Team

 

CLAIRE JANISCH

Biomimicry Professional, founder biomimicrySA

Claire is a Biomimicry Professional and sustainability & innovation advisor. She is a graduate of and a has been the Engineering instructor for the international 2-year biomimicryProfessionals Program. She currently heads up biomimicrySA and recently was awarded Regional Network Leader of the Year award at the global Biomimicry Conference in June 2013. Claire works in the areas of strategy, technology & education and is the leading presenter, trainer and consultant for biomimicry in South Africa. As a biomimicry professional she spends her time exploring nature’s technological miracles in diverse ecosystems and shares this new way of viewing and valuing nature through expeditions and workshops – teaching & training professionals, students and scholars. She also dives deeper into research for companies and organisations- translating nature’s innovation and sustainability principles for the design of new products, processes & systems. Claire has a MSc Chem-Engineering in the field of Cleaner Production and has worked across Africa as a consultant in: Environmental Technologies, Sustainable Energy & Climate Change, Sustainable Production & Consumption, Sustainable Urban Design, Integrated Waste Management, Water Management Systems, Sustainable Agricultural Practices, Eco-labeling, Environmental Management & Environmental Education. Claire was selected in the Mail & Guardian's 200 young South Africans in 2010 and 2011. She was a finalist in the Most Influential Women in Business & Government awards in 2012.

GAMELIHLE SIBANDA

Biomimicry Professional & biomimicrySA Advisory Group, Chief Technical Advisor, United Nations, Pretoria, South Africa

Gamelihle, a Certified Biomimicry Professional, fuses his training in civil engineering (BSc Eng Honours), business (MBA) and biomimicry (CBP) towards creation of a sustainable world; where there is enough for all forever. A visual story teller and rapid ideator, his diverse skill set enables him to be an Engineer at the Biomimicry Design Table, where he integrates Biology into Design through abstracting strategies from nature to create solutions for human challenges. He co-developed the Biominga Innovation Model based on evolutionary strategies that nature has continuously tested and refined over the past 3.8 billion years. Where others see things that are and ask why, Gamelihle dreams about things that do not exist and asks why not? Gamelihle’s professional experience spans over 20 years in over 12 countries working in various capacities; liaising with Governments, Infrastructure Authorities, Employers’ Organizations, Unions, Donors, United Nations Agencies, Universities, Consultants, Contractors and Communities on the policy, financing, feasibility, research, design, training and implementation of infrastructure and environmental projects in both rural and urban environments. Gamelihle also brings experience in documentary video production, TV/radio acting, adaptation to and mitigation of negative effects of climate change and facilitation of brainstorming and strategic planning sessions..

JUSTIN FRIEDMAN

Orgnaization lead and catalyst for biomimicrySA

Over the past 16 years Justin has lived and worked in the UK, Europe, Asia, India, North America and South Africa. Justin worked in the offshore sourcing of Textiles and Giftware products with a strong focus on social development while conducting research and feasibility studies for the setup of micro enterprises in the global textile trade.He started and managed the sales, marketing and product development of one of the fastest growing US based giftware companies evolving this company into an art licensing entity.

Justin has consulted on the development and licensing of brands for clients in the conservation, health & wellness, fashion, FMCG, personal care, and publishing fields. In 2006 Justin started Greenhouse in order to provide research, capacity building, stakeholder connectivity, strategic thinking and communication strategy for social entrepreneurs, NGOs', Foundations, Government Depts., aspirant ethical brands, eco-labels, CSI Projects, celebrities and artists.

 

Justin founded the FLOW (For Love Of Water) initiative in South Africa linking Government, Corporate, Media and Civil Society through Design & Innovation in order to create lasting behaviour change. He assisted in creating the strategy for Water Access and Awareness at the 2010 FIFA®World Cup in Cape Town and in 2011 helped host UN-Habitat and UN-Water in SA. He has consulted on production, licensing and distribution of Documentary Films and digital media and continues to play a role as executive producer for TV. He has produced and directed musical tracks and performances at events like the FIFA®World Cup, TEDx and for the UN. Justin also presented at TEDxCapeTown and was part of the incubation and support of numerous TEDx events in South Africa.

