I have to admit, when I think of a vacation spot or an outing I don’t think of Texas at all, and that’s likely because until today I’d never heard of Shangri La Gardens and Nature Center, even though I’m a big National Park and Nature Reserve enthusiast.

Shangri La Gardens is brought to us by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation who’ve made this conservation project their mission along with assistance of education, and stands as a monument to eco-friendliness by being not only the 50th project in the world to earn themselves a U.S. Green Building Council Platinum certification for LEED®-NC (a high certification that verifies Shangri La’s ‘green-ness’ in design, construction and how Shangri La’s run, if I’m not mistaken.), but they also have managed to be the first to do so in the state of Texas! That’s not only prestigious, but a really big deal and a high honor given to them for all the work they’ve done to maintain this green, earth-friendly project.

Right now it’s really ‘trendy’ to be green, but it’s also really important to understand how vital eco-friendly living and nature conservation is to our future and the future of the planet we live on - one only get one chance, and it’s a shame it’s taken so long for most of us to get in on the act.

If you’re thinking of checking out Shangri La Gardens (and I suggest that you do, they sell their tickets at the gate), why not check out their website first and brush up on what they have to offer you and your family? Do a little research on Orange, Texas and you may be able to make a few days of it! Plus it’s fascinating to read about the evolution of this project and the reasoning behind all the hard work.