Translating Biomimicry Daily 4 Dimensions (4Cs)

Overview

Biomimicry is a lens to solutions. An approach to innovation that enables us to turn into nature geniuses that already exist, to strategies that have been fine-tuned for 3.8 billion years, to proven experience and innovation in a way that is attuned to the natural laws that govern us.

The term "biomimicry" comes from the Greek words bios, meaning life, and mimesis, meaning to imitate. These principles are everywhere, once you see them you can find the patterns all around.

This collaborative session is aimed to create a repository of practices that translate Biomimicry principles into everyday life within the context of the participants. The session will use a version of the 1-2-4-all liberating structure where participants will discuss each principle and build upon each other's ideas in sub-groups before gathering key highlights. The structure includes and extension inspired by the session of Doughnut Economics for Climate Risks and Shocks. The goal is to create a repository that can be revisited and updated in the future.

Why use it?

1. Link Biomimicry to daily decisions and interventions

2. Discover which contexts can help you achieve different objectives

3. Learn about what it means to apply the ethos in all you do

Who is it for?

Educators, policymakers, consultants, trainers, community leaders, household members… 

For anyone looking for constructive, practical and impactful steps we can take in our own lives, across multiple contexts; from Civic, Commerce, Commons, to tu Casa.

How long does it take?

Highly dependent on the size of the group and available time. 

Facilitators can help craft structure and length by what's needed.

As a rough guide 2-4h.

How many people is it for?

Multiple of 4 works best.

Size group can be adapted.

Ideal numbers within 16 - 100

Links

Click here to review the Story

Click here to ​​view the board sample of Biomimicry into 4Cs

Click here to access the Biomimicry principles 

Click here for the past event of Doughnut Economics for Climate Risks and Shocks 

Click here to learn about the organisation in action

Background

Our current ecological and socio-economic challenges are posing significant threats to the long-term stability and resilience of our society. Despite the widespread recognition of these issues, tangible impacts from efforts to address them are falling short. To create a safe and just space for humanity (and beyond!), we must attune ourselves to the laws of nature and shift our paradigms to prioritize creating conditions that are conducive to life. This requires designing and living in harmony with the natural world, rather than exploiting it. Only through cultivating cooperative relationships to collective action and political will can we hope to achieve a regenerative and just future for all.

Biomimicry seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature's patterns and strategies. It involves studying how nature solves problems and adapting those solutions to human designs and systems. By looking to nature for inspiration, biomimicry aims to create more efficient, sustainable, and resilient solutions that are in harmony with the natural world. 

Some existing product examples of biomimicry include designing materials that mimic the strength and flexibility of spider silk, creating wind turbines that mimic the movements of humpback whale fins, and developing water filtration systems that mimic the filtration processes of plant roots.

This session aims to fill the gap from theoretical agreement on the existence and value of these patterns to tangible action in everyday life. What happens to people in contexts? For that, the tool includes a quadrant** to account for input and outputs from relationships to the 4Cs:

• Civil (State)
• Commerce (Market)
• Casa (Household)
• Commons (shared resources)

The framework provides a structure to dive deep from the ethos to the principles to strategies to daily decisions and interventions. Whilst reenergising the participants and having fun! The session aims to help participants comprehend what daily context and instruments are suitable to infuse transformative actions and, in doing so, contribute to regenerative objectives.

**Extension inspired by the session of Doughnut Economics for Climate Risks and Shocks (https://doughnuteconomics.org/events/229)