Founded in 1965, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education is one of the first urban environmental education centers in the country, envisioned as an "island of green" where city dwellers could experience and learn about the natural world. The Schuylkill Center promotes the preservation and improvement of the natural environment through environmental education by fostering appreciation, understanding, and responsible use of ecosystem; disseminating information on current environmental issues; encouraging appropriate public response to environmental problems; and maintaining its facilities and conserving its land for the purpose of environmental education.