Design inspired by nature – Biomimicry talks

Janine Benyus, the world renowned author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature and the Chair of the Biomimicry Institute, will be giving public lectures in Cape Town and Johannesburg on 27 August and 9 September respectively. Cindy Gilbert the Director of Education at Biomimicry Institute will also give a lecture in Stellenbosch on 27 August.

	CAPE TOWN LECTURE	STELLENBOSCH LECTURE	JOHANNESBURG LECTURE
DATE:	27 August 2009, 17:30	27 August 2009, 17:30	9 September 2009, 17:30
VENUE:	Townhouse Hotel, 60 Corporation Street	Con de Villiers Hall (room A201), JC Smuts Building, Merriman Avenue	Hyatt Regency Hotel, 191 Oxford Road, Rosebank
COST:*	R228	Free	R228

* Student fee = R50

To book for any of these events please contact Magda de Kok on 021 469 4765 or magda.dekok@cpsl.cam.ac.uk

Biomimicry is the process of learning from and then emulating Nature’s genius to create more sustainable designs. It’s studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell or an electric eel to make a better battery.

“Biomimicry introduces an era based not on what we can extract from the natural world, but what we can learn from it.” – Janine Benyus

Why emulate nature?
Because organisms and ecosystems face the same challenges that we humans do, but they meet those challenges sustainably. More than 30 million species, represent a deep reservoir of wisdom – blueprints, recipes and strategies for how to live gracefuly in place, in ways that create conditions conducive to life.

Here is a video of a talk Janine gave at the 2005 TED conference

SA Biomimicry Workshop

Here is an amazing opportunity for anyone in the design, engineering, environment and sustainability world! A 6-day Biomimicry workshop presented by Janine Benyus and Dr. Dayna Baumeister.

From 30 August – 6 September you can join these these world renowned experts at the Leshiba Wilderness in the Limpo Valley near Kruger National Park, South Africa.

You can also download the official brochure and application form here. Closing date for application is 1st July 2009.

CPSL is also organising public lectures in Cape Town on 27th August and in Johannesburg on 9th September – please see our website for more details

More information on the presenters:

Janine Benyus

• United Nations Environment Programme’s 2009 Champion of the Earth for Science & Innovation
• Time magazine’s Hero of the Environment award
• Biologist, Innovation Consultant
• Author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature

Dr. Dayna Baumeister

• Co-founder of The Biomimicry Guild
• MS in Resource Conservation and a PhD in Organismic Biology and Ecology from the University of Montana
• 11 years as a biomimicry educator, researcher and design consultant

Visit www.biomimicryinstitute.org for more information.