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Featured Mass Audubon Green Sanctuaries
 | | The SmartStorm Rainwater Recovery System can store up to 2,000 gallons of water and is used to water the gardens at Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary. |
Below are examples of some Mass Audubon sanctuaries that are “going green”. See our interactive map for more information on other sites. Check back for updated information as we continue to reduce our ecological footprint.
Boston Nature Center
The Boston Nature Center (BNC) is an urban wildlife sanctuary in the heart of Boston. Construction of BNC's George Robert White Environmental Conservation Center was completed in 2002 as a joint project between the City of Boston and Mass Audubon.
The Center is an educational showcase for the principles of green design and construction. The building was oriented to capture maximum sunlight. It also boasts state-of-the-art features, including solar roof shingles, solar hot water, and a geothermal system for cooling and heating, all of which reduce energy consumption and costs. Recycled materials and native landscaping are found throughout the site. The result? The Center is a leading example of sustainable construction.
Learn more about Boston's first green building, the George Robert White Environmental Conservation Center, or observe its real-time PV electricity production.
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Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary
Broadmoor's historic Saltonstall Nature Center in Natick was built in 1911 and renovated in 1983. The building earned the U.S. Department of Energy's Special Award for Energy Innovation in 1985.
The building features natural ventilation, day-lighting (natural light), a rainwater collection system and composting toilets. The Nature Center is primarily heated by solar, with a wood stove as backup, providing 100% of heating needs.
Broadmoor has received two grants from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative for solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays and plans to increase its production of renewable electricity. Currently, Broadmoor's solar array produces the equivalent of 75% of the sanctuary's electricity needs.
Broadmoor sells its renewable energy credits to consumers in Massachusetts who support clean, renewable energy.
Want to visit this green building? Stop by for a guided or self-guided tour. An interpretive wayside exhibit highlights the building's features. Learn more about the Saltonstall Nature Center or track the output of Broadmoor's PV Cells.
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Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary
A green addition was completed at the Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary's visitor center in 2006. This area is nicknamed “the link building” because the 1,400-square-foot connecting structure links the visitor center with the library, the main program space.
Ample windows, skylights, and glass patio doors allow sunlight to filter into the large space, reducing the need for artificial light. The “link” also features energy-efficient lighting and all-natural linoleum floor (Marmoleum), made from plant-based raw materials and installed with solvent-free adhesives. Bathrooms feature motion-detector sinks and lights. A waterless toilet in the men's room offer visitors a convenient, energy and resource efficient environment.
Just outside the addition, large green tanks are part of an environmentally friendly water recovery system used to collect clean rainwater from the roof and store it for irrigation of the sanctuary's formal gardens. The rainwater system can store up to 2,000 gallons of water and benefits the environment in several ways. It recharges the groundwater, decreases runoff volume and peak flows to storm drains, improves storm-water quality, provides a strategic emergency supply of water, and reduces water demand for irrigation during the summertime. It also has the potential to offset the effects of local well withdrawals by recharging the groundwater supply.
Both the new “link building” and the SmartStorm Rainwater Recovery System are good examples of ways that Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary is doing its part to leave a lighter footprint on the environment.
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Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
The 2006 expansion and renovation of Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary's nature center followed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system, a system that provides voluntary standards for green buildings.
Mass Audubon has applied for a Platinum LEED rating from the US Green Building Council. To achieve these highest standards, Mass Audubon has used the most advanced roof, window, and ventilation designs to minimize energy consumption. To lessen the building's impact on land and conserve water, we installed a rainwater re-use system, composting toilets, and a graywater bog garden.
A 21 kW solar ground array reduces the electricity drawn from the public electric provider, allowing the sanctuary to take a dramatic step toward energy self-reliance.
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