Cultivating Environmental Stewardship Through Hands-On Learning

Explore Ecology inspires students and adults alike to become better environmental stewards through three programs that reach over 40,000 community members annually. 

Whether it’s taking children to the ocean for a field trip and beach cleanup, teaching students about photosynthesis in a school garden, or educating about waste reduction in an art workshop, Explore Ecology’s environmental education programs: Art From Scrap, the Watershed Resource Center, and School Gardens Program provide hands-on learning experiences that empower Santa Barbara County residents to protect and preserve the environment.

You may be familiar with Explore Ecology’s Art From Scrap Creative Reuse Store, but Explore Ecology is much more than the reduce, reuse, recycle champion of Santa Barbara. 

The Explore Ecology School Gardens Program, found in 30 schools across the county, provides beautiful outdoor classrooms where children can explore nature, learn how to garden organically, and see in real life what they read about in science class.

At the Watershed Resource Center at Arroyo Burro Beach, students and visitors learn how to keep our creeks and ocean clean and join monthly beach cleanups that remove thousands of pounds of litter each year. Explore Ecology also organizes over 1,300 volunteers at over 31 sites for Coastal Cleanup Day. 

The Art From Scrap Creative Reuse Store diverts tons of discarded and reusable materials from the landfill annually and offers them to the community at affordable prices. The new EE Makerspace above the store is a creative hub for sustainability education where everyone is invited to explore the potential of reuse materials, imagine, invent, create and collaborate. 

“The difference between learning from a book and learning hands-on is a sense of wonder. In our School Gardens Program, elementary and junior high school students experience environmental stewardship firsthand by taking care of the plants that they grow, tending the soil, and participating in a closed loop composting system,” says Lindsay Johnson, Executive Director. 

“Educating about the environment can involve a lot of bad news and it’s easy to feel helpless. Explore Ecology teaches that environmental stewardship can be joyful, creative, and life-affirming. This means giving people hope, ideas, and solutions – actions they can take in their everyday lives that have an impact in creating a healthier world for all.”