JUSTIN BESWICK

BiomimicrySA innovator

Justin is a high impact entrepreneur based in the Silicon Cape. He has a background in Biotechnology, Financial Analysis & Portfolio Management and the ‘school of life’ as an entrepreneur. Justin’s primary passion is where technology and biomimicry intersect. He also aims to enable others by transferring his fortunate knowledge and experiences gained from incubators, business competitions and business-startup learning’s to other aspiring entrepreneurs – with the larger goal of facilitating the development of entrepreneurship in his phenomenal home country, South Africa. Justin’s life philosophy is: Have Fun. Create Value. Change Lives.

ROB JANISCH

Specialist nature guide & co-trainer biomimicrySA

Born and bred in South Africa, Rob has since worked in the wilds of Swaziland, South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. He spent his early guiding experience in the Kruger National Park and surrounds as well as the Okavango Delta. He has spent the last 4 years in the newly re-emerging wilderness areas of central & northern Mozambique, specialising in the wildlife & birds of Gorongosa National Park and Niassa National Reserve. Rob has a fascination with all things living, wild and woolly, although he has also assisted various national parks boards with their social ecology development plans, and has a particular affinity with taking kids into parks to expose them to the wonders of nature. Recently, Rob has spent some time studying the field of biomimicry, and is inspired by the endless opportunities that nature provides for solving some of the world’s ‘Big Issues’.

WILL LAWSON

Local naturalist & trainer biomimicrySA

Will is biomimicrySA's leading local naturalist and serves as a trainer, researcher and Biologist at the Design Table. Will ran the safari department in the Sabi Sand Wildtuin, in Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve where he had been guiding since 2006. He is now operating as a game guide instructor for Ecotraining and aiding existing guides on on-going development. His passion for the marine environment is just as strong, with regular excursion to coastal areas to dive, sail and explore. He has recently achieved the Dive Master and Day Skipper qualifications. Will hosted Janine Benyus during her visit to Sabi Sabi in 2009, and has since been trained to serve as a Biologist at the Design Table and co-trainer for biomimicrySA workshops. He is developing a specialist qualification for nature guides in Southern Africa through FGASA (Field Guide Association of Southern Africa) to add to guides personal impact on conservation and the lessons that can be learned from the natural environments.

SHANNON ROYDEN-TURNER

biomimicry systems thinker for urban design

Shannon seeks to bridge the divide between technology and humans, between research and implementation, between disparate disciplines, between formal and informal sectors, and between natural and artificial [cities or towns] ecosystems. Contemporary responses to the planning and implementation of urban infrastructure in Africa tends to be driven exclusively by a technical agenda, often lacking an adequate understanding of the existing system and how it functions, resulting in increased social disparity and environmental degradation. African cities are often perceived to be disorderly and desperately in need of a new imposed order.

 

Shannon sees existing African urban systems as filled with the unique wisdom of self organising and emergent systems, and seeks to find solutions that work with, rather than against, this wisdom. This is achieved through the use of integrative systems thinking, to facilitate participatory research, planning and implementation of new urban infrastructure in a way that ensures deeper levels of social and environmental justice. Shannon works with biomimicrySA on our Genius of Place and Bioremediation projects and seeks to integrate biomimicry thinking into her urban design projects.

 

RUENDA ODENDAAL

Local presenter & Stellenbosch biomimicry network catalyst

Ruenda completed her MSc. Biochemistry (main focus: proteins and enzymes) in 2009 and is currently pursuing a PhD (title: biofilms as multifunctional polymeric coatings) at Stellenbosch University. Since completing the backyard biomimicry workshop at the 2 Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town and then the expedition biomimicry & design workshop at Tilodi in South Africa 2010, she has played a leading role coordinating the Cape Town and Stellenbosch biomimicry networks. She also gives presentations on biomimicry in the Western Cape. Ruenda joined the Sustainability Institute staff in June 2010 as project coordinator, where she currently runs educational programmes. She is the co-editor of “Sustainable Stellenbosch – opening dialogues”, a HOPE project publication.

MATTHEW ROSMARIN

Television and media

Matthew has completed two training courses in biomimicry, one of which was facilitated by Janine Benyus in South Africa in 2009. He co-produced the documentary of Janine Benyus’s visit to South Africa, titled Second Nature – The Biomimicry Evolution. This documentary has recently been screened at the Big Sky Film Festival in Montana. Matthew has also presented on biomimicry at various events in South Africa and is developing further local television and film opportunities for Biomimicry in Africa. His company, Talent Attack TV has adopted a stance of solely delivering content that speaks to key issues of responsible global citizenship. Matthew’s latest TV escapades took him to Antarctica and its surrounds where he was selected as one of three presenters for a 13 part reality TV series with the aim of creating awareness around climate change.

