Life Lab Science Program is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization and has been working in the field of science and environmental education since 1979. With our award winning curricula and programs, the organization helps schools develop gardens where children can create “living laboratories” for the study of the natural world. Since developing the first Life Lab school garden in Santa Cruz in 1978, Life Lab has been implemented in over 1,400 schools across the United States training tens of thousands educators. 
Life Lab offers a variety of projects being used throughout California, primarily working directly with teachers to help them use school gardens and hands-on science programs effectively. This work includes our award-winning Language Acquisition in Science Education for Rural Schools (LASERS) project, now designated the Monterey Bay Science Project (MBSP). Through MBSP, Life Lab trains teachers in the Monterey Bay Area to use science as a method for teaching language development to English Learners. Life Lab is currently working with 27 schools in Santa Cruz County in another award-winning program, Waste Free Schools. Through this program, Life Lab trains teachers and students to reduce school waste through recycling and conservation education and action. Since 1998, the program has caused the diversion of over 4,000 tons of material from local landfills. In 2001, Life Lab completed The Garden Classroom a model school garden learning center located at the UCSC Center for Agroecology & Sustainable’ Food Systems. The Garden Classroom is used to train teachers in science education and serves thousands of children through various field trips and events.