If you are familiar with the term biomimicry, you might have noticed that at The Meadow we lean heavily upon practices very similar to those of this relatively new discipline that studies nature’s best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. http://www.biomimicryinstitute.org/about-us/biomimicry-a-tool-for-innovation.html

Biomimicry says that if we want to consciously emulate nature’s genius, we need to look at nature differently. We need to see nature as model, measure, and mentor.

• Nature as model: Biomimicry is a science that studies nature’s models and then emulates these forms, process, systems, and strategies to solve human problems – sustainably.
• Nature as measure: Biomimicry uses ecological standards to judge the sustainability of our innovations.  After 3.8 billion years of evolution, nature has learned what works and what lasts.
• Nature as mentor: Biomimicry is a new way of viewing and valuing nature.  It introduces an era based not on what we can extract from the natural world, but what we can learn from it.

At The Meadow, because our view and purposes are much narrower in scope, we tend to start with the question: “What would nature do?” And if we want to do something other than what nature would do, how can we achieve the intended purpose with the least disturbance to the impetus and expressions currently occurring in, on, and through the land?