Every day, little bitty organisms invisible without a microscope interact with humans in ways we sometimes wish they wouldn't. Bacteria, mold and viruses are a few of the micro-organisms that can make us ill. And they can be everywhere — in air, in soil, at the desks where we sit, in the cars that we drive.

But not all microbes are harmful. Some, in fact, are critical to keeping humans healthy, says Jessica Green, University of Oregon professor and founder of the university's Biology and the Built Environment Center.

"Microbes moisturize our skin, fight cavities, create vitamins, and help us digest food," she said via email. "Another category of 'good' indoor microbes includes those that help maintain indoor air quality. ... Some microbes (including those from the genus Pseudomonas, Acinobacter and Bacillus) can degrade or consume volatile organic compounds, gases emitted from solids or liquids that can make you sick."

Green, a professor with the Santa Fe Institute and a TED 2011 Senior Fellow, will talk about microbes in the built environment at a free lecture Wednesday at the James A. Little Theater in Santa Fe.

TED is a nonprofit devoted to promoting innovative ideas through talks, performances and videos. Fellows come from disciplines such as technology, entertainment, design, the sciences, the arts, humanities and beyond.

The built environment that interests Green includes everything constructed by humans for their comfort — vehicles, buildings, pipelines and airplanes. Each has its own diverse microbe ecosystem. But those ecosystems aren't well understood, so sometimes the way people design the build environment encourages the wrong kind of microbes or upsets the balance between the desirable and undesirable ones. An imbalance can create what is commonly called Sick Building Syndrome.

Take hospitals, for example. Green recently gave a TED talk on how the mechanical ventilation in some hospitals gets rid of microbes — but those may be the wrong kinds. The ones left behind are more likely the ones that spread illness among patients.

So how can homes, offices, schools and hospitals be designed with microbes in mind? Green proposes thinking like a microbe, which means understanding how diverse microbial systems work.

Renewable-energy buffs have long worked on designing more energy-efficient buildings. Newer designs also consider the need for fresh air, even in an energy efficient, airtight building. Green and group are proposing architectural designs that mimic microbial systems. "Jessica envisions a future with genomic-driven approaches to architectural design that promote sustainability, human health and well-being," according to information about the public lecture. "She is currently spearheading efforts to model buildings as complex ecosystems that house trillions of diverse microorganisms interacting with each other, with humans and with their environment."

While the idea of "trillions" of tiny, living microbes wandering around in your home and office might not sound appealing, Green thinks there are ways to utilize microbes in buildings to benefit people.

Think yogurt, for example. Like other types of macrobiotics, the cultured bacteria in yogurt is good for the human gut and digestion. Green asked readers of a TED blog if the same principle could be used in buildings.

Green became fascinated by microbes in built environments after joining the biology faculty at the University of Oregon. "I discovered that UO has one of the top architecture programs in the world with an emphasis on sustainable design," she said via email. "This made the biology-architecture marriage ideal. That, and collaborating with the extraordinary minds of architect G.Z. [Charlie] Brown and biologist Brendan Bohannan. Our laboratories are literally a few steps away from one another at UO, which makes working together easy and fun."

Green also wants to educate the public about microbes. Green, whose former roller derby name was Thumper Biscuit, has projects under way with animation company XVIVO to create videos for helping people understand the microbes around them.

Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.

IF YOU GO

What: Santa Fe Institute free public lecture series presents engineer-ecologist Jessica Green discussing microbes in the built environment

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17

Where: James A. Little Theater, New Mexico School for the Deaf, 1060 Cerrillos Road.

ON THE WEB

• Learn more about research by the Microbiology of the Built Environment Network at www.microbe.net/.