Social Enterprise is a Function of Biomimicry

When you think of social enterprise, it is not likely that biomimicy is the first concept that jumps out at you. Sure, biomimicry is important in modeling solar energy technology and closed loop (technical nutrient cycle) manufacturing, but what does it have to do with social enterprise? Maybe more than you think.

Biomimicry is the conscious emulation of life's genius; identify a problem, scour the natural world to find how a given species or ecosystem has overcome that problem, and mimic that innovation. Nature has 3.85 billion years of research and design experience, of R&D, of trial and error. The natural world is effectively the culmination of life's most enduring solutions.

Some of biomimicry's themes we know intuitively already; others, particularly those of a social orientation, may be less apparent:

• Nature runs on current sunlight


• Nature (re)cycles everything indefinitely


• Nature perfectly marries the form of matter to its use or function


• Mature ecosystems systematically reward cooperatives and synergies, and discourage competitions and excesses


• Nature banks on heterogeneity, diversity and self-organization, and discourages consolidation and "economies of scale"


• Natural systems bank on community and local entrepreneurship


• Natures embraces the power embedded within ecological limits


• Nature's pursuit of self-interest provisions the world around it in a manner which benefits all living things.

Biomimetics effectively weaves together social and ecologic fabrics into a succinct and beautiful tapestry; what emerges are endlessly compounding and cascading positive impacts on systems.

Profounder is one example of social biomimicry. Profounder is a prelaunch start up from Kiva co-founder Jessica Jackley. According to its website, "ProFounder provides a set of tools for entrepreneurs to raise investments and support from their communities." This innovative platform reasserts interdependencies between local entrepreneurs and their communities and bioregions, and enables a model of self-organization. This is social biomimicry to its very core.

In many respects, nature's competencies far exceed our own. Regarding energy and materials solutions specifically, our capacity to mimic the photochemistry in a leaf or blade of grass for authentically sustainable energy; or our ability to cycle molecules indefinitely; or to create self-manufacturing products that perfectly meet their intentions is virtually non-existent.

However, our ability to develop cooperatives and synergies as a people, to reward diversity and self-organization, to bank on communities and local expertise; these are all common themes in social enterprise. It stands to reason that our shortcomings with the environmental problem statement can be overcome, not through technological, but social innovation advocating for these very principles. Maybe Paul Hawken (Blessed Unrest) is right; that environmentalism is truly a social enterprise at heart.

For the seminal work on biomimicry, consider Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, Janine Benyus