ELSPETH DONOVAN

Cape Town biomimicry network catalyst, biomimicrySA Advisory Group

Elspeth completed the biomimicry & design workshop with Janine Benyus in South Africa in 2009 and has since played a leading role in co-ordinating and hosting the biomimicry network in Cape Town. Elspeth also serves on the Advisory Group for biomimicrySA. She has been the Development Director of the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership (CPSL) in the Southern African office since November 2008. From 2003-2006 she was the director of the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School MBA. She was instrumental in the introduction of the Modular MBA programme and introduced ‘The Role of Business in Society’ as an integrating course on the MBA with a strong emphasis on sustainable business practice being the underpinning philosophy of the programme. At UCT she co-taught an MBA elective called ‘Social Entrepreneurship’, which exposes the students to hands on experience of working with enterprises creating social and financial value. She regularly supervises MBA theses in the broad area of Social Enterprise. She designed and directed various leadership programmes for companies through the UCT Graduate School of Business. She has a BSc (biochemistry) and an MBA from University of Cape Town.

SUSAN SWAIN

Naturally Knysna, Discovery Park

Sue Swain has had an interest in Biomimicry since 2004 and attended the Biomimicry in Design Workshop with Janine Benyus in September 2009. Motivated by the belief that biomimicry is something that can be applied in all areas of our lives, Sue has been working on a model for the Garden Route town of Knysna based on the principles, strategies and processes of a natural system. These principles have been distilled into a model to help Knysna “function like a forest”. The model can be used to guide how we run our businesses, live our lives, plan and run the town, and solve any number of problems from design challenges to tourism-related issues. Sue has also just received funding from the National Lotteries Board, from a funding proposal submitted in 2005, to coordinate the research and design of and fund-raise for the establishment for a Biomimicry Discovery Park. This will essentially be a public education facility and eco-tourism attraction rolled into one very interactive, fun and engaging park designed to immerse people in the fascinating world of nature and reveal how we can draw lessons from all we see around us.

TESSA RAYNER

Local presenter & Gauteng biomimicry network catalyst

Tessa Rayner is a graduate of the 2009 Biomimicry & Design Course held in South Africa with Janine Benyus as lead trainer. She is one of the core team establishing biomimicry in South Africa and for giving presentations on biomimicry in Gauteng. She was one of the first cohort of students to obtain a Masters in Sustainable Development from the Sustainability Institute in Stellenbosch and has worked as a researcher for the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) on a number of projects. Tessa Rayner has supported Claire Janisch in engaging with local high schools, initiating the Johannesburg Zoo Biomimizoo Project, and establishing the biomimicry network in Johannesburg.

HEIDI DE MAINE

Co-ordinator Biomimikids

Author of Abby’s Aquarium Adventures is a qualified Marine Biologist with many years’ experience working with animals. She runs the Biomimikidsprogram in Cape Town at Save Our Seas Shark Centre and the Two Oceans Aquarium. She has volunteered at animal facilities such as the Gerald Durrell Wildlife Trust (Jersey Zoo) and the SPCA, has worked in aquariums and has children and education as her focus. Growing up in South Africa gave her an appreciation for wildlife, and living inland gave her the yearning for the sea. Now she lives at the coast and loves sharing her knowledge of the marine environment.

BIOMIMICRYSA ADVISORY GROUP

BiomimicrySA has received strategic or project advice from the following people :
  • Bruce Snaddon, Cape Peninsula University of Technology Design Department
  • Elspeth Donovan, Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership
  • Sarshen Marais, Climate Action Partnership
  • Andrew Venter, Wildlands Conservation Trust
  • Kiruben Naicker, Department of Environmental Affairs, Head Biodiversity Planning
  • Guy Lieberman, Second Nature & Draft FCB
  • Malcolm Douglas, Enviroskills Training
  • Lisa Smith, Unilever Ventures
  • Claire Weerepas, Head Life Sciences, St.Alban’s College
  • Margie Smith, TAFTA Fundraising