Green roofs have several economic and ecological advantages. They control a building’s climate and aid natural irrigation and rainwater absorption, which reduces the degradation caused by excessive stormwater runoff. Flat roofs and terraces make ideal homes for green roofs. 

“The building was designed to educate by itself with the added benefit of allowing us to teach within it,” says Nature Center Executive Director Michael Cowan, who also serves as the chairman of the Dunwoody Sustainability Committee. “The building allows us to continue our efforts to foster pollinator protection initiatives and will serve as a catalyst for the installation of more native plant pollinator gardens and other sustainable building elements.”

The classroom is used for a variety of educational purposes. The building’s other sustainable claim to fame is that it was built from two repurposed shipping containers. It was built and funded jointly by the City of Dunwoody and the Dunwoody Nature Center and dedicated in honor of the Dennis and Marie B. Crean family, longstanding supporters of the Nature Center.