Spotsylvania County is poised to become the premier destination for an integrated approach related to the research, discipline and practice of sustainability, environmental design and green technologies.

A new Center for Sustainability and Green Technologies (shown in this architectural rendering) is coming soon--an exciting collaborative initiative in Northern Virginia between the National Academy of Environmental Design (NAED), Luck Development Partners (LDP) and Spotsylvania County, along with several other partner organizations such as the University of Mary Washington.

In 2010, the Harvard Business Review cited Sustainability as an emerging megatrend over the next decade. Also, there’s an enormous need for a central place in the United States that is designed to meet the challenges and opportunities of a sustainable future and to provide bold, creative leadership about economic, social and environmental stewardship during the 21st Century.

In January 2013, the National Academy of Environmental Design will move its headquarters to LDP’s innovative Ni Village in Spotsylvania County, VA. Ni Village is an integrated, mixed-use community that will include residential, office, retail and higher education addresses, all within a fully sustainable development with pocket parks, trails and open spaces. NAED will become the first tenant and anchor of the new Center in Ni Village.

The overarching vision for the Center is to serve as a pioneering “Think-and-Do Tank” where breakthrough solutions in environmental design and sustainability will transform society and community living. As a dynamic hub of activity related to sustainability research, design, education and business, the Center will house all of these important components in one vital location.

Leveraging the star-power of the NAED, the Center will attract the brightest thought-leaders in sustainable design, environmental research and green technology solutions to ultimately impact the direction of national resource usage/allocation, business practices and daily living principles, as well as local and regional economic development results.

The Center is destined to support and launch exciting careers in sustainability, environmental design and green technologies. NAED and LDP are currently collaborating with state and education partners, including significant leadership from the University of Mary Washington, to craft a forward-thinking curriculum for use by university and community college systems within the Center.

NAED (www.naedonline.org) is the national authority on sustainability, research and environmental design. Luck Development Partners (www.lucklegacy.com), an affiliate of Luck Companies, invests in regional projects that advance sustainable and environmental best-practices for the areas in which the company operates. For more information, visit www.lucklegacy.com or www.nivillage.com