The Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center is home to ECOS, The Environmental Center for Our Schools, in Springfield Massachusetts. The ECOS program provides a chance for elementary and middle school students in Springfield public schools to experience and learn about the natural world. The built environment provides opportunities to teach about ecosystems and human connections to nature. A new design for the Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center will teach students about the natural world experientially through the building’s own connections to the environment.