Dr. Lee Ball, PhD
Vice President of Sustainability and Executive Director of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College
Project Positive Member since 2019
Campus as Forest shows the power of putting this question into action. Developed in collaboration with Biomimicry 3.8, this paper presents Dr. Ball’s bold nature-inspired Campus as Forest vision for transforming Catawba’s 276-acre campus in Salisbury, North Carolina into a regenerative living-learning laboratory where academics, campus design, and community partnerships work together to create positive impact for all members—including Nature—of the Salisbury community and beyond.
The seed for Campus as Forest was planted in 2017, when Dr. Ball was introduced to the Biomimicry 3.8 and Interface Flooring Factory as a Forest biomimicry initiative. He recognized its immense potential to reshape higher education. Dr. Ball is a founding member of Biomimicry 3.8’s Project Positive and, in 2024, signed Catawba College as a member. Alongside members such as Microsoft, Jacobs, and Mohawk Group, Catawba is demonstrating that nature-positive transformation is achievable today—on campus, in the community, and at scale.
Download the paper below, and follow Catawba’s progress on Catawba’s website.