The Biomimicry Institute has selected 12 finalist teams creating solutions to address the Sustainable Development Goals, all inspired by nature.
MISSOULA, MT — September 23, 2021 — The Biomimicry Institute is proud to announce this year’s Biomimicry Global Design Challenge finalists, an international group of 12 teams that have created ideas inspired by nature’s intelligence aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Global problems need local solutions, and this group of finalists demonstrate the wide-ranging opportunities biomimicry can offer — challenges related to flooding and evacuation from unexpected storms, water filtration efficiency, heavy metal and light pollution, as well as various adaptations to a warming climate.
This year the Challenge garnered submissions from 92 teams across 26 countries. 58% of submissions addressed SDG GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and more than a quarter of submissions addressed the following SDGs: GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being; GOAL 6: Clean Water & Sanitation; GOAL 13: Climate Action; and GOAL 14: Life Below Water.
“The submissions and selected finalists for this year’s Biomimicry Global Design Challenge show that innovators from around the world are focused on solving local climate problems by learning from the adaptations and resilience of local organisms and ecosystems,” said Jared Yarnall-Schane, Biomimicry Institute’s Entrepreneurship Director. “The finalists were selected based upon their biomimicry designs, and the potential for their solutions to solve real world challenges.”
Without further ado, the Biomimicry Institute is proud to introducing this year’s finalist projects for the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge:
DELight — In addressing the problem of artificial light at night, which disrupts the circadian rhythm and natural functions of organisms and ecosystems, DElight devised a solution to address common design flaws from existing lighting structures. Inspired by the firefly, Saharan silver ant, and lobster, this multifunctional design emulates nanostructures that efficiently transmit light, guides that light where it is useful (thereby diminishing unnecessary pollution), reduces glare, and incorporates cooling mechanisms. The design ensures that no light is emitted above a 63? angle, uses total internal reflection to create an indirect lighting source, and ultimately decreases significant light pollution and health problems created by streetlights. (Utrecht, Netherlands)