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Alum Robert Marquez Joins Cottonwood Board

Cottonwood Institute is thrilled to announce that we have appointed Robert Marquez, a freshman at Colorado Mesa University, to our Board of Directors! Robert is an alum of our CAP class at Angevine Middle School and Centaurus High School, and received the coveted Ripple Effect Award in 2018 for his outstanding enthusiasm and care in… Read more »

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Still Glowing from the 2023 Base Camp Bash

Colorado environmental education nonprofit Cottonwood Institute hosted its spring benefit, the Base Camp Bash, in April. Thank you to all of our attendees and sponsors! Check out photos from the 2023 Base Camp Bash Here. The 2023 Base Camp Bash was fire and we are still glowing from an amazing evening to support Cottonwood Institute,… Read more »

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The Environmental Impacts of Fashion

Changemakers spend their spring overnight exploring the environmental impacts of fashion and screenprinting their own t-shirts. Written by Instructor Chelsea Tossing. Escrito en español más abajo. Cheap t-shirts may seem like a steal, but do you know what your clothes really cost? Changemakers set out on our spring overnight trip to learn more about the… Read more »

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Need first aid? Call a Changemaker!

You’re out on a day hike with a friend when you come up on someone sitting on the side of the trail; at first glance, you can tell they might be in trouble. If you spend time outdoors, chances are that you might have had this encounter or something similar– do you know what to… Read more »

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Board Spotlight: Andrea Schwartz-Dulaney

We’re excited to introduce Andrea Schwartz-Dulaney, who joined the Cottonwood Institute Board of Directors in the fall of 2022! Learn more about Andrea below, and read our other staff and board profiles here. How did you find Cottonwood Institute and what inspired you to join the board? I am so fortunate to have been introduced… Read more »

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The Annual Cottonwood Happy Hour Was Back In 2022!

Cottonwood Institute’s annual Happy Hour came back in 2022! The event brought staff, instructors, board members, donors, sponsors, and program partners together for a night of fun. We are so grateful to Jon Underkofler and AllianceBernstein for hosting us this year at their new gorgeous downtown offices. Click here for more photos from the event!… Read more »

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Cottonwood Institute Receives Two Awards from CAEE!

In 2022, Cottonwood Institute (CI) received not just one, but TWO awards from the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education (CAEE)! Our Changemaker Program was selected to receive a 2022 Innovative Environmental Education Program Award! The Awards Selection Committee announced that they are very impressed with the caliber of the work taking place through this program,… Read more »

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Alumni Spotlight: Kira Gilliland and the Impact of CAP Class

Escrito en español más abajo. Written by Cottonwood Institute alum Kira Gilliland. Cottonwood Institute’s flagship program, the Community Adventure Program (CAP), has been at Centaurus High School in Lafayette, CO since 2017. More recently, Cottonwood created Changemakers, a high school leadership program for alumni of our Boulder County programs. The Changemakers program gives about ten… Read more »

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Ripple Effect Award

We are all changemakers; knowingly or unknowingly, the effects of our actions ripple out, changing the world in large and small ways each day. Every year since 2013 at the Base Camp Bash, Cottonwood Institute recognizes the ways our students make change in their schools, their communities, and the world. The Ripple Effect Award celebrates… Read more »

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Changemaker Program

CI CHANGEMAKER PROGRAM OVERVIEW: (Información en español más abajo) Are you passionate about the environment? Do you want to learn how to make change in your own community? Then the Changemaker Program is for you! Cottonwood Institute’s award-winning Changemaker Program is an environmental education and community leadership program for CAP alumni in high school. Changemakers… Read more »