Field Trips and Presentations

Field Trips & Presentations: Engage Students with Hands-On Environmental Education

Explore exciting field trips and presentations that bring environmental education to life. Perfect for engaging students in sustainability and eco-friendly practices.

Please note that availability of specific offerings may vary. To share additional field trip and presentation resources for students, please contact The Green Team at recycle@thegreenteam.org.

Field Trips

Appleton Farms Education: Offers a school partnership program that includes place-based learning in agriculture, healthy eating, sustainability, life cycles, and seasons throughout the year.

Reworld: Learn about Reworld with a virtual tour of their facility, which provides an up-close and informative experience looking inside the process of waste-to-energy.

Franklin Park Zoo: The zoo offers free entry for field trips for students in Massachusetts.

Hitchcock Center for the Environment: Offers virtual field trips and virtual learning programs. The activities are interactive, inquiry-based learning opportunities. There is a sliding fee associated with each virtual experience.

Massachusetts Material Recycling Facilities (MRFs): May offer in-person or virtual tours of recycling facilities.

• Springfield Materials Recycling Facility: Learn more about recycling in western Massachusetts by visiting the Springfield MRF. Staff from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection are available to conduct tours of the MRF for school groups, scout groups, community organizations, and any other interested parties.
• The Springfield MRF also has a series of educational videos on their website, including: Me and My Bin, Container Recycling, Paper and Cardboard Recycling, What Happens to Your Recyclables, and Recycling’s Most Unwanted.

Virtual Material Recycling Facilities Tour Recordings:

• Casella Recycling Facility
• L. Harvey and Sons Single Stream Recycling Facility
• JRM GreenWorks Recycling Facility
• Republic Services Recycling Facility

New England Aquarium: The aquarium offers a variety of programs and resources for schools, including field trips, traveling education, and programs specifically geared towards teens.

Newton Recycles: View a recorded tour of Waste Management’s Materials Recovery Facility in Avon. Members of Newton Recycles toured the facility to see first-hand how recyclables are sorted. 

Our Climate, Our Communities: Science, Systems, and Solutions: Remote professional development institute.

Skype a Scientist: Connect students with ecologists, climate scientists, zoo professionals, and other scientists to learn about their research and field work.

South Shore Natural Science Center: This science center offers environmental education school programs for grades K-12, including field trips, hands-on activities, and lectures.

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)’s Learning Lab: This sustainability curriculum and resource can be taught remotely. For example, see their Virtual Field Trip: Wild Biomes (grades 3-8).

Waste Management CORe®: This virtual tour recording shows how food waste is converted into energy using anerobic digestion technology.

Other Local Options:

• Contact your local transfer station to inquire about class tours. Many transfer stations collect household trash, cans, bottles, cardboard, bulky waste, scrap metal, electronic waste, fluorescent light bulbs, used clothing and textiles, books, and more! These items are then transported to processing facilities and made into new materials. This site can help you locate a nearby transfer station.
• Contact a local commercial composting facility, anaerobic digestion facility, or animal feed operation to inquire about class tours. Learn how organic waste is recycled into compost, provided as food for animals, or used to create energy. This site can help you locate food waste processors.

Presentations

Alliance for Climate Education (ACE): A non-profit dedicated to educating America’s high school students on the science behind climate change and inspiring students to take action — while having fun along the way.

Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT): Offers workshops, trainings, and presentations for schools on a variety of environmental topics.

Berkshire Museum: Free remote learning opportunities for all grade levels. Sign up for a virtual classroom visit, presentation, or both.

Boston Museum of Science (MOS): Offering several virtual opportunities, including daily live stream presentations, videos, virtual exhibits, and more!

Earthtunes: Interactive, entertaining, and educational music programs focused on a variety of environmental topics.

EcoTarium: Free STEM educational materials such as videos and presentations, as well as activity sheets and a recorded virtual tour.

Factory Farming Awareness Coalition: Offering virtual presentations about the social justice, health, and environmental impacts of modern food systems.

Jack Golden: Interactive environmental performer offering a variety of shows that are educational, comical, and entertaining. Performances include:

• Garbage is My Bag
• Water Water Everywhere
• A Litter Bit Goes a Long Way
• Environmental Extravaganza: EnviroGanza

Keep Massachusetts Beautiful: Celebrate Earth Month by scheduling a free recycling education session for your town, business, or school! Presented by Keep Massachusetts Beautiful, the Talking Trash & Recycling program is an interactive presentation that will teach you what really happens to your trash and recyclables in Massachusetts. Learn ways to reduce the amount of trash you generate, improve your recycling habits, and make small changes to lead a more sustainable lifestyle.

Mass Audubon: Free online and in-person programs for schools that teach students about science and nature.

Mount Washington Observatory (MWO): Offering virtual presentations for grades 6-8 every Monday at 11:15am on topics related to climate and weather.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): Opportunity to talk with a real-life astronaut.

Peter O’Malley: Brings magical, engaging, hilarious, and entertaining performances to audiences of all ages.

Other Local Options:

• Contact your local Recycling Coordinator or Sustainability Manager to inquire about an in-person or virtual presentation. For example, Amy Donovan, Program Director for the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District, provides food waste diversion and recycling presentations to students, teachers, and school staff in Franklin County.