Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man is thought to be a "cosmography of the microcosm:" The artist-scientist believed the functioning of the human body to be an analogy for the workings of the universe. The connection between the whole and its parts is also apparent when viewing the Earth as a human body. Encapsulated by its atmosphere, it is a single unit amongst the solar system.

The biosphere (surface of the earth), self-regulates and self-regenerates via physical, chemical, and biological reactions. Like the organs of the human body, these reactions occur on Earth within specific, interconnected biomes (ecosystems) that regulate the health of Earth body. When all systems are functioning properly, the Earth is in balance, however, when disturbed, the Earth's overall health is affected.

Using this example, the waters are the blood stream, regulating body temperature and transporting nutrients; the forests and prairies are the lungs producing oxygen; and the wetlands and marshes are the liver and kidneys, serving as assimilation and filtration mechanisms. Through design and engineering, REDI utilizes the millions of years of intelligence formed in these sophisticated wetland systems to heal water bodies impaired by human activities.