Mission 

The Ecology School inspires stewardship of and connection to the natural world through experiential learning in ecology, conservation, farming, and sustainability.

Philosophy

Our programs are experiential, hands-on and fun. We immerse participants in complex ecosystems where our experienced educators use narrative, hands-on activities to illuminate the scientific relationships among organisms (including humans) and their environment. Our sustainable riverside campus is home to forest, fields, and a farm, which enable the practical study of biology, ecology, nature and human impact. Through our overnight camps, workshops and community events, adults and children are invited to become students of the world around them and inspired to new thinking about science, food, and the environment.

Approach

At The Ecology School, we believe that everyone should have a joyful relationship with science—one that deepens our understanding of the world around us. We approach the science of ecology through wide-eyed, hands-on exploration of the ecosystems outside our door, making nature’s lessons memorable with play, humor, and games, and applicable with real life models of sustainable farming and living.

Sustainability

Sustainability has always been integral to our mission. At The Ecology School, sustainability means living, learning, working and playing in ways that are restorative to the world around us. Our River Bend Farm campus rises to the “living building challenge” that asks for spaces to give more than they take from the environment around them. Our working farm, dormitory, kitchen and the Poland Spring Education and Dining Commons exceed every official green standard, modeling regenerative and self-sufficient ways to grow and prepare food, power our buildings, and utilize technology to minimize negative human impact on the ecosystems we inhabit. River Bend Farm opens our eyes to what’s possible, reimagining the future, now.