GREER’S BEST BUYS:

Where’s the best place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the greenest day of the year? At the greenest building in Orange County! The Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach will receive the greatest honor in eco-friendly building — the first LEED Platinum Plaque in Orange County — from U.S. Green Building Council President Rick Fedrizzi from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. The celebration is also a fundraiser for the nature center, a nonprofit where you can find more than a dozen representative ecological habitats of California, a Discovery Room filled with cool things to touch and investigate, Nature Camp for children in the summer, and always a serene outdoor setting to visit. Costs $30 per person, and green drinks and appetizers included. Tours will be given of the new building, Learning Center and the 3.5-acre grounds. The nature center is at 1601 East 16th St., Newport Beach. Questions and reservations can be made at (949) 645-8489 or go to encenter.org.

Spring clothing sale

Today Lilikoi Boutique at the Bluffs shopping center in Newport Beach is having a special, one-night only spring sale from 5 to 8 p.m. Everything will be marked down 30%, including swimwear, jewelry, new spring merchandise! And all sales merchandise will be marked down 60%. Lilikoi Boutique is at MacArthur Boulevard and Bison Avenue in Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 644-2330.

Silly little fundraiser

A hilarious musical that raises money for Children’s Hospital of Orange County featuring hidden OC talent is coming soon, beginning April 2. The CHOC Foundation presents “The Princess and the Prius — A Magical Musical Journey of Sustainable Romance!” This musical production features 100 of Orange County’s prominent business, civic and society leaders singing and dancing to raise funds for CHOC Children’s. “CHOC Follies” is one of Orange County’s most original and successful charity events and has netted nearly $4 million for CHOC Children’s over the last 11 years. Performances are at 8 p.m. April 2, at 8 p.m. April 3, and at 2 and 8 p.m. April 4. Roger B. Moore Theater is at O CC, 2710 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. For prices, call (714) 532-8690 or go to www.chocfollies.org.

Hot garden items

A spring-fling garden sale is taking place today and Saturday at Molly Wood Garden Design in Costa Mesa. Molly Wood, an award-winning landscape designer, is making way for fresh inventory and reducing all current items 10% to 40%. Refreshments are served all day! The showroom features new and vintage garden ornaments, furniture and fountains, plants and pottery, and other one-of-a-kind treasures. Molly Wood Garden Design, 1600 Orange Ave., Costa Mesa, is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call (949) 548-1611 or go to www.mollywoodgarden design.com.

Shrinking prices

You can find great deals on “shrnk” apparel for newborns and kids at a one-day sale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Newport Coast Community Center. Shrnk is available at high-end boutiques across the country and every few months the store holds huge sales to clear out excess inventory. Shrnk garments normally cost $30 to $70, but at the sale prices range from $5 to $20. That’s 50% to 75% off retail. Sizes for boys and girls range from 3 months to 6 years. Newport Coast Community Center is at 6401 San Joaquin Hills Road. For more, go to shrnk.com.

Go ahead and pamper

There’s a new spa on the block — perfect for spa aficionados or anyone really looking for a pampering getaway. The Spa at the Resort at Pelican Hill offers an array of rejuvenating treatments from its herb, massage and heat therapy to the mud and clay body treatment, results-driven and hydrating facials, eco-friendly nail care treatments and more. Though the spa seems intimate, it actually spreads out over 23,000 square feet, with a dramatic 28-foot-high Palladian rotunda, wall of cascading water, 22 private treatment rooms, an array of facilities, including men and women’s Acqua Colonnade with herbal steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools and soaking tubs, a state-of-the-art fitness center, full-service salon, and boutique. The Resort at Pelican Hill is at 22701 Pelican Hill Road South, Newport Coast. For more, call (949) 467-6800 or go to www.pelicanhill.com.

GREER WYLDER writes Best Buys, which runs Fridays. She’s the founder and president of www.greersoc.com, a free daily e-mail service that provides the latest in Orange County fashion, dining and trends.