Hitchcock Center for the Environment

Founded in 1962, the Hitchcock Center for the Environment connects and reconnects people of all ages with our natural world, through hands-on programs and experienced embedded in the outdoors.  Our year-round education for a healthy planet is designed to use the study of science and nature, its models, systems, processes, and elements, as a means to provide creative inspiration to solve human problems sustainably. We believe everyone is a lifelong learner, and strive to engage with people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to deepen our innate bonds with the natural world, encourage inquiry, and develop a greater understanding of the connections between environments, economies, and social issues. Our educational framework centers on five fundamentals: Understanding principles of ecology; Valuing place; Promoting resilience; Demonstrating sustainability in the built environment; Educating for active citizenship. We serve over 8,200 people each year through our children and family programs, adult natural history and sustainability series and symposiums, professional development and curriculum building workshops, K-12 classroom programs and field trips, and our new leading-edge "living" environmental learning center on the Hampshire College campus.