This lesson introduces students to their task of designing a permanent guest village within the Saguaro National Park. The design must provide a true desert experience to visitors while also emphasizing sustainable design, protection of the natural environment, and additionally energy and resource conservation. In order to successfully address and respond to this challenge question, students must acquire an understanding of desert ecology, environmental limiting factors, species adaptations and resource utilization. Following this introduction to the challenge question, students are asked to generate ideas and consider the knowledge required to complete their challenge. The lectures and activities which follow will develop this level of comprehension. Three video clips of experts are viewed to introduce the concepts of healthy ecosystems, biomimetics and the importance of sustainable environmental design. These clips provide direction for student research and challenge design solution.