Give yourself an Earth Day gift

Take a class!

Every year when Earth Day comes around, many of us wonder what we can do that will have meaningful and lasting impact. One thing you can do is empower and equip — and gift — yourself with a bit of Biomimicry education.

If you missed our free 4-week online course Biomimicry: A Sustainable Design Methodology (our gift to you), or took it and want more, here’s your next opportunity.

MCAD’s Continuing Education program is offering a 1-credit 4-week online course called Biomimicry for Designers, taught by MA in Sustainable Design’s Taryn Mead. Here’s the brief course description:

Nature offers boundless inspiration for sustainable design, but how do we access the wealth of biological information available and apply it effectively to design? This project-oriented course provides an introduction to the tools and concepts of biomimicry, a discipline that emulates nature’s best ideas and blueprints in order to solve human design challenges. Learn core biological principles and the wealth of design solutions available in nature. Explore and examine numerous examples of innovative designs inspired by natural models. Overall, this course provides powerful metaphors and methods for looking to nature as model, mentor, and measure in our designs.

If you want to dig even deeper, you can sign up for our 30credit 15-week online course called Biomimetic Design, also taught by Taryn Mead and offered Fall 2019. This course is one of the electives in our MA in Sustainable Design program, and is open to the public, space pending. Here’s the brief course description:

In this course students learn how to abstract functional strategies from nature to apply to the process of innovative design using the Biomimicry Design Spiral. This project-oriented studio course covers core biological principles, astounds students with the wealth of design solutions available in nature, and provides numerous case studies of innovative designs inspired by natural models. Overall, this course provides powerful metaphors and methods for looking to nature as model, mentor, and measure in our designs.


If you’re ready for more, please explore our fully online MA in Sustainable Design program where you will learn to change your perspective, change your designs, and change our world. Our next informational webinar is May 7.

Applications for Fall 2019 are due June 1.

Denise DeLuca / Former Director

Denise DeLuca is the Director of MCAD’s Sustainable Design program. She was co-founder of BCI: Biomimicry Creative for Innovation, a network of creative professional change agents driving ecological thinking for radical transformation. Denise is author of the book Re-Aligning with Nature: Ecological Thinking for Radical Transformation, which was illustrated by MASD alum Stephanie Koehler. She also teaches with the Amani Institute.

Denise’s previous roles include Education Director for the International Living Future Institute, Project Manager for Swedish Biomimetics 3000, and Outreach Director for The Biomimicry Institute. Denise is a licensed civil engineer (PE) and holds a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering with a focus on modeling landscape-scale surface and groundwater interactions.  In addition, Denise is a Biomimicry Fellow and a member of the Advisory Council of The Biomimicry InstituteBoard Member of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP), on the editorial board of the Journal of Bionic Engineering, and an Expert with Katerva. Denise is based in Oregon.

contact:  [email protected]