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Environmental House

Houses the Department of Environmental Studies and Science (ESS) and the Dyson College Institute for Sustainability and the Environment. The ESS Department's Program Assistant sits on the second floor of the Environmental House.

Environmental House Conference Room

Located on the first floor of the Environmental House, the conference room typically houses graduate-level courses. The conference room is available to the ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø community with seating available for 10.

Environmental Lab

Located in the back of the Environmental House, this lab typically houses field-based courses and is also used extensively for student research. The lab is available to the ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø community with seating available for 10.

Environmental Center Classroom

The LEED-certified classroom incorporates geothermal heating and solar panel systems and is used for larger environmental courses and events. This classroom is available to the ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø community with seating available for 30.

Environmental Pavilion

The Pavilion is equipped with WiFi and is used for hosting outdoor classes, wellness activities like yoga and Tai Chi, and various events. The pavilion is available to the ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø community.

Barns

The center houses two large barns. These spaces are being considered for various projects and will most likely be converted into lab space for the ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø community.

Organic Vegetable Garden

Located at the end of the Cheever Trail, the organic garden is used for academic research projects, testing strategies for improving soil, and different planting techniques.

Students can become involved with the garden through research with faculty or volunteerism.

Pollinator Gardens

These gardens support a variety of flowering plants, providing valuable food sources for insects and birds.

ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø strives to provide habitat for pollinators (butterflies, native bees, etc.) and to utilize landscaping practices that do not harm these valuable animals, earning ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø an official designation.

Beekeeping Apiary

Located behind the Barn, the honeybee hives, or apiaries, are typically home to Italian honeybees, though they are not currently in use.

Meadows, Streams, Wetland

These features are utilized in classes to teach the process of wetland delineation, identifying plants and soils, and using macro-invertebrates to assess stream health.

The Environmental Center’s meadow will be used for botanical and ecological research projects and studies.

Ponds

Choate Pond is home to various plants and animals and is used in classes for water quality studies, and to teach students how to assess the condition of lakes.

The Study Pond, located in the Environmental Center, is used by students to collect water samples for analysis, and learn how to conduct surveys for fish, turtles, amphibians, and aquatic macroinvertebrates.

Forest and Trails

A 50-acre forest surrounds the Pleasantville campus. This forest is used in classes to teach tree identification, forest health assessment, and for wildlife studies. A variety of other habitats, including wetlands, occur in this forest.

A network of recreational trails also runs through the forest for use by the ÌÒñ«ÉçÇø community.