Janine M. Benyus (born 1958) is an American writer, expert in innovation, and author. After writing books about wildlife and animal behavior, she created the term Biomimicry to describe using ideas from nature to solve problems. Her book Biomimicry (1997) interested many people in design, architecture, engineering, and science. Benyus explains that using biomimetic methods can help designers create products that work better, cost less, use less energy, and reduce the chance of legal issues for companies.

Life

Benyus was born in New Jersey. She graduated from Rutgers University with the highest honors, earning degrees in natural resource management and English literature and writing. She has taught interpretive writing and given lectures at the University of Montana. She has also worked to restore and protect wild lands. Benyus serves on several land use committees in her rural county. She is the president of Living Education, a nonprofit organization focused on place-based living and learning. Benyus currently lives in Stevensville, Montana.

Biomimicry

Janine Benyus is sometimes called the "Godmother of Biomimicry" and has written several books about animals and their behavior. Her most well-known book is Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature (1997). In this book, she explains that humans should intentionally copy nature's successful designs. She encourages people to ask, "What would Nature do?" and to study natural shapes, processes, and ecosystems to find solutions that work and last.

Benyus emphasizes sustainability in biomimicry, an approach sometimes called "Conditions Conducive to Life" (CCL). She describes sustainable solutions using "Life’s Principles," which show how living things have evolved to work without harming themselves or their environment. Nature uses sunlight as its main energy source, only uses what it needs, matches form to function, recycles everything, promotes cooperation, values diversity, uses local knowledge, prevents overuse, and uses limits to stay balanced.

In 1998, Benyus and Dayna Baumeister started the Biomimicry Guild, an innovation consultancy. Their goal was to help inventors learn from and copy natural models to create sustainable products, processes, and policies that support life.

In 2006, Benyus co-founded The Biomimicry Institute with Dayna Baumeister and Bryony Schwan. As president of this nonprofit organization, Benyus works to spread biomimicry ideas by sharing biological strategies for designing sustainable human systems. In 2008, the institute launched AskNature.org, an online resource that explains natural solutions to common design problems. By 2020, the institute connected 12,576 members across 36 regional networks and 21 countries through its Biomimicry Global Network.

In 2010, Benyus, Dayna Baumeister, Bryony Schwan, and Chris Allen created Biomimicry 3.8, a benefit corporation that combines their for-profit and nonprofit work. This organization, which received B-corp certification, provides consulting, training, and educational programs. Its clients include companies like Nike, Kohler, Seventh Generation, and C40 Cities. By 2013, over 100 universities had joined the Biomimicry Educator’s Network to teach biomimicry. In 2014, the for-profit and nonprofit sides of Biomimicry 3.8 became separate, with Biomimicry 3.8 focusing on for-profit work and the Biomimicry Institute remaining a nonprofit.

Benyus has served on several boards, including the U.S. Green Building Council and the advisory boards of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and Project Drawdown. She is also an affiliate faculty member at The Biomimicry Center at Arizona State University.

Benyus’ work has inspired films such as the two-part documentary Biomimicry: Learning from Nature (2002), created by Paul Lang and David Springbett for CBC's The Nature of Things and hosted by David Suzuki. She also appeared as an expert in the film Dirt! The Movie (2009), which was narrated by Jamie Lee Curtis.

Authored works

• Benyus, Janine M. (1998). The secret language and remarkable behavior of animals. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. ISBN 1-57912-036-9. Illustrated by Juan Carlos Barberis.
• Benyus, Janine M. (1997). Biomimicry: innovation inspired by nature (1st ed.). New York: Morrow. ISBN 0-06-053322-6.
• Benyus, Janine M. (1992). Beastly behaviors: a zoo lover’s companion. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-62482-6. Illustrated by Juan Carlos Barberis.
• Benyus, Janine M.; Buech, Richard R.; Nelson, Mark D. (1992). Wildlife in the Upper Great Lakes Region: a community profile. Research Paper NC-301. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station. doi: 10.2737/NC-RP-301. hdl: 2027/umn.31951d029779112.
• Benyus, Janine M. (1989). Northwoods wildlife: a watcher’s guide to habitats. Minocqua, WI: NorthWord Press. ISBN 1-55971-003-9.
• Benyus, Janine M. (1989). The field guide to wildlife habitats of the eastern United States. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-671-65908-1.
• Benyus, Janine M. (1989). The field guide to wildlife habitats of the western United States. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 067165909X.
• Benyus, Janine M. (1983). Christmas tree pest manual. St. Paul, Minn.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station.

Awards and honors

• 2020, Received the Trailblazer Award at Verdical Group's Net Zero Conference
• 2019, Became a Fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)
• 2015, Awarded the Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Technology Pioneer Award
• 2013, Won the Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development
• 2012, Received the Design Mind Award from the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
• 2011, Received the Heinz Award, focused on environmental issues
• 2009, Honored as a Champion of the Earth in Science and Technology by the United Nations Environment Programme
• 2007, Recognized as a Hero of the Environment by Time International
• 2006, Received the Women of Discovery Award from WINGS WorldQuest
• 2004, Delivered the Rachel Carson Lecture on Environmental Ethics
• 2003, Won the Lud Browman Award for Science Writing from Friends of the Mansfield Library, University of Montana