The Corvallis Environmental Center (CEC) is the only organization in Benton County focused on sustainability education.  CEC programs and activities provide educational opportunities throughout Corvallis and surrounding communities, across social and economic boundaries, and to all ages.  

•     The CEC’s Avery House Nature Center is the only program in Benton County focused on connecting young children and families with local ecosystems.  Programs include STARS, Lincoln CAEC, and Monroe nature education after-school programs, low-cost in-service and summer camp programs for ages 2-11, school field trips to our local natural areas, and family nature walks.  Last year AHNC served over 1300 students through community outreach programs.
•    The CEC’s Youth Garden Project is uniquely focused on educating teens about resource use and community food needs.  The program offers an exciting opportunity for teens to serve their community while developing life skills and learning about food and community needs.   Food grown by the program is delivered to local food aid distributors, providing more than 90% of the fresh produce distributed by Tunison Food Bank.
•     CEC’s “Get SMART” Resource Efficiency Program provides no-cost resource assessments to local business’, schools, churches and any place else that might benefit from streamlining everyday practices to save money and resources.   In 2004, the program worked with 10 businesses to save over three tons of materials, 21,400 kWhrs of energy, and 189,700 gallons of water.   Benton County has used REP’s services at six sites and is the recipient of the largest number of REP’s assessments. 
•    EarthFaire and Procession of the Species are annual celebrations and opportunities for community members to learn about what’s happening in the local environmental, social-economic, and technical arenas.  These are the largest Earth Day events in the Corvallis area, they are sponsored and produced by CEC, and they are free!
•    CEC’s Community Outreach program is our community’s foremost source of consistent free information on events, programs, volunteer and employment opportunities, and news related to sustainability.  The program offers educational events such as the “Eco-Film Festival”, a monthly calendar, informational resources and referrals, public displays of sustainability topics, and is creating a local ‘green’ buying guide.
•    The Food Systems Coalition of Benton County has recently been created to work on building a sustainable local food system, and is supported by the CEC.  A highly collaborative effort, it brings together voices of farmers, retailers, government employees, faith institutions, educators, activists, and students to address the many aspects of food security in our community.