Northeast Ohio Network Takes Next Step Towards Putting Biomimicry to Work at Every Design Table

A growing network of regional business and organizational leaders from all sectors of the economy in Northeast Ohio is advancing towards its goal of putting biomimicry to work at every design table.

The Biomimicry NEO Network, a program of Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S), is seeking to strengthen the biomimicry knowledge and expertise in the region by engaging the Montana-based Biomimicry Guild and Institute through an upcoming series of working group sessions.

E4S founder and president Holly Harlan says she believes the future of sustainability depends on the redesign of products and processes, rather than just conservation and efficiency.

Biomimicry, she adds, is an ideal tool for that redesign.

“What better way to design than using biomimicry, which is based on 3.8 billion years of research,” says Harlan.

Victoria Avi, the network entrepreneur responsible for the Biomimicry NEO Network, says the major goal is “to create a regional network around biomimicry that will help practice, learn and eventually implement biomimcry in product and process design.”

The upcoming sessions will explore in-depth some of the logistical and financial considerations of advancing the vision for the network.

Chris Allen, director of the AskNature project at the Biomimicry Institute, will participate in these discussions with a variety of groups from the region.

Groups to be involved in the discussions include directors from the area’s science institutes like city parks, botanical gardens and zoos, who will dialogue on biomimicry and the benefits of joining the action network.

Representatives from local biomedical institutions and educational facilities such as Case Western Reserve University will also convene to discuss how their work might link to biomimetic product and process design.

The discussions are also intended to provide insights for Allen and the Biomimicry Institute around network development. Northeast Ohio is becoming renowned for its networking innovations, in large part the work of Harlan.

The day and half working sessions will culminate with an evening event on March 16 geared for designers, biologists, naturalists, engineers, entrepreneurs and business leaders. The event will feature Allen speaking on how “innovative strategies lead to more sustainable designs.”

Associate professor of industrial design at the Cleveland Institute for the Arts Doug Paige and CIA industrial design student Jennifer Duda will also speak on how they are applying biomimicry to solve challenges in the Cuyahoga Valley.

A core group from the biomimicry action network is contributing to the forum. Members include Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, Cleveland Institute of Art, CASE Fowler Centre for Sustainable Value, Collaborx, Cuyahoga Community College, BeeDance, Doan Brook Watershed Partnership, Studio Graphique, American Greetings, Interface, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District.

E4S includes about 7,000 leaders from Northeast Ohio who are “putting the principles of sustainability to work for their businesses and the region.”

E4S members share a belief that “sustainability principles are drivers for new business opportunities and tools to improve our quality of life,” according to E4S literature.

To learn more about the March 16 event, visit this link.

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