Conservation Innovation Center

A Net-Zero Facility. A Living Laboratory.

A Regional Hub for Conservation Leadership.

The Sam Shine Foundation’s Conservation Innovation Center (CIC) is a completed, net-zero headquarters set within a 250-acre demonstration campus. Together, the facility and surrounding landscape showcase how science-based land restoration and intelligent building design can work together to create measurable environmental impact.

Designed to achieve carbon-negative performance by 2030, the CIC demonstrates practical, scalable solutions that conservation organizations, agencies, and businesses can replicate across the Midwest.

The Conservation Innovation Center is more than a headquarters - it is a working model proving that land restoration, smart infrastructure, and thoughtful design can align to create environmental and economic benefit. Through applied science and measurable innovation, the Sam Shine Foundation is showing that conservation leadership begins with example.
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Built to Demonstrate Green Infrastructure

The Conservation Innovation Center was designed to lead by example. The building integrates practical systems that reduce carbon output, improve efficiency, generate electricity, and demonstrate how organizations can transition toward smarter energy use.

Onsite Solar Energy

A solar array powers the facility’s systems, charges electric vehicles and electric land-management tools, and feeds excess energy back to the grid—reducing reliance on carbon-based electricity.

Geothermal Heating & Cooling

Six 450-foot geothermal wells beneath the parking area regulate building temperature using ground-source exchange, minimizing surface disturbance while reducing long-term energy demand.

Smart & Efficient Technologies

  • Motion-sensor and daylight-responsive LED lighting
  • Wireless Bluetooth-operated switches that reduce wiring and material use
  • Programmable and remotely monitored building automation systems
  • Exterior lighting has individual solar batteries recharged for night time use.

Seasonal Solar Optimization

The building is oriented and engineered to:
  • Limit summer heat gain through reflective roofing, shaded eaves, and solar-limiting window glass
  • Maximize winter solar warmth through large south-facing “super windows”
  • Improve efficiency through enhanced insulation and strategic air circulation

Flexible, Purpose-Driven Design

The 10,000-square-foot facility includes:
  • Private offices and collaborative workspaces
  • Small-group training areas
  • A multipurpose presentation room for up to 50 participants
  • Storage and staging space for land-management tools and experiential learning

A 250-Acre Demonstration Campus

Within walking distance of the facility, restoration work is visible and ongoing. The campus serves as a living laboratory where innovative conservation approaches are tested, measured, and refined.

Demonstration features include:
  • 20,000+ saplings reforesting slopes and restoring native woodland
  • Agricultural lands transitioned back to forest systems
  • Stormwater bioswales that improve runoff management during heavy rainfall
  • Landscape restoration guided by soil science, density planning, aspect analysis, and long-term ecological strategy
In addition to large-scale restoration, the campus includes demonstration native landscaping that visitors can observe and replicate on their own properties, showcasing smarter designs that reduce irrigation needs while supporting pollinators and biodiversity.

The result is a functional ecosystem that improves biodiversity, water quality, carbon sequestration, and climate resilience while providing practical, scalable models for active conservation work at multiple levels.

Freshwater Conservation Showcase

The CIC includes a freshwater conservation exhibit featuring an endangered hellbender salamander - making the Foundation the only private conservation organization in Indiana to display this species.

This exhibit reinforces the Center’s role as both a research hub and a public ambassador for species and watershed conservation.

Designed for Regional Impact

The Conservation Innovation Center serves decision-makers across Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, and Tennessee. By combining:
  • Science-based land restoration
  • Measurable building efficiency
  • Practical decarbonization strategies
  • Cross-sector collaboration
The CIC aims to catalyze meaningful advancements in conservation practices throughout the Midwest.
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