County Nature Center Featured on National Magazine’s Cover

When the story is environmentally-friendly design, sell it with the County of San Diego’s San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center. 

That’s the strategy for publishers of Parks & Recreation, a magazine for parks professionals around the country.  The County’s award-winning center is featured on the cover of the March issue.

And while the headline is “Green is Gold,” you should know that when it comes to LEED certification, the center is platinum – the highest rating possible. 

The article itself focuses on green building in general, with only a brief mention of our County.  You can read the whole story, but here’s the part you’re probably most interested in:

“In San Diego County, California’s first LEED Platinum park building, the San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center, serves a dual role in teaching about nature while helping to conserve natural resources. Situated in a 975-acre ecological reserve, the nature center offers public environmental education while at the same providing a living lesson in energy and water conservation. For example, solar panels on the building have generated 65 percent of the building’s power since it opened in 2009, saving the equivalent to 16.4 tons of carbon dioxide, according to Amy Harbert, County of San Diego Department of Parks and Recreation.”

You can watch a video about the center below.  Please note, when the video was made, the center was LEED gold.  It was later upgraded to platinum.