Home to Berks Nature’s headquarters, Eco-Camp, and our Berks Nature Preschool, The Nature Place sits among nearly 100 acres in Reading’s Angelica Creek Park. Take a stroll through the dog-friendly wetland trails. Get your hands dirty in our teaching and demonstration gardens. Let the kiddos run free with their imaginations in our Nature Play Zone. Then retreat inside our nature center and store for one of our “Saturdays at The Nature Place” programs – or a tour of the green features of our LEED Gold certified building. The Nature Place also makes a perfect venue for your next business conference, private event, or birthday party! Learn more about our bookings and rentals HERE!
About The Nature Place
Stop out and see what The Nature Place can offer you!
LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Designs (LEED) is used by the US Green Building Council for the verification of green buildings. Berks Nature is proud to call The Nature Place a LEED Gold-certified building. LEED-certified buildings are resource efficient, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and use less water and energy.
Wind Power
100% of The Nature Place’s energy use is offset by wind power.
Observation Beehive, Native Plants and Pollinators!
Pollinators, like bees, are important for the environment because they help maintain plant communities. Our bees enjoy easy access to our pollinator meadow loaded with native plants.
Bird Strike Reduction Glass
Our bird strike windows use a horizontal striped acid-etched pattern with stripes spaced 2” apart to discourage bird strikes. In the US alone, a million birds per day are killed as a result of collisions with manmade structures.
Elevator Placement
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!
Built at Existing Location
Building on already developed land helps reduce further land consumption. The Nature Place was constructed adjacent to the already existing boat house of Angelica Park.
Reclaimed Wood on Stairs
Our stairs utilize reclaimed wood from an industrial factory from the turn of the century.
Positioning of Building and Sunlight
The positioning of the building allows for the most sunlight to enter the building, which decreases the amount of energy that needs to be used to cool and light the building. Using natural sunlight can reduce our energy for electric lighting by 20-60%.
Carpet
The carpet is made out of recycled materials. The carpet is also in smaller square tiles, which generates less waste at installation and makes it easier to replace if necessary.
Recycling Station for Proper Disposal of All Waste Generated at The Nature Place
Our recycling station will reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfills. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Sunshades
The exterior sunshades help keep the building cool and still allow a lot of natural light into the building.
Zero VOC Paint
Using Zero VOC (volatile organic compound) paint helps reduce air pollution and keeps it healthy for our staff and visitors! Indoor air is about 3-5 times more toxic than outdoor air.
Water Bottle Refill Station
The water bottle refill station encourages the use of reusable bottles instead of single-use plastic bottles. About 60 million plastic water bottles end up in landfills every day in the U.S.
Bio Filter Septic System
We have a bio filter septic system which uses a filtering media made of organic matter to treat our wastewater. It is important to use only natural cleaning products to keep our bio filter healthy and functional.
Reclaimed Mushroom House Boards
Our exterior wood siding is cypress or hemlock planks once used to grow mushrooms. Using reclaimed wood helps to preserve the forests and reduce landfill waste.
Reclaimed Barn Stone
The stone on our exterior is from dismantled barns in the Northeastern U.S. Using reclaimed stone reduces the amount of stone waste that ends up in landfills.
