Lori Hill, President of Lori Hill Event Productions discusses the Irvine Nature Center.

If you want to hold your meeting or event in a natural setting away from the noise of the city, then consider Irvine Nature Center in Owings Mills, Maryland.  Located in Baltimore County about 10 minutes outside the Baltimore Beltway, Irvine is a leader among Maryland’s environmental education centers.  It features a meeting and event space, a fabulous Nature Store with great eco gift items, a deck overlooking the 116 acres of woodlands, wetland and meadows, a large tent for parties of up to 150 and an interactive exhibit hall which is also great for receptions.

The mission of the Irvine Nature Center is to inspire appreciation and respect for the natural world, increase awareness of environmental issues, and to encourage individuals to sustain Earth’s ecosystem.  Therefore, it is no surprise that local materials were used to build the state-of-the-art facility which employs a number of green features using U.S. Green Building Council LEED guidelines.  Some LEED compliant amenities include a vegetated roof, waterless urinals, low flow fixtures, rain barrels and energy efficient lighting.

The Center also practices single stream recycling and composting and has a green standards checklist for their caterers.  In fact, all suppliers who work with Irvine have to adhere to their environmental guidelines and the Center strives to always select local, independently owned vendors whenever possible.

Filed under: Event Planning, green events