“The significant problems we face can not be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”
— Albert Einstein
If you are looking for an opportunity to fully delve into sustainable design and more importantly, regenerative design, Ecosa is the place for you. For over a decade we have advocated a radical departure from the traditional approach to teaching design. With in-depth, cross-disciplinary, hands-on programs that tackle real-world problems, the Ecosa Institute is at the cutting edge of design education.
Regenerative
adjective, healing and creating new life
Ecological
adjective, using the logic of nature
Design
verb, to intervene in the flow of events and create a desired effect
HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER DESIGN CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Ecosa’s Regenerative Design Certificate program is an 8-week intensive summer design and career accelerator for Colorado high school students (those entering their sophomore, junior, or senior years). This program will bring students together with conservationists, architects, engineers, landscape professionals, planners, and other ecologically-minded professionals to develop nature-inspired solutions to real environmental challenges.
Using architecture, ecology, biomimicry, regenerative design, and systems-thinking, students will move from understanding a problem to investigating natural systems, generating ideas, prototyping solutions, receiving professional critique, and publicly presenting a final design. Students leave not simply having learned about environmental careers, but having practiced the skills those careers require with a design credential, professional portfolio, mentor relationships, and a tangible project demonstrating what they can do.
If you’d like to be one of the first people to know more as we develop this program, sign up for special emails.
MIDDLE SCHOOL ECOLOGICAL CAMPS
SPRING 2027: BIOMIMICRY
This all-day (9am-4pm) and all-week (Monday through Friday) ecological camp helps middle school children learn about the natural world and design through the lens of biomimicry. Campers will spend time connecting to the natural world while creating a design inspired by the super powers that the millions of other organisms on this planet can share with us.
FALL 2027: NATURAL MATERIALS
This all-day (9am-4pm) daily (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) ecological camp teaches middle school children about nature through a series of hands-on projects where they get to create their own nature-based materials. Campers will get to learn how things are made and how nature is the ultimate teacher.
If you’d like to be one of the first people to know more as we develop these programs, sign up for special emails.
WORKSHOPS & LECTURES
Join Ecosa Institute for a 6-week long biomimicry workshop to rethink how we can design structures that are fire-resistance. This workshop consists of 1.5-hr sessions on two Saturday mornings each month from February through April. Participants will learn about biomimicry as a design lens, how to practice it, and how to apply the research to the challenge of fire-resistance. Open to professionals and college students working or studying within the fields of the built environment.
If you’d like to be one of the first people to know more as we develop this program, sign up for special emails.
COMMUNITY ACTION
We’re still finalizing our offerings, check back soon for more information!
“What students get in one [Ecosa] semester is a more holistic understanding of sustainability than they could presently get at any traditional design school.”
— American Institute of Architects, Committee on the Environment Report
Have questions about our programs, how to apply, or anything related to the Ecosa Institute?
Join Executive Director and Director of Education, Cynthia Fishman, for a FREE virtual Q&A session.