Janine Benyus, 2006 Women of Discovery Humanity Award

"Live in a state of gratitude for this sweet world, and you will drink from a well of happiness." — Janine Benyus

Natural sciences author, biologist, founder of the Biomimicry Guild.

Born: 1958-01-01

Hometown: New York, NY

Education: BA English Literature and BS Natural Resource Management

Achievements

Expeditions: I'm on expedition every time I step outdoors.

Biography

Janine Benyus is a natural sciences writer, and author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. She has cultivated a deep knowledge of the natural world, beginning with direct observation in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, continuing in habitats from Maine to West Virginia where she worked as a backcountry guide, and now, at home in Montana.  Janine graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University, New Jersey, with two degrees in Natural Resource Management and English Literature/Writing. Her writing career began in the early eighties, when she translated “science-speak” for several research labs including the world’s largest forest research organization. An abiding interest in community ecology led to her first popular book Northwoods Wildlife: a Watcher’s Guide to Habitats (1989), an ecosystem-organized guide to northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. She followed with a national series: The Field Guide to Wildlife Habitats, Eastern and Western Editions(1989), which have become standards in their genre. In an effort to reach a larger audience of wildlife enthusiasts, Janine wrote an interpretive guide to animal behavior called Beastly Behaviors: A Guide to How Animals Act and Why (1992). In her next book, Janine coined the term Biomimicry (1997) to describe the emerging field of bio-inspired innovation. David Perlman of San Francisco Chronicle called Biomimicry “one viable answer to the wake-up call that Rachel Carson sounded a generation ago in Silent Spring.''

In Biomimicry, she names an emerging discipline that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature's designs and processes (e.g., solar cells that mimic leaves, agriculture that models a prairie, businesses that run like redwood forests). Since the book’s 1997 release, Janine has developed the practice of biomimicry, consulting with sustainable business, academic, and government leaders, serving on the Eco-Dream Team at Interface, Inc., and conducting seminars about what we can learn from the mirculous world that surrounds us. Her favorite role is biologist-at-the-design-table, introducing innovators to organisms whose well-adapted designs have been tested over 3.8 billion years.  In 1998, Janine co-founded an education and innovation practice called Biomimicry Guild. Through workshops, research reports, biological consulting, and field excursions, the Guild helps innovators learn from and emulate natural models. The goal is to create products, processes, and policies that create conditions conducive to life.

Fun Facts

Favorite Item to have in the field: A pocket episcope that transforms from microscope to telescope.

Heroes: Rachel Carson, founder of the modern environmental movement.