Philip Merrill Environmental Center
Encyclopedia
The Philip Merrill Environmental Center is a Green building
owned and operated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation
. Built in 2001, the Merrill Center is located in Annapolis, Maryland
on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay
. The building serves as the headquarters office building for the CBF, but is also available to rent for business and social occasions.
The center is named for Philip Merrill
, an American diplomat, publisher, banker, and philanthropist. The building was the first to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) "Platinum" rating from the United States Green Building Council
. This recognition confirmed that the center was the most environmentally friendly building in the country at the time when it was built. Items used in the building include recycled materials
, renewable resource
s, and passive and active solar power
and use.
of Black Walnut Creek, and the local fields of tall native grasses to present a one-day, hands-on experience of the Bay ecosystem
. Students may explore a variety of settings within the 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) property, by foot or by water. While experiencing the natural surroundings, students will survey the flora and fauna that make up an ecosystem’s biodiversity.
Green building
Green building refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition...
owned and operated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is a non-profit organization devoted to the restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay in the United States. It was founded in 1967 and has headquarters offices in Annapolis, Maryland...
. Built in 2001, the Merrill Center is located in Annapolis, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. The building serves as the headquarters office building for the CBF, but is also available to rent for business and social occasions.
The center is named for Philip Merrill
Philip Merrill
Philip Merrill was an American diplomat, publisher, banker, and philanthropist who committed suicide while traveling alone on his boat in the Chesapeake Bay.- Career and philanthropy :...
, an American diplomat, publisher, banker, and philanthropist. The building was the first to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
(LEED) "Platinum" rating from the United States Green Building Council
United States Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council , co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built, and operated...
. This recognition confirmed that the center was the most environmentally friendly building in the country at the time when it was built. Items used in the building include recycled materials
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
, renewable resource
Renewable resource
A renewable resource is a natural resource with the ability of being replaced through biological or other natural processes and replenished with the passage of time...
s, and passive and active solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
and use.
Outdoor education program
Located at the Merrill Center is one of the foundation's one-day field programs for students and educators. This program makes use of an exceptional location between the shores of the Bay, the woods of Bay Ridge, the tidal marshTidal marsh
A tidal marsh is a type of marsh that is found along coasts and estuaries of which the flooding characteristics are determined by the tidal movement of the adjacent estuary, sea or ocean . According to the salinity of the flooding water, freshwater, brackish and saline tidal marshes are...
of Black Walnut Creek, and the local fields of tall native grasses to present a one-day, hands-on experience of the Bay ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
. Students may explore a variety of settings within the 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) property, by foot or by water. While experiencing the natural surroundings, students will survey the flora and fauna that make up an ecosystem’s biodiversity.