Ecology in Classrooms & Outdoors (ECO) provides in-person place-based education for students in the Portland Metro area and offers curriculum kits and virtual lessons for schools across the state. The organization’s mission is to inspire students to care for nature and their local communities through hands-on science education and climate action. During in-person programs, pairs of ECO educators deliver a series of four to six experiential lessons to individual classrooms. Lessons occur during the school day and are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. ECO science lessons focus on Northwest ecology while also integrating literacy, math and art. Programs generally include outdoor exploration and service learning, so students can apply classroom content to real-world habitat restoration.
