns, honed and tested over 3.8 billions years of evolution.  Our team offers education and consulting on how natural systems can provide insights into solving systemic human sustainability challenges.  We perform economic and financial research, market analysis, and strategic consulting for entrepreneurs, investors, scientists and policy leaders to help accelerate the commercialisation of biomimetic innovations.  We also develop collaborative partnerships and services to support interdisciplinary exchange and dialogue across industry sectors and regional borders.

Educate

The Biomimicry Switzerland team is available for workshops, presentations, design consultations and/or strategy discussions to connect you and your organisation with the genius of the natural world.  Biological intelligence can be applied to our purposes whether as individuals, communities, schools, businesses, governments, or a global biological species in an evolutionary crisis.  Our trained practitioners are comfortable with all of these audiences.  It would be our privilege to support you on the journey to a deeper sustainability by applying the lens and approach of biomimicry.

We offer specialised content for sectors ranging from engineering and business to environmental policy and financial architecture.  In general, our hope is to co-create an experience that will inspire your community to think differently about sustainability and help you move through the information age to the new ecological paradigm.  We share inspiring stories from the experience of the global biomimicry community both historically and, most especially, since the structured discipline emerged after the publication of Janine Benyus' book in 1997.  

EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

We offer educational experiences including presentations, hands-on workshops, facilitated design challenges, guided nature walks and specialised seminars.  These can be tailored to fit your organization’s needs and interests.  Our trained practitioners facilitate these programs in person, and the duration of the services can vary depending on the context.

Educational participants will have an opportunity to learn and explore how biomimicry can spark creativity and disruptive thinking.  The experience is designed to facilitate a new paradigm and approach to designing products, services, processes and systems.  This will radically change your perception and appreciation of the natural world and how its intelligence can be infused in the culture of your organisation or community.

Examples of experiences we offer include:

• Introductory Biomimicry Presentations

• Backyard Workshops (one to three days)

• Design Challenge Facilitation

• Biomimicry Brainstorming

• Nature Immersion Activities

• Guided Nature Walks

• The Biomimicry Design Lens

• Biomimicry Thinking

• Life’s Principles

• Biomimicry and Engineering

• Biomimicry and Finance

• Biomimicry and Entrepreneurship

• Biomimicry and Organizational Effectiveness

• Applying Biomimicry to your Business

If you are interested in or have questions about these services. We look forward to accompanying you on this inspiring journey!  

RAY OF HOPE PRIZE

Created in honor of Ray C. Anderson, founder of Interface, Inc. and a business and sustainability leader, the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize® helps startups cross a critical threshold in becoming viable businesses by amplifying their stories and providing them with equity-free funding.

At his carpet company, Ray Anderson has increased sales and doubled profits while turning the traditional "take / make / waste" industrial system on its head. In a gentle, understated way, he shares a powerful vision for sustainable commerce.

John Anderson Lanier Executive Director of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation - Blog

(RE)Connect

WHY CHOOSE BIOMIMICRY?

This practice of drawing on 3.8 billions years of regenerative design consistently inspires new ideas and solutions that leap-frog us forward in the efficiency and sustainability of our own products, processes and systems.  In the experience of the world-leading biomimicry consultancy, Biomimicry 3.8, this design process applied within companies almost always leads to multiple patents for new designs that are more efficient and more sustainable than what came before, and the resulting biomimetic products do very well in the market.  Nature delivers.

Far beyond profits, however, innovative solutions to all of our most complex challenges can be found in the natural world.  The solutions are elegant and often lead to surprising breakthroughs.  When we integrate biomimicry into our education, policy and development processes, we open channels for biological intelligence to inform our lives.  This connection is pivotal in moving us toward the end-point of all sustainability trends: to a global economy that is an extension of ecology, where human and natural system designs flow together seamlessly.  This is our next evolutionary step, and we need your help to do it.  

Most of nature's design secrets have yet to be discovered.  Even with the incredible advances made through biomimetic innovation to date, we have barely scratched the surface of the proven design ideas that can be found in the natural world.  So many more solutions are waiting to be uncovered to create truly regenerative designs and a new paradigm for humans within the body of life on Earth.  We hope you'll join us on the evolutionary treasure hunt!

WORKSHOPS

Biomimicry Switzerland offers hands-on experiential learning experiences for children and adults alike.  The goal of these educational programs is to help participants re-connect with nature and learn how to access and apply nature's genius to human design challenges.  Our team is dedicated to teaching and supporting biomimicry education throughout Switzerland.

FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOMIMICRY - INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP

The Fundamentals of Biomimicry workshop provides an introduction to biomimicry thinking. Innovative entrepreneurs who wish to make sustainability an integral part of their work need inspiring examples of how it can be done. This course engages participants in how we can learn from natural processes to create products and services that are models of resource efficiency and beauty.  Participants will explore the principles of biomimicry in depth and look at a number of architectural and engineering applications that have used this discipline to achieve radical improvements in resource efficiency.

BIOMIMICRY EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP SERIES

The biomimicry educational workshop is a four-part series offering a more in-depth introduction to this field.  You'll co-learn with professionals and students from a range of disciplines about the foundations of biomimicry and equip yourself to approach pressing design challenges by drawing inspiration from the natural world. You'll have a chance to explore the genius of our local Swiss biomes, led by local experts (e.g. local naturalists, biomimicry certified experts) who will reveal to you a whole new way of viewing and valuing the natural world!