Our ability to stay creative, flexible, collaborative and adaptive in the face of changing environments is key to address the challenges we collectively face. Join our online course and become an ecological designer to ensure that life-supporting natural functions are not only preserved but regenerated whenever possible.
Ecological Design refers to sustainability from a whole systems design perspective
Ecological design is a multifaceted field embracing green architecture, sustainable agriculture, ecological engineering, ecological restoration and regenerative development which can sustain the pattern of ecological interdependencies and nurture the conditions for all living systems to thrive.



Learn to create elegant solutions carefully adapted to the biocultural uniqueness of place
This course will provide a broad perspective of the historical roots of ecological design thinking and explore how regenerative design, permaculture, ecological economics and engineering, industrial ecology and cradle-to-cradle, environmental restoration could support the fundamental redesign of humanity’s impact on Earth.
Acquire the fundamental skills to become an ecological designer and create self-regenerating sustainable settlements
Working with natural patterns, embracing all living systems, we would explore how can we co-create decentralised and re-regionalised ecological settlements and cities that are adapted to the unique conditions of their bioregions in ways that help us to move beyond adaptation and mitigation towards regenerative development, to stay below 1.5 degrees of warming.

Course Content
Module 1: Whole Systems Approach to Ecological Design
Starting from the concept of ‘building cultures of sustainability’, this section covers the ‘big picture’ as well as looking at the philosophical foundations and principles of ecological design.
We look at the whole system in which we live our lives and how we can affect the world through the specific design decisions we make and implement.
Module 1 explores the following questions:
- What are the historical roots of ecological design thinking and how do permaculture, ecological economics and engineering, industrial ecology and cradle-to-cradle, environmental restoration and regenerative design contribute to this approach?
- What is the context of crisis and opportunity as we embark on a fundamental redesign of humanity’s impact on Earth? What do we need to know about climate change and tipping points, ecological and carbon footprinting, Earth Overshoot Day and the Happy Planet Index to design with a whole systems perspective in mind?
- How can we co-create decentralised and re-regionalised ecological settlements and cities that are adapted to the unique conditions of their bioregions in ways that help us to move beyond adaptation and mitigation towards regenerative development, to stay below 1.5 degrees of warming?
Module 2: Appropriate Water Technology
The link between fossil fuel reserves and war has been a clear pattern for decades, yet equally many violent conflicts and wars have already been fought over the access to water.
Water is a very scarce resource and yet is wasted and contaminated on a gigantic scale.
A seventh of the world’s population is still without access to a safe water supply.
Learning to create more efficient systems to care for the world’s water is critical.
Module 2 asks:
Can we take a whole systems approach to water by mapping our water supply within the context of bioregional watershed management and restoring the hydrological cycles upon which healthy ecosystems functions and thriving communities depend?
What do you need to know about ecological engineering, rainwater harvesting, compost toilets, constructed wetlands and the fundamental processes of biological wastewater treatment – such as anaerobic and aerobic digestion, nitrification and denitrification – in order to make informed design decisions?
Which of the following treatment options are the most appropriate for the specific conditions of a particular project: constructed wetlands, septic tanks, biogas digesters, lagoon or tank-based systems, horizontal or vertical flow reedbeds or community-scale treatment systems?
Module 3: Local Food Systems
Healthy local food is one of the best entry points into building sustainable community, whether in a newly built ecovillage or in the transformation of a village or town.
Food invites us to think about our health, our local economy and our relationship with the land.
Since food is a basic need, we need to make sure to design resilient, productive and regenerative food systems as the foundations of thriving communities and regions.
Module 3 addresses the following questions:
What are the essential lessons from permaculture regarding ethics, principles, zoning and learning from nature, that we can combine with regenerative agriculture techniques like holistic land management, keyline ploughing, organic fertilisers, agroecology, analogue forestry and biodynamic farming to drive the redesign or our food systems in a regenerative way?
How can we use fungal mycelia, activated bio-char, Terra Preta and other carbon farming techniques to build healthier soils and respond to the threats of climate change?
What are the tools and techniques needed to create integrative whole system designs for regenerative food systems? These are needed to drive the regeneration of healthy ecosystems functions, soil, waterways and forests while integrating aquaponics, community-supported agriculture and large scale Earth restoration into win-win-win solutions for people and planet.
Module 4: Appropriate Technology
This module deals with the appropriate technology for the generation and use of energy.
