A shaft of sunlight beams through the towering trees. The calls
of birds echo as leaves rustle in the wind. A fish glides silently through the
clear water.
A meandering walk offers clarity. An idea ignites your imagination. A new perspective challenges your thinking. Welcome to the Legacy Center.

In a world of "too much, too big, too fast," the Legacy Center offers a moment to reflect and rejuvenate. In keeping with the Legacy Project's goals, the Legacy Center celebrates and explores who we are, where we've come from, and where we're going – as individuals and as communities. One definition of legacy is "a gift." Legacy is the coming together of what you have been given, what you can create, and what you give back. With the Legacy Project's emphasis on seven-generation systems thinking, our unique programs develop individual potential, strengthen intergenerational relationships, and advance action strategies on global issues like the environment. All our work is based on scientific research.

Attracting visitors from across the continent, the Legacy Center's educational programs and workshops for all ages offer an opportunity to connect past, present, and future in meaningful ways. Not only will the Legacy Center touch the lives of those who are able to visit it, but also a much wider audience through the associated books, CDs, videos, and online experiences.

It all begins on a very special natural site, a gift in the truest sense. Forty years ago, one man with vision planted the seeds to create a very special legacy. That legacy is now being carried forward for children and adults to enjoy today, and for generations to enjoy tomorrow. Over the decades, hundreds of specimen quality trees and a variety of native plants have flourished in the arboretum. A lush, 50-foot Cedar hedge frames the grounds. A Maple forest – dotted with Trilliums in the Spring and bursting with reds and golds in the Fall – fills one corner. A large, spring-fed pond teaming with fish, birds, and water plants is cradled in another corner. Three islands are linked with walking bridges. The beauty and hidden treasures of the arboretum are being documented on an ongoing basis by acclaimed nature photographer Peter Van Rhijn.

The arboretum surrounds the new Legacy Center building, which is being designed by award-winning architectural team Shim-Sutcliffe. It features an inspiring workshop space, exhibit gallery, and library. The Legacy Center will bring together art and science, beauty and technology, the manmade and the natural. The building is part of Shim-Sutcliffe's ongoing exploration of the relationships between object and ground, building and landscape, humans and nature. Their design process is intense and probing, sharing ideas through drawing, models, and discussion. And we'll be sharing the entire process with you – through books, workshops, exhibits, and online – to help you rethink how and where you're living. We want to make you part of the process so that the process here expands to your process wherever you are.

The Legacy Center will explore and demonstrate what we term "Legacy Living." At its most fundamental level, Legacy Living is about the timely and the timeless over the typical or the trendy. The concept will evolve as the Legacy Center evolves, particularly as it fulfills its long-term role not only as an educational center but also as a real-life research site with a focus on renewable energy and environmental practices. The research program will be headed by Brian Puppa, MASc, PEng. The ways in which we interact with our world, the ways in which we affect the environment, are a critical part of the legacy we leave for future generations.

The Legacy Center is receiving international attention.
Its work is framed by the educational vision of Legacy Project Chair Susan Bosak. Together with the Legacy Project's core team, and guided by our Advisory Board, we are developing a very special space, place, and concept.

You can help support the Legacy Center's educational work by becoming a member of the Legacy Project. For updates on the Legacy Center, join our e-mail newsletter. For a workshop schedule and guest passes, call us at
1-800-772-7765.