Most of the light comes from outside. The countertops and floor tiles are all recycled. And the urinals don't use water.

Those three features helped make the Meadowlands Commission's new science center the first public building in New Jersey to receive the nation's highest environmental certification.

The U.S. Green Building Council recently designated the building and its adjacent observatory as LEED Platinum, meaning it is made from sustainable materials and uses some of the most advanced technology to make it energy-efficient.

"We were able to build on the original design to make it more and more energy-efficient, and we ended up with enough points for platinum," said Ralph Venturini, a commission director who helped design the building.

The 10,000-square-foot building, which is used to teach environmental science to K-12 students, opened in Lyndhurst in March 2008 and has seen 13,500 visitors come through its doors. Instructors use the building itself as a teaching tool.

Among the environmentally friendly building features:

• Light sensors that brighten and dim energy-efficient bulbs based on how much sunlight is coming in.
• A light-colored roof that retains less heat, which means less air conditioning.
• Solar panels that generate 20,000 to 33,000 kilowatts.
• Lumber from sustainable forests.
• Native plants as landscaping.
• Green cleaning supplies.
• The commission is still measuring how much energy the various features save, but estimate the savings at about 40 percent.
• The center and adjacent observatory cost $6 million to build.

(c) 2009, North Jersey Media Group Inc.

Visit The Record Online at http://www.northjersey.com/

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.