ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain

ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain
ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain
Established2003
Location1 College Street
Burlington, Vermont
Coordinates44°28′35″N 73°13′16″W / 44.4765°N 73.2211°W / 44.4765; -73.2211
TypeScience Center
Visitors170,000[1]
Websitewww.echovermont.org
Map

ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, formerly the Lake Champlain Basin Science Center, is a science and nature museum located on the Burlington waterfront in northern Vermont. The center is home to more than 70 species of fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and reptiles, major traveling exhibitions, and the Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater.[2]

ECHO has been open to public since 2003, offering daily animal encounters and hands-on activities that are educational and family-friendly.[3] The Patrick and Marcelle Leahy Center for Lake Champlain is a 2.2-acre (8,900 m2) campus recognizing Senator Patrick Leahy's dedication to the stewardship of the Lake Champlain Basin. The Leahy Center is also home to the University of Vermont’s Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, Lake Champlain Basin Program Resource Room, and Lake Champlain Navy Memorial.

ECHO's building is Vermont’s first LEED certified Green Building. The building is the only lake aquarium in the United States with this certification.[3][4] With this designation, ECHO is the third certified building in New England and joins a group of fewer than 70 LEED certified buildings in the United States. In 2018 the largest solar canopy in Vermont was built onsite to capture renewable energy.[5] The name ECHO originally represented educating and delighting people of all ages about the Ecology, Culture, History, and Opportunities for stewardship of the Lake Champlain Basin.[6][7][8]

  1. ^ "ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain". FourScienceVT.
  2. ^ "ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain". U.S. News & World Report.
  3. ^ a b Gresham, Tom (2004-02-02). "Business People-Vermont: ECHO at the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain". www.vermontguides.com. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  4. ^ O'Connor, Kevin. "Vermont's First LEED Certified Building: ECHO | Stories | Community Energy Dashboard". Community Energy Dashboard. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  5. ^ "Project Overview". Encore Renewable Energy.
  6. ^ "Burlington: Beauty and a 'Must-do' Attitude; Vermont's Biggest City Understands the Importance of Getting the Little Things Right; Comparing the Cities Series: Successful Cities". Hartford Courant. July 6, 2003.[dead link]
  7. ^ Diane Foulds (August 12, 2007). "Make Yourself At Home With Dinosaurs". Boston Globe.
  8. ^ Marialisa Calta (August 31, 2003). "Travel Advisory: New Science Center on Lake Champlain". New York Times.