|

PS1’s Final Overnight of the Year

PS1 CAP class students spent the weekend at Taylor Mountain, camping, hiking, and learning survival skills.  With only 3 students brave enough to attend this trip, the instructors were able to delve more deeply into some complex skills, and the students responded with great interest, pushing through difficult and frustrating skills until they found success…. Read more »

|

Climate Change Studies

CAP students have spent the last few days in class learning about and discussing the causes, effects of, and remedies for global climