SF Environment offers free environmental education programs for PK–12 teachers and schools across San Francisco.
Our classroom programs support climate education, sustainability learning, and environmental stewardship through hands-on, experiential lessons that connect directly to California science standards.
We offer engaging lessons, interactive workshops, and schoolwide sustainability initiatives focused on climate action, zero waste, water conservation, and environmental justice. Our programs are designed to strengthen classroom instruction while empowering students to become informed, engaged leaders in their communities.
Programs are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), and are offered year-round at no cost to public and independent schools in San Francisco.
Classroom and schoolwide environmental education programs
We offer hands-on programming to engage your students. SF Environment also provides ongoing support to teachers seeking environmental and climate-focused curriculums.
Browse the sections below for a preview of programs we offer inside the school classroom and beyond. Whether you have a project in mind or are just getting started, we offer pathways to build skills, grow your network, and make a real impact.
Classroom environmental education programs
Hands-on classroom programs that support climate education, sustainability, and environmental stewardship. Our interactive lessons connect science learning to real-world topics like zero waste, water conservation, and climate action.
Zero Waste: In-class
Our classroom visits empower students with the tools to effectively address the impacts of climate change through a Zero Waste lens. Students focus on the HOW and WHY we need to sort properly to support a sustainable future through fun, inquiry based hands-on activities.
Zero Waste: Assembly
Build a culture of zero waste across your entire school! Multi-class/grade presentations that empower students and encourage climate action through a Zero Waste lens. Students come together with their peers to play a sorting game, and participate in a grade specific learning activity. Phoebe the Phoenix mascot available for TK-3rd grade upon request
Our Common Future: Assembly
People, Place, and Fair Share: This program teaches students how these three concepts are interwoven.
Students will engage with what it means to be an environmentalist, how to disrupt environmental injustice, and create a better future for all by striving for Zero Waste through consideration of our consumption and looking at the San Francisco Climate Action Plan!
Our Common Future: In Class
Discover the world of fast fashion and it’s impact on communities and the environment.
Students work through an activity to explore the lifecycle of a t-shirt from cotton field to landfill, highlighting the inequities and environmental toll at each step.
The class is then challenged with calculating their own fashion footprint and consider their collective impact on the planet from the very clothes they are wearing!
Climate and sustainability initiatives
Programs that help schools take meaningful action on climate and sustainability goals. From climate action planning to resource conservation campaigns, we support students and educators in building lasting environmental impact on campus.
Climate Action Plan
Explore San Francisco’s Climate Action Plan, including the goals, sectors, and steps taken to create the plan.
Students take on a character identity to argue their position for or against the plan in a town hall style forum, ultimately deciding which character has the most convincing arguments.
The lesson invites students to consider who has a seat at the table when making important policy decisions, and how we can work towards a more equitable and environmentally sound future together as a city.
Save Our Water (K-12)
Plunge into a transformative experience with SF Environment’s program, Save Our Water, developed in collaboration with SFPUC.
Explore with us through the diverse landscape that supplies San Francisco’s amazing water. Discover the art of water conservation, a crucial legacy we forge for present and future generations.
Join us on an adventure to safeguard this precious resource, ensuring a sustainable and bountiful future for all.
Protect Our Bay (3-5)
Dive into a world of discovery with SF Environment’s program, Protect Our Bay, developed in collaboration with SFPUC.
Embark on a journey alongside students as they explore the intricate web of water pollution, unraveling its origins from diverse sources. Uncover the power of prevention through simple and ingenious solutions that pave the way for healthy waterways.
Join us in safeguarding our aquatic treasures, ensuring a future where the beauty of our waters remains a source of joy and wonder for generations to come.
Climate Action Book Club
Explore environmental topics through reading, discussion, and zero waste crafts. Discover how reading is a climate action through engaging narratives, eco-media and other resources in community with other readers. Book clubs are also available for Green Teams, Environmental Clubs, etc.
Check out SF Environment’s Climate Action Book Club reading list.
Schoolwide engagement and leadership programs
Opportunities that empower students to lead sustainability efforts across their schools. Through Green Teams, assemblies, and community-based activities, students build leadership skills while advancing environmental solutions.
SFE Office Tour & Career Discovery
See what a career in the city/environmental sector could look like! In addition to learning about the Environment department and our city system, students get to meet and interact with staff across different teams at the department to learn about their career path and share their stories, advice, and perspective.
Zero Waste Workshop
Engage in hands-on learning activities around various topics, including exploring compost & compost worms, redesigning a garbage truck from recycled materials, collaging a sustainable San Francisco, weaving with plastic bag yarn and beyond!
Lunch Sorting Support
Individualized support and guidance for student-led initiatives/clubs at a school or organization. In meeting with the group, we explore your unique context, potential projects, and other ways to engage the campus in sustainability efforts that resonate with your local community
Green Team Support
Individualized support and guidance for student-led initiatives/clubs at a school or organization. In meeting with the group, we explore your unique context, potential projects, and other ways to engage the campus in sustainability efforts that resonate with your local community
Let’s plan your environmental education program
Bring free environmental education programs to your classroom or school.
Contact us at [email protected] to discuss your needs, or complete our short interest form to begin planning with our team.
Outdoor environmental education field trips
Give your students a hands-on sustainability experience beyond the classroom. Interactive field trips for grades TK–12 immerse students in San Francisco’s zero waste programs, climate action initiatives, and urban ecosystems—turning the city into a living classroom.
How it works
- Browse our field trip options below.
- Complete the interest form with your class details.
- Our team will follow up to confirm dates and customize your visit.
Expand each section below to learn more about our field trip offerings. Within each section, you’ll find opportunities to request additional information or sign up to participate.
Climate Action Youth Summit
Celebrate Earth Month by uplifting student-led climate action from across San Francisco. The Climate Action Youth Summit is a flagship, student-centered event featuring presentations that encourage peer learning, spark inspiration, and showcase the creativity and innovation young people bring to climate solutions.
Students may participate as learners and/or presenters, sharing an activity, project, or experience that reflects their work and ideas around climate action.
Event details:
- Date: Friday, April 23, 2027
- Time: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
- Location: Yerba Buena Gardens
Complete the interest form to join the Climate Action Youth Summit field trip. Additional details, including presentation guidelines and event logistics, are available on the Climate Action Youth Summit page.
Recology Transfer Station: Where do our bins go?
Ever wondered what happens to the items you place in San Francisco’s blue, green, and landfill bins? This hands-on field trip helps students discover where materials go after collection—and how proper sorting supports a more circular system.
Designed to complement the 4th-grade curriculum, the Recology Field Trip includes a free visit to the San Francisco Transfer Station. Students explore the differences between linear and circular systems, learn how materials are processed, and practice sorting items into the city’s three-bin system.
Approximate field trip schedule:
- 10:00 a.m. Arrival and classroom activity
- 11:00 a.m. Facility tour
- 12:00 p.m. Lunch
- 12:30 p.m. Closing activity
- 1:00 p.m. Bus pickup
Program details:
- Available to schools located within San Francisco
- Free of cost
- In-person programs are limited due to high demand
Schools outside San Francisco may explore similar programs through ReThink Waste (Peninsula) or StopWaste (East Bay).
Garden for the Environment: Learning through gardening
Using gardening as a hands-on learning framework, this field trip helps students explore local water conditions, San Francisco’s water and wastewater systems, and key principles of water conservation and pollution prevention.
Through guided activities and small-group exploration, students learn restorative gardening practices that protect water resources and prevent pollution. By the end of the experience, students leave with practical environmental stewardship skills—and a memorable, positive connection to the natural world.
Approximate field trip schedule:
- 10:00 a.m. Arrival and introductions
- 10:15–11:00 a.m. Garden tour in small groups
- 11:00–11:15 a.m. Break
- 11:15 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Rotating activity stations
- 12:00–12:30 p.m. Lunch and activities/free time
- 12:30–12:45 p.m. Wrap-up, bonus activities, and closing reflections
*We are currently at capacity for field trips for the 2025–26 school year. If you would like to join the waitlist or be contacted about upcoming availability, please email [email protected].
