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. 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 »
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 »
The third quarter of the Community Adventure Program (CAP) for the 2010-2011 school year came to a close as spring started to emerge around us. While the class was very excited for a week of relaxation, spring break meant no more CAP. It was a little bittersweet for all of us after a very enjoyable… Read more »
The Cottonwood Institute put together an incredible Environmental Leadership Summit for Johnson & Wales University Community Leadership Institute students on February 4th, 2011 at the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado in downtown Denver. Facilitated by Ford Church and Paige Doughty and students from New Vista High School’s environmental club called the Earth Task Force, the day… Read more »
Another quarter of the Community Adventure Program has come to a close, but we inspired another all-star group of outdoor enthusiasts as well as old and new environmentally minded students. We had tons of fun on the overnights bonding with this small group. The weather was unseasonably warm for December camping and, while we talked… Read more »
If ‘change the world’ means bringing a positive change to some corner of the globe– affecting the lives of one, ten, a hundred, or a thousand people, then, in my opinion, the answer is yes. -David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World. As we reflect on another amazing year at the Cottonwood Institute,… Read more »
Community Adventure Program (CAP) students unleashed their inner worker bee this quarter to create a great two-pronged Action Project that focused on honey bees and cold-frames. Based on early class discussions, the plight of the honey bee was a hot topic within this group, which was duly noted. However, they just couldn’t let go of… Read more »
The Earth Task Force held their S.U.P.E.R. Summit (Students Understanding Personal Environmental Responsibility) on November 11th, 2010 at Casey Middle School. The Summit attracted over 70 participants and eight different school groups committed to creating environmental change within their high schools and larger community. Throughout the day the students discussed sustainability goals that have already… Read more »
In previous years, the Earth Task Force has designated certain months as “alternative transportation” months. During this time we encouraged students and faculty to alternatively transport themselves to and from school. As an incentive, we recorded participation and invited those who participated frequently to a pizza party where we held a raffle. This year, because… Read more »
