Imagine a high school class where you can get academic credit for going camping and changing the world. Sounds great doesn’t it? Well, Patagonia, the outdoor clothing and gear company, thought so too. The Patagonia store in Boulder chose to show their support by awarding the Cottonwood Institute with a $1,500 grant! The grant will specifically go towards underwriting four quarters of the Community Adventure Program at New Vista High School in Boulder during the 2009-2010 school year.

The Community Adventure Program is the Cottonwood Institute’s core educational program. Designed for high school aged students, CAP combines camping and wilderness survival with environmental awareness and community involvement. Implemented as a class during the school day, CAP students attend overnight camping trips, learn important wilderness survival skills, and create a student-designed Action Projects to address a local environmental issues. CAP helps students to be more aware and appreciative of the environment, and become involved in their local community by tackling pressing environmental issues.

Patagonia is a socially and environmentally responsible company committed to addressing local environmental issues and funding environmental work in Boulder County. Thank you Patagonia!