There are SO MANY cool biomimicry resources and climate leaders implementing sustainable solutions. Below I will list some of my favorites. I hope you get a chance to check them out and/or share them with your friends!

• Sustainable Agriculture and Afro-Indigenous Practices
  • Soul Fire Farm– “is an Afro-Indigenous centered community farm committed to uprooting racism and
    

    Leah Penniman (left), Co-Founder and Co-Director of Soul Fire Farm

    seeding sovereignty in the food system.” [2] The diverse team that is Soul Fire Farm is empowering. I learned of the farm when doing research for a sustainable agriculture club project. I more recently watched a keynote presentation by Leah Penniman–  the farm’s Co-Founder and Farm Manager, that “weaves the history and structural realities of racial injustice in the food system, with movement strategies past and present of frontlines communities mobilizing for food and land sovereignty” [3]. The discussion is riveting and talks about the systemic injustices that adversely impact every aspect of society and the environment. For information about accessing this resource, see HERE.

  • Afros in Nature– whose mission is “to plant seeds of safety in natural environments so that individuals of color—regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, creed, or economic status—can create self-sustaining lifestyles with love, support, and community.”⁣ [4] I learned about Afros in Nature from Lisa Miskelly, the previous and dearly missed Lafayette farm manager who is now the Diversified Vegetable Pre-Apprenticeship Program Associate at Pasa Sustainable Agriculture (see next bullet).  Afros in Nature is located in Bethlehem, PA (about a 20-minute drive from my college!) Afros in Nature works to establish a safe space for individuals to improve mental health while they establish a stronger connection with their environment. They do this through community conversations, nature walks, hikes, events, communicable gardening, and sustainable agriculture practices.
  • Pasa Sustainable Agriculture– whose mission is to cultivate “environmentally sound, economically viable, community-focused farms and food systems.” [5] The organization does this through the administration of training, research, policy, peer education, and local food programming- providing the essential resources to
    

    Lisa Miskelly, Pasa Diversified Vegetable Pre-Apprenticeship Program Associate, at the previous Lafayette Farm that she managed

     establish sustainable agriculture. They also have REALLY cool people on the team, aka LISA MISKELLY <3. Check outthem (and your state’s sustainable agriculture organizations)!

• Podcasts for those of you that like to listen 🙂 
  • How To Save A Planet– a podcast about climate issues and climate solutions. 30-60 minute episodes tackling climate change and present next steps for each listener to be more informed and prepared for addressing environmental issues.
  • Ologies– a podcast by Aly Ward that talks about the science of everything and anything in a fun and interesting way. Aly’s sassy and down-to-earth commentary makes every episode comical while educational. My favorite episodes (and ones more connected to biomimicry):
    • “Part 1: Dendrology (TREES) with Casey Clapp – Encore”
    • “Part 2: Dendrology (TREES) with Casey Clapp”
• Some of the most common resources I have referenced in my research:
  • Biomimicry Institute– biomimicry nonprofit founded in 2006 by Janine Benyus to empower people through education, innovation, and systems thinking to develop a more sustainable and nature-inspired future. 
  • Biomimicry 3.8– the world’s leading bio-inspired consultancy firm offering biological intelligence consulting, professional training, and inspirational speaking. This company was founded in 2016 by, guess who!, Janine Benyus and Dr. Dayna Baumeister. 
  • Ask Nature– a digital library of nature’s solutions developed by the Biomimicry Institute. 
  • Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature– Janine Benyus’s 1997 book jumpstarted the biomimicry movement as a marketable and broad field. 
  • ***I encourage you to explore other, less mainstream resources in addition to these that will provide diverse perspectives.

References:

1. The Nurture Nature Center homepage: nurturenaturecenter.org/ 
2. The Soul Fire Farm homepage: soulfirefarm.org/ 
3. Access to the Soule Fire Farm keynote presentation: soulfirefarm.org/food-sovereignty-education/uprooting-racism/keynote/ 
4. Afros in Nature homepage: afrosinnature.org/ 
5. Pasa farming homepage: pasafarming.org/