I was so moved when I listened to this podcast that I sent it to everyone I know, who I felt would be receptive to the random spam from me, and now I’m still feeling it is the best thing I’ve heard in a long time, so guess what?! I’m sharing with you too.

Janine Benyus — Biomimicry, an Operating Manual for Earthlings

Janine Benyus is a biologist, author, innovation consultant, and self proclaimed “nature nerd.” She popularized the term “Bio-mimicry” in her 1997 book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.

In Biomimicry, she names an emerging discipline that emulates nature’s designs and processes (e.g., solar cells that mimic leaves) to create a healthier, more sustainable planet.

A couple of things I had to pull over, in order to write down, as I was listening:

• Gratitude tempers greed and the notion of “resources” becomes obscene.
• The more I have learned the more I realise all you can do is try to be hospitable. Help the helpers.
• Darwin never said survival of the fittest. He said survival of the fit – for place. Organisms don’t just move into a place. They cocreate a place and the place creates them.
• It is relieving to remember that we live on a competent planet. And we’re part of it. And we’re young.
• Beauty is the signal of the good!

Also, I cried quite a bit.

There is a beautiful re-orientation to the world, baked into this conversation.