They’re Back! West Denver Prep Students Return to Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield

Posted by & filed under Notes From The Field, STRIVE Prep.

During a rainy weekend in May, the Cottonwood Institute teamed up with students from West Denver Preparatory Charter School and their teacher, Leigh Garrison, for a spring overnight course at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield. This course concluded the extensive Three Trees and a River Project, in which students participated in a water testing field… Read more »

Green Dress Exchange: Earth Task Force Re-Thinks Prom

Posted by & filed under Earth Task Force.

Prom is a tradition known around our nation and celebrated by high school students of every caliber.  Often times, high school students buy a brand new outfit for every prom they attend.  According to Annie Leonard, voice and face behind “The Story of Stuff“, only 1% of the “stuff” Americans buy is still in use… Read more »

iMatter, You Matter, We Matter

Posted by & filed under Earth Task Force.

“iMatter, You Matter, We Matter. Let’s work together to make things better”  Two thousand Colorado youth and their adult allies sang this chant through downtown Denver this past Saturday, May 14, 2011 as part of the worldwide iMatter marches organized by Alec Loorz, founder of Kids vs. Global Warming.  “The atmosphere created by this group… Read more »

2011 Base Camp Bash A Smashing Success

Posted by & filed under Cottonwood Institute News.

The final donations are still trickling in, but we are ready to declare the 2011 Base Camp Bash a smashing success. Because of our generous supporters, we were able to raise just shy of $44,000 to help support our 2011 programs to connect diverse youth to the outdoors. This represents close to a 110% increase… Read more »

Holy E-Waste Earth Task Force!

Posted by & filed under Earth Task Force.

For a week in April the front of New Vista High School was filled with what could have been trash. The culprits: the Earth Task Force (ETF). To celebrate Earth Day the ETF partnered with Boulder Community Computers (BoCoCo) to collect and recycle 1488 pounds of e-waste!! The ETF e-waste drive was kicked off by… Read more »

Earth Task Force Helps New Vista High School Win National Green Prize

Posted by & filed under Earth Task Force.

In February 2011, the Earth Task Force (ETF) put together a team of students and adults to write an application for the National Environmental Education Foundation to help fund sustainability initiatives at their school. Despite the stiff competition nationally, we are thrilled to announce that New Vista High School (NVHS) has been awarded the Green… Read more »

New Leaders Step Up At The Cottonwood Institute

Posted by & filed under Cottonwood Institute News.

New leaders have been stepping up at the Cottonwood Institute the past few months. We are excited to have April Pishna, our Adventure Coordinator for the past two years, become our first Program Director! She will be responsible for working with our educational partners and instructors to make sure we deliver fun, high quality, high… Read more »

Operation: Military Kids With A Twist!

Posted by & filed under Military Kids Project, Notes From The Field.

We experienced a new twist in the evolution of the Operation: Military Kids Essential Survival Skills course – family participation!  10 folks from 4 families, converged at the Colorado Lions Camp to challenge their carnivorous and cooperative edges. We learned about survival priorities, wild edibles, sustainable harvesting, camp craft, fire craft, stalking and wilderness walking…. Read more »