The module also looks at sustainable design of carbon neutral energy systems and explores these technologies as part of a resilience strategy for sustainable communities and ecovillages.
Scaling and scale are important aspects to consider in order to appropriately cater for various types of developments, locations and bioregions.
In Module 4 we address the following questions:
How can we use tools like ecological and carbon footprinting of energy sources and concepts like ‘embodied energy’ or ‘Energy Return on Energy Investment’ (EROEI) to make better choices when it comes to designing or retrofitting regenerable energy systems?
What should we consider when we have to choose between wind power, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal, renewable biomass, hydroelectric, marine wave or current and geothermal energy systems, as well as, efficiency measures to design with local conditions and ecosystems in mind?
How can we ensure that appropriately generated biofuels and/or alternative energy carriers can help us re-design our current transport systems in ways that improve sustainability and reduce their impact?
Module 5: Green Building and Retrofitting
This module explores the challenges inherent in modern building and construction techniques and explores alternatives that are more energy efficient and less environmentally damaging.
You will learn to discriminate between different building methods, material choices and architectural styles and how to adapt them depending on local and regional conditions.
We also explore how best to retrofit poorly designed structures and improve the patterns of suburban sprawl.
Module 5 invites you to consider the following questions:
How can we create ecologically designed buildings that function like an ecosystem to help regenerate health and wellbeing for their residents and the ecosystems within which they are located?
What is the role of different heating and cooling technologies, bioclimatic building, airtightness and ventilation, green roofs, green walls and choosing local materials in creating a new approach to architecture that helps to heal the planet?
To what extent can whole systems thinking, smart buildings and smart grids, and keeping an eye on the ecological footprints of buildings and utilities, help us to create healthier carbon neutral settlements for one-planet living?
Start and Registration
- The next Ecological Design dimension will start on 13 January 2020 and runs for 8 weeks.
- We suggest you dedicate a minimum of 10 hours a week to receive maximum benefit from this programme.
- The price for this 8 week programme is £350 GBP. Early Bird discount: Register until 13 December 2019 to get a 20% discount!
- For further information, please email: elearning@gaiaeducation.org
The Ecological dimension can be taken as a stand-alone programme or as the starting point for our 10-month online Design for Sustainability certificate course. The cost of the Ecological dimension is £350 GBP. The course, which includes an orientation period, lasts for a duration of eight weeks. We suggest you dedicate a minimum of 10 hours a week to the course, in order to receive maximum benefit from it.
After completing the Ecological dimension you will have the confidence and ability to start positioning yourself in the field of ecological Design and Sustainability.
Graduates of our programmes have gone on to contribute to sustainability projects, build communities, become social entrepreneurs, partake in permaculture projects and bio-dynamic farming, support transition movements and much more.
The Ecological dimension
Authored by
Michael Shaw
Daniel C. Wahl
Ezio Gori
Lisa Shaw
Facilitated by
Ezio Gori and Jacqueline Fletcher
What you will receive
- a downloadable course book with the latest research and additional resources (also
available as an online e-book) - a student handbook with all the important information concerning the course
- a Student Guide: description of each dimension’s learning outcomes, objectives and timeline, plus a set of activities for each module of the learning journey
- access to the virtual campus, where you join our classrooms, forums, design teams, have direct communication with tutors, with access to sample and all learning materials and activities for certification, as well as social media related to the course
- orientation to the virtual campus, e-learning tools and the Moodle platform
- full technical and academic support to navigate the virtual course and achieve all the learning outcomes
- a Certificate of Completion from Gaia Education
- earn credits to continue to our flagship certificated programme in Sustainability and Design
- the ability and practical skills to take active steps in the strategic area of Design for Sustainability
- paving the way of joining the Gaia Education Learning Journey
Your Investment
- The Ecological Design dimension starts on 14 January 2019 & lasts for a duration of eight weeks.
- We suggest you dedicate a minimum of 10 hours a week to receive maximum benefit from this programme.
- The price for this 8 week programme is £350 GBP. Early bird: register up to one month before the start date to get a 20% discount!
- For further information, please email elearning@gaiaeducation.org
Upon completion you will be equipped with the understanding and skills to become a confident change maker in ecological issues of sustainability. It will also qualify you to go on to study in our fully certificated programme, Design for Sustainability, and join a Design Studio after completing the four dimensions of the course.
Learn more about our full 10-month Design for Sustainability programme here.