We popped our head into the brand new visitors’ center for the Green Mountain Club in Waterbury last night, and boy is it a work of art.

If you’re in Vermont,  have a look. This $1.5M green building has the feel of a trailside shelter or a lodge, only bigger. The lumber was harvested sustainably from plots in Bristol and some land belonging to St. Michael’s College. Heat and hot water are generated from a cord wood boiler, and there are composting toilets in the bathrooms and a 2k solar array on the roof.

But the really neat part is front and center: a model of the state of Vermont, built to scale with all the mountains and trails (including the Long Trail, which it is the GMC’s mission to preserve). There’s also a railing that runs around the room and up the stairs that displays the same information in a different way.

The evening was great fun – it was an open event hosted by the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR). Most of the people there were members of this organization, and it was a good time chatting with them about it. They’re all nice folks, and it seems very worthwhile; we’re thinking about joining up.

American Flatbread was there serving up delicious pizza as well. Thanks to all involved for throwing a good shin-dig!