About The Nature Place

Our exterior wood siding is cypress or hemlock planks once used to grow mushrooms in Chester County. Not only are these cypress and hemlock planks rot-resistant, but using reclaimed wood helps to preserve the forests and reduce landfill waste.

The stone on The Nature Place’s exterior is from dismantled barns in the Northeastern U.S. Using reclaimed stone reduces the amount of stone waste that ends up in landfills.

The Nature Place’s stairs utilize reclaimed wood from an industrial factory that had been operational at the turn of the century.

The carpet inside The Nature Place is made out of recycled materials. Instead of one large roll of carpeting, the floor of The Nature Place is covered with smaller, square carpet tiles. These carpet squares generated less waste at installation and are a breeze to replace if necessary.

In the United States alone, an estimated 365 million to 1 billion birds die each year from collisions with glass windows. As a conservative estimate, that’s 1 million bird deaths per day. Apart from domestic cats, there is no human-created threat in the United States that kills more birds than windows.

To ensure the safety of these birds who call Angelica Creek Park home, Berks Nature has installed bird-strike reduction glass windows at The Nature Place. This windows are acid-etched with a pattern of horizontal lines, spaced 2 inches apart, to discourage bird collisions.

The chairs utilized inside The Rookery event space – for field trips, meetings, and other private events – are made from recycled milk cartons.

Clearly labeled recycling stations are available on both floors of The Nature Place. These recycling stations help to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfills. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

100% of The Nature Place’s energy use is offset by wind power.

The strategic positioning of The Nature Place maximizes the amount of sunlight entering the building, which decreases the amount of energy needed for internal climate control. In fact, using natural sunlight can reduce the energy needed for electric lighting by 20-60%.

Light sensors installed in the ceilings of The Nature Place can detect occupancy, noise, and the amount of sunlight filtering in through the building’s many windows. In response to these various stimuli, our interior lights will dim, shut down, or turn on which saves on power!

In general, the energy used to power The Nature Place is sourced from wind power. From there, The Nature Place uses a highly efficient HVAC system for heating and cooling the building. Specifically, Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV) pre-conditions outdoor air – either heating up winter air or cooling down summer air – using a heat exchanger, which significantly reduces the conditioning effort required at each fan coil unit.

The Rookery event space is insulated with sheep wool sourced from New Zealand, which is entirely renewable and sustainably manufactured. Sheep’s wool insulation is a healthy, high-performing material that absorbs sounds and can actually improve indoor air quality by filtering out harmful chemicals.

The placement of the elevator allows the stairs to be more prominent and open for use. The stairs encourage people to walk instead of taking the elevator; a healthier option and saves electricity!

Indoor air is about 3-5 times more toxic than outdoor air. Indoor air impairments can come from combustion (smoking, cooking appliances, etc.,), application of chemical cleaners or paints, the building’s materials, or naturally occurring contaminants like radon, mold, or pet dander.

Using Zero VOC (volatile organic compound) paint helps reduce air pollution and keeps it healthy for our staff and visitors!

The exterior sunshades adorning the outside of The Nature Place’s windows help keep the building cool while still allowing ample natural light to filter into the building.

Building on already developed land helps reduce further land consumption. The Nature Place was constructed adjacent to the already existing boat house of Angelica Creek Park, which now houses Berks Nature’s Nature Preschool. Later, The Rookery event space was built atop the very same boat house-turned-Nature Preschool.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pollinators are responsible for every three bites of food we eat, and of those honey bees contribute the lion’s share of pollination services, supporting about $20 billion worth of crop production in the U.S. annually.

Inside The Nature Place, visitors can get an up-close and intimate view of honey bee hive life at our Observation Beehive. Our honey bees are spoilt for choice at Angelica Creek Park, which is lush with native wildflowers that bloom spring through fall.

The Nature Place’s wildflower meadows aren’t just good for bees, they support butterflies too! Our pollinator gardens are certified by Monarch Watch as an official Monarch Waystation for the nectar sources and shelter they provide to migrating monarch butterflies.

Riparian zones – the land adjacent to rivers and streams – are critically important to the health, stability, and resiliency of aquatic ecosystems. Streamside forests – also known as riparian buffers – help filter out sediment and pollution from stormwater, reduce streambank erosion, protect the water from excessive thermal pollution, and provide key wildlife habitat on land and in the water.

Aided by a multitude of community volunteers, Berks Nature has planted hundreds of trees along the banks of the Angelica Creek, part of the on-going restoration of Angelica Creek’s floodplain.

The Nature Place’s small and large rain gardens help to capture and filter stormwater runoff pollution, recharge groundwater, conserve water, improve water quality, and provide wildlife habitat for native animals, especially insect pollinators and birds.

Native plants – from flowering perennials, grasses, and woody shrubs and trees – are a centerpiece in the meadows, wetlands, and woodlands of Angelica Creek Park.

Native plants are those plant species that naturally occur on the landscape in which they evolved; they share an intimate history with their region’s climate, flora, and fauna and are thus a foundational link in local ecosystems. Gardening with native plants restores these ancient food webs, which supports wildlife – from pollinating insects to migratory songbirds – and fortifies ecosystem resiliency. Furthermore, native plants require less maintenance and less water than exotic, ornamental plants!

