Biosphere 2 was built nearly 30 years ago to develop technologies for humans living in space and other worlds like Mars. Today it's mission is to help plan for Earth's (Bosphere 1), near future. Four women and four men, known as biospherians lived from 1991 to 1993 sealed inside the ecosystem. We are very interested in this project because of Shaklee's participation in the project.
Today inside the amazing steel and glass structure, the size of three football fields, is an ocean, a desert, a Savannah, and a rainforest.
It is a giant enclosed scientific experiment.
The site is owned and operated by the University of Arizona and is open daily for tours.
Researchers and students are studying climate change and are focused on what is happening to Earth now not on a future in space.
We were surprised to learn that the project was privately funded by Texas billionaire, Ed Bass. He invested almost $250 million to build and operate the structure and continues to annually cushion the $5 million annual operating expense with a $3 million annual contribution.
We attended a lecture by Joost vanHaren, chief rainforest scientist. He is tracking "Where the Carbon goes."
The beginning of the tour
Rainforest inside the Biosphere 2
The ocean
The desert
We walked through an underground tunnell and a hatch "air lock" door into the lungs of the Biosphere.
The elevated "bladder" is not attached to anything. It raises and lowers according to the changes in air pressure inside the structure. The basement is called the "technosphere". The weather is produced by technology.
"Model City" is the name of the sustainability study of how we use electricity and water.
A living quarter for one of the biospherians