BELOIT, Wis. -- Beloit College is showing off its new Center for the Sciences, which was built with an emphasis on environmental sustainability.

The $37 million facility offered the perfect setting for Thursday's Sustainable Industry Conference by helping shed some "natural" light on new jobs to come in the near future.

The design of Beloit College's new center for the sciences is completely designed for efficiency.

Large windows provide scenic views of campus, but they also illuminate the building.

Throughout the facility, sustainability is in the air.

"All air that goes through a laboratory needs to exhaust out of the building. In this case, the air comes in, it's put into the public spaces, is re-circulated into the labs, and then shoots out of the building. So you get two uses of the air, which is much more efficient," said Holibird & Root design principal James Baird, whose firm designed the facility.

It's constructed mostly with sustainable materials, new materials that are creating a new industry.

Demand for those materials continues to rise, and Baird said more products mean more jobs.

"Five years ago, there used to be a cost premium. As more people use them, that cost goes down -- even things like carpet and floor tile," said Baird.

"(This is) a replacement for street lighting, so this is very similar to what the city of Los Angeles is using," said Kevin Orth, of Racine-based BetaLED, while showing his product.

Orth said his company is just one example of how new technology is leading to Wisconsin jobs.

In the past five months, the LED, or light-emitting diode, manufacturer has added more than 100 jobs in Racine, which currently has the state's second highest unemployment rate.

"This product line has been successful and we're actually hiring. We're probably one of the few manufacturers in the Racine area that is hiring, and hiring consistently, both manufacturing and in the office," said Orth.

As technology moves ahead, some say sustainable technology will no longer be new but rather the standard.

"It should be something where it's not unique, it's just part of the design process," said Baird.

The facility also utilizes plants on its roof, a product of ABC Supply in Beloit. The plants help slow rain runoff, and in the summer, evaporating water helps cool the building.