Take Highway 77 approximately 24 miles north of Tucson, turning right at mile marker 96.5. You will come upon a structure that you might swear was a mirage: 6,500 panes of glass fused together taking the shapes of pyramids and semi-circles, spanning 7.2 million cubic feet and peaking at 91 feet in height.

This jaw-dropping facility is the result of big dreams and ideas. Made possible by the investment of oil tycoon Edward P. Bass, this facility was created to develop a self-sustaining space colonization. Built in 1986, this structure is completely sealed from the outside world and houses a man-made ocean with a coral reef, mangrove wetlands, tropical rainforest, savannah grassland and fog desert. They named it Biosphere 2, after its big sister Biosphere 1 (better known as Planet Earth).

Two missions (1991 and 1993) tested survivability within Biosphere 2 when the Biospherians (a select group of scientists) were sealed inside. The project was highly scrutinized by the media and deemed a failure by many when the seal was broken due to deteriorating environmental conditions. While the experiment did not create the self-sustaining environment they had hoped, the ecological knowledge gained from the experiment made it an overwhelming success in the eyes of those involved.

Today the facility is operated by the University of Arizona, where they study the impacts of global warming and develop energy- and water-saving technologies.

In these hard economic times, when we are so focused on immediate relief for those suffering, it is hard to imagine pursuing such an audacious goal. Not being an environmentalist or a scientist, I can only be in awe of the vision and determination required to make this place a reality. It is hard not to be inspired in seeing what man is capable of creating, and observing the vast impact that thinking big can have on all of mankind.

Here is wishing you all bigger dreams and stronger determination in the new year!

— Danielle Hudena, director of sales and marketing