Janine M. Benyus (born 1958) is an American natural sciences writer, innovation consultant, and author. After writing books on wildlife and animal behavior, she coined the term Biomimicry to describe intentional problem-solving design inspired by nature. Her book Biomimicry (1997) attracted widespread attention from businesspeople in design, architecture, and engineering as well as from scientists. Benyus argues that by following biomimetic approaches, designers can develop products that will perform better, be less expansive, use less energy, and leave companies less open to legal risk. Life Born in New Jersey, Benyus graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University with degrees in natural resource management and English literature/writing. Benyus has taught interpretive writing and lectured at the University of Montana, and worked towards restoring and protecting wild lands. She serves on a number of land use committees in her rural county, and is president of Living Education, a nonprofit dedicated to place-based living and learning. Benyus lives in Stevensville, Montana. Biomimicry Benyus has written a number of books on animals and their behavior, but is best known for Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature (1997). In this book she develops the basic thesis that human beings should consciously emulate nature's genius in their designs. She encourages people to ask "What would Nature do?" and to look at natural forms, processes, and ecosystems in nature to see what works and what lasts. Benyus articulates an approach that strongly emphasizes sustainability within biomimicry practice. sometimes referred to as Conditions Conducive to Life (CCL). Benyus has described the development of sustainable solutions in terms of "Life’s Principles", emphasizing that organisms in nature have evolved methods of working that are not destructive of themselves and their environment. “Nature runs on sunlight, uses only the energy it needs, fits form to function, recycles everything, rewards cooperation, banks on diversity, demands local expertise, curbs excess from within and taps the power of limits”. In 1998, Benyus and Dayna Baumeister co-founded the Biomimicry Guild as an innovation consultancy. Their goal was to help innovators learn from and emulate natural models in order to design sustainable products, processes, and policies that create conditions conducive to life. In 2006, Benyus co-founded The Biomimicry Institute with Dayna Baumeister and Bryony Schwan. Benyus is President of the non-profit organization, whose mission is to naturalize biomimicry in the culture by promoting the transfer of ideas, designs, and strategies from biology to sustainable human systems design.