California Academy of Science Museum, San Francisco

Nowadays, more and more people – and businesses – are becoming eco-conscious.

Adding to this trend is the world’s greenest museum, the California Academy of Science Museum. Located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, this modernized museum has a living roof (see picture) consisting of native plants that aids with insulation. Solar panels are mounted on the roof, providing a source of energy. Walk inside a four-story glass dome rainforest featuring bats, butterflies and a cocoa tree. It ends with an elevator ride down to the “flooded forest,” which is a tunneled aquarium.

Also nearby are the Morrison Planetarium, Kimball Natural History Museum, Steinhart Aquarium and the Naturalist Center. And don’t miss the rare albino alligator, Claude, on exhibit.