The Nature Place’s Teaching Garden provides a space for children to learn, with their own two hands, the lessons of the gardener as well as the importance of agriculture and local food security. The joy of their harvest is often shared not just with friends and family, but with the City of Reading at large: in 2022, Berks Nature made seven donations of garden-fresh produce grown on site at the Teaching Garden to New Journey Community Outreach, a non-profit organization serving low- and moderate-income families in Reading.

Composting is a controlled, aerobic (oxygen-required) process that converts organic materials into a nutrient-rich, biologically-stable soil amendment or mulch through natural decomposition.

Not only is compost a potent fertilizer, but the process of composting is very environmentally friendly that:

• Reduces methane emissions and other greenhouse gases
• Minimizes the need for chemical fertilizers
• Sequesters carbon
• Enhances water retention in soils
• Can remediate soils that have been contaminated.

There are two rain barrels positioned on the Rookery rooftop deck. Rain water is collected from the roof of The Rookery and stored in these barrels. The collected rainwater is routinely used to water the deck planters and for educational programs on the rooftop deck.

Rain chains on The Rookery, serve as an alternative to traditional gutter downspouts. They help direct the flow of water into a rainwater collection system (in this case, box planters) and help slow down the flow of water.

Did you know? A quarter of an inch of rainfall can yield about 150 gallons of water from a 1000 square foot roof.

Much of The Nature Place campus was strategically designed with stormwater in mind, given our placement within the City of Reading metropolitan area.

1. Buried under the central grassy circle outside The Nature Place’s main entrance is a sophisticated Brentwood StormTank System, which properly holds and slowly drains rainwater from the Rookery’s covered rooftop deck and walkway back into the ground. Downspouts, conduits below the patio’s cement pavers, and drains all help to transport rainwater from the Rookery’s roof down to pipes leading into the Brentwood System.
2. Rainwater from the roof of the Rookery is also collected and directed to Angelica Creek’s wetland nexus. Healthy wetlands function as nature’s natural filters, mitigating flooding and recharging groundwater. At The Nature Place, Angelica Creek’s wetlands are purposefully stewarded and cared for to assist with the campus’ stormwater management.

Wetlands help erosion control, mitigate flood risks, recharge groundwater, naturally filter stormwater, and protect sensitive wildlife habitats and fisheries. Two wetlands now thrive in Angelica Creek’s floodplain, and a boardwalk trail provides visitors with an up-close opportunity to experience these versatile and lively ecosystems for themselves.

The Nature Place’s outdoor classroom areas provide a unique setting for outdoor learning with easy access to nature for hands-on experiences!

The Nature Place utilizes a bio filter septic system which uses a filtering media made of organic matter – similar to peat moss – to treat our wastewater. This is a very sensitive septic system, and therefore we only allow the use of natural cleaning products on site in order to keep our bio filter healthy and functional.

About 60 million plastic water bottles end up in landfills every day in the U.S. At The Nature Place, several water bottle refill stations (including an outdoor pet fountain for our four-legged visitors!) encourage the use of reusable bottles instead of single-use plastic bottles.

The trails of Angelica Creek Park not only take visitors for a stroll through the beauty of an actively restored floodplain, they also connect to the larger network of Greater Reading’s trail system and the multi-county Schuylkill River Trail beyond.

Berks Nature encourages preferred parking for low emission and fuel efficient vehicles, which have a lower impact on the environment compared to traditional fuel combustion vehicles.

The bike rack located along the Angelica Trail at Angelica Creek Park encourages people to ride bikes, instead of driving cars, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The bike rack is accompanied by a bike service station providing bikers with a safe place to do any necessary repairs while using the trail.

The list of sustainable features below can be found in the Rookery event space and rooftop deck:

• Sunshades
• Zero VOC Paint
• Bird Strike Reduction Glass
• Recycled Milk Carton Furniture
• Stormwater Mitigation Systems
• Rain Barrels and Rain Chains
• Sheep Wool Insulation

The list of sustainable features below can be found in the Forest Conference Room:

• Sunshades
• Zero VOC Paint
• Bird Strike Reduction Glass
• Carpet
• Light Sensors

The list of sustainable features below can be found in the Nest Conference Room:

• Sunshades
• Zero VOC Paint
• Bird Strike Reduction Glass
• Carpet
• Light Sensors

The list of sustainable features below can be found in the upstairs common area of The Nature Place:

• Reclaimed Wood on Stairs
• Recycling Station for Proper Disposal of All Waste Generated at The Nature Place
• Elevator Placement
• Sunshades
• Zero VOC Paint
• Bird Strike Reduction Glass
• Carpet
• Light Sensors

The list of sustainable features below can be found in the staff offices housed at The Nature Place:

• Sunshades
• Zero VOC Paint
• Bird Strike Reduction Glass
• Carpet
• Light Sensors

The list of sustainable features below apply to the entire campus of The Nature Place, including the outdoor spaces and the physical placement and infrastructure of the building.

• Wind Power
• Built at Existing Location
• Positioning of Building and Sunlight
• Reclaimed Mushroom House Boards
• Reclaimed Barn Stone
• Sunshades
• Efficient HVAC System
• Zero VOC Paint
• Bio Filter Septic Station
• Stormwater Mitigation Systems