A formal presentation about having Fountain Hills certified as a biophilic community was presented at the Jan. 6 Liberal Ladies meeting.

Jeny Davis, a Fountain Hills resident and ASU graduate, gave the presentation in a Zoom meeting with more than 60 Liberal Ladies members attending.

Davis featured a PowerPoint presentation, outlining biophilic design and how it could benefit Fountain Hills.

She explained that as humans we have a need to be around nature. Biophilic design incorporates nature in to urban settings.

While Fountain Hills is not an urban area, the community already has a strong natural foundation. Davis said that biophilic communities can boast a better well-being of their citizens, lower crime rates, bolstered economies and be a draw for tourism.

Philadelphia, Penn., is a biophilic community, and playfully calls its program BioPhilly. The program has a website, biophilly.org.

Davis said the biophilic website, biophilic.org, provides additional information.

She hopes to have Town backing to certify Fountain Hills as a biophilic community.

“I hope we can get a resolution by the town to get the work started,” she said.

As was the case with the Dark Sky certification, there are criteria to meet to earn the certification.

Davis works with the Dark Sky group to help raise awareness of the biophilic movement.

She said she hopes to further enhance the community’s identity as environmentally aware and a champion of conservation.

For more information and to get involved with the biophilic program, email Davis at biophilicfh@gmail.com.

In addition to Davis’ presentation, Nancy Bill had a short presentation about the launch of the capital campaign for the Dark Sky International Discovery Center. A proposal to build the center in Fountain Hills was introduced in 2019. It would be part of the Dark Sky Community’s long-term goals.

Bill provided a sneak preview of the video to be used to launch the capital campaign. The film will be distributed to media, as well as organizations and individuals who could be interested in supporting the plan.

Fountain Hills was certified as a Dark Sky Community in 2018. It will celebrate its third anniversary with a virtual celebration in March.