Case Studies

• The U.S. Green Building Council applied biomimicry to redesign their organizational structure in 2010. This process was documented by Fast Company in “Biomimicry Challenge: IDEO Taps Octopi and Flamingos to Reorganize the USGBC.” IDEO also wrote up the project.
• In a second “Biomimicry Challenge: TOA Uses Fungi to Reimagine Sustainable Neighborhoods,” Fast Company describes a collaboration between Brightworks and the City of Portland’s EcoDistricts Initiative to organize networks of resources in an urban environment.
• IBM’s SmarterCity Initiative and Smart Design teamed up for a third “Biomimicry Challenge: For IBM, Smart Design Draws Water Conservation Inspiration from Ecosystems,” to design innovative new approaches to organizing and self-regulating communal water use among city residents.
• A fourth “Biomimicry Challenge: Could Biomimicry Build a Better Company Than Your Boss?” offers leaders’ reflections on integrating biomimicry into their problem-solving processes.
• This 2001 Harvard Business Review piece on “Swarm Intelligence: A Whole New Way to Think About Business” discusses how the concept of “a few simple rules” inspired by social insects was used to make processes such as freight transfer at Southwest and IT support at Capitol One more effective.