The Wild Center is the only LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified museum in New York State. LEED is a green building rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to provide standards for environmentally sustainable construction. The certification is considered the international benchmark for green building design. The Wild Center is going farther then just the certification, however, and will host a special day in October for builders and regional leaders to learn about the newest techniques and technologies of green building.

New Outdoor Green Exhibit

The museum just opened a new outdoor exhibit, all about building green in the Adirondacks. It’s called The New Path and it takes visitors on a guided tour of the museum’s green design elements. You can watch the power output of the Center’s huge solar array, test-drive its flooring made of used tires, learn about the solar and green roofs and the sun-facing windows, plus the exhibit includes tips on trying the techniques at home. The exhibit has fourteen stations, all of them along its outdoor trail system, and all are adjacent to the item they describe, right down to the label on the bio toilets that according to the exhibit have ‘zero gallons per flush’.

Green Builder Program

The ‘Building A Greener Adirondacks’ event will take place Friday, October 3rd, starting at 7:30 a.m. at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake. It will be cohosted by The Energy $mart Park Initiative. The all-day event will feature presentations and chances for regional builders, contractors, community and institutional leaders and interested individuals to hear from experts and suppliers of green building products and technologies, including leading green-building architectural and construction firms, award-winning green product manufacturers and suppliers, and from leading research institutions such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Clarkson
University. There will also be green technology and product exhibits and demonstrations. Seminars will include presentations on current best practices and opportunities in solar power, wind power, geo-thermal, bio-mass and bio-fuel, insulation, windows, control systems, lighting and other green building topics. Conference participants will be able to take a walking lunch to
experience the New Path, a self guided walking tour which highlights the Wild Center’s contributions to sustainable design and operation as recognized by the LEED certification program. Registration is available online at www.wildcenter.org/greenbuilding. The
cost for the all-day event is $65, which includes participation in more than 10 green building educational sessions to be held in the Wild Center’s Flammer and Boreal theaters, continental breakfast, a walking lunch and admission to the museum and green building exhibits.

The Wild Center is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. through October 31, and remains open all winter from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.