The Nature Conservancy in Indiana - Green Building Groundbreaking

More on our Green Building

Like to learn more on our new and exciting project? Visit the Green Building site for more information including fact sheets on some of the building's cool features.

Press Release & FAQs

The press release for the new building's groundbreaking and frequently asked questions about the building are also available.

On April 16, The Nature Conservancy broke ground on its new Indiana headquarters. The ceremony also revealed the name of the new green office building as the "Efroymson Conservation Center" in honor of the Efroymsons, a family who has made a substantial contribution towards the new building and to numerous conservation projects throughout Indiana, our country and the world during the last 35 years.

Breaking Ground

Our new headquarters in downtown Indianapolis will be the bricks-and-mortar embodiment of our conservation mission, using salvaged bricks, Indiana limestone, and sustainably harvested Indiana hardwoods. As a leading conservation organization in Indiana, our building must reflect our values and improve our community. Our design and construction will enable us to apply for certification as a LEED Platinum building, the highest possible recognition for green buildings.

The Conservancy has been serving Hoosiers since 1959. During that time we have protected almost 70,000 acres of important natural areas and 465 miles of river banks, reforested more than 2,000 acres, restored more than 10,000 acres of wetlands, protected 12 caves and restored about 6,000 acres of prairie. Our conservation work is reflected in the values that drove the design of our building: sustainable offices that will carry us forward far into the future so that we may protect vital natural areas across our state for generations to come.

Some of the principal features of the building are:

Energy-efficient mechanical and electrical systems
Recycled and locally available building materials
Educational and community meeting space
Maximum use of natural daylight
100% storm water capture and re-use
Beautiful and functional street-level landscaping with native Indiana trees and plants
Green roofs, featuring native plantings

The Efroymson Family, A Family of Concerned Conservationists

The Efroymson family has a long tradition of supporting important causes that benefit the citizens of Indianapolis and the conservation of our natural world. The Nature Conservancy has been fortunate to call both Dan Efroymson and Lori Efroymson-Aguilera valued Trustees of the Indiana Chapter. Their support follows in the footsteps of Dan’s father Robert A. Efroymson and his Uncle Clarence Efroymson. This conservation spirit is continuing on in Dan and Lori’s children - Jeremy and Elissa.

The Efroymson family’s gifts to conservation, like their gifts to Indianapolis, have been inspirational. They have challenged the Conservancy to move in new directions, to see the larger picture and focus on the way to best leverage our conservation competencies. They have inspired others to follow their lead and to identify their own ways of protecting our natural world. In Indiana, they challenged us to take on the largest prairie restoration east of the Mississippi – a 7,600 acre restoration of the Central Tallgrass Prairie in Newton County, Indiana, that we call the Efroymson Restoration. Internationally, they challenged us to set the standard for conservation planning for our conservation programs and then to export that knowledge and planning process across the globe to our partners in over 30 countries. In their honor we call this program the Efroymson Fellowship Program.

It’s not surprising that the Efroymsons have challenged us again: this time to reduce our contribution to the global climate change by building the “greenest” building in Indianapolis. Through this remarkable gift, they are challenging The Nature Conservancy and Indianapolis to do more to preserve Indiana’s natural heritage.