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Earth Task Force Students Keep It Clean

When anybody in Boulder litters, sooner or later it ends up in the creek and river system.   Not only does this destroy diverse creek ecosystems, but it also contaminates the water. Contamination is the last thing the river system needs because much of the water in Colorado runs off into the rest of the country,… Read more »

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Gardening Made Simple and 100 Ways to Change the World!

It was a wonderful final quarter with the Community Adventure Program at New Vista High School this spring!  The class joined together to create an action project around gardening and the appreciation of simply grown local food.  We visited Growing Gardens and the Flatirons Neighborhood Farm to glean some local information from amongst the many… Read more »

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Green Dress Exchange: Earth Task Force Re-Thinks Prom

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 »

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iMatter, You Matter, We Matter

“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 »

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Holy E-Waste 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 »

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CAP Turned Out The Lights On Another Quarter

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 »

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Cottonwood Institute Hosts Environmental Leadership Summit With Johnson & Wales

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 »

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CAP Inspires Another All-Star Group

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 »

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Top 10 Stories That Helped Change The World In 2010

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 »

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CAP Students Unleash Their Inner Worker Bee

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 »