TUPPER LAKE, N.Y. -- In the heart of the Adirondacks is the Wild Center. A 31-acre, living natural history museum of life native to the region, including more than 900 species of animals.

"You don't have to get packed up and have a 100lb backpack on your back to look for animals that are really far out in streams and stuff. You can just walk into a building and look at them," said Brandon Picerno of Tupper Lake.

"It's emphasizing the fact that people and nature can coexist, that people are part of nature, we're not separate," said Richard Louv, author of the book "Last Child in the Woods."

The center's main goal is to get children out of the house and interested in nature.

"You can come here and build forts and just hang out, and there's a lot of stuff you can't do like that at home," said Kendall Davison, who lives in Tupper Lake.

"The staff here really works hard to make sure nature is understandable, and that's what I really value," said Susan Sweeny Smith, of Cranberry Lake.

Besides being a living museum, the Wild Center is a leader in green technology. The main building has solar panels, energy efficient lights, and is made partially from recycled materials. The outhouses are even green.

"They are solar paneled in terms of their ventilation systems. They use absolutely no water, and they contribute to our LEED Certification, as well by helping us reduce our water consumption by approximately 70,000 gallons per year," said Chris Rdzanek, the center's facilities manager.

"All of us need to be much more concerned about sustainable buildings and places in the park, and so I think they're leaders in that regard, and I admire that about them," said Smith.

The Wild Center's dedication to the environment landed it a LEED Silver Certification, which is given to business that are leaders in green technology and energy conservation.

"We submitted an application for silver certification, and we scored very well in a number of environmentally friendly categories, such as day-lighting, energy efficiency, water efficiency," said Rdzanek.

Wild Center administrators hope their green efforts will inspire other leaders to reduce their negative effects on the environment by making their businesses more energy efficient.

Wild Center officials say they are in the process of applying for more energy efficient certifications, and they might apply for a LEED gold certification.