Have you ever noticed how the natural world has solved every issue that’s been thrown at it? No matter the problem, nature finds a solution in its own creative and passive way that complements life and its principles versus going against them. Looking at the concrete jungle around most of us and the problems our current design methods have caused, how do we adopt more of this nature-centered mindset? How do we take the solutions that nature has already developed and apply them to the issues we face everyday, no matter the scale? These questions are at the center of biomimicry and is the topic of today’s episode.

To teach us about biomimicry, today we’re sitting down with Andrew Meador, biomimicry expert and educator for the Biomimicry Institute. In college, Andrew studied chemistry and physics and began his career as a nanotechnologist after graduation. While he loved being at the forefront of science, he missed social interactions and decided to become a formal educator. After ten years of teaching in all sorts of science courses, he switched his career again after learning about biomimicry and is now an educator for the Biomimicry Institute and is currently working towards his Master’s in the field. Having both strong science and education backgrounds, Andrew is the perfect person to teach us all about what biomimicry is, what it isn’t, and how it can be used to solve design problems on any scale to create a greener, more interconnected world.

Please enjoy this conversation with Andrew.