The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s (NJMC) Center for Environmental and Scientific Education is a good example of how the commission has become a leader in green building design. Located in Lyndhurst, New Jersey on the edge of a 5,000-acre salt marsh about a mile from Manhattan, the center contains several classrooms, science labs, a multipurpose room, and it features a green building practices curriculum for the thousands of students from every educational level visiting the facility each year.
Adjacent to the center is the William D. McDowell Observatory—named for NJMC’s first executive director—which also was built to LEED standards…LEED Platinum, to be exact.
In fact, LEED certification was a central consideration in the development and design of the education building. For example, the NJMC landscape incorporates a nearby park into the design with sustainable landscaping featuring plants native to the region. Reduced water consumption was also successful thanks to infrared sensors on bathroom sinks, low-flow toilets and waterless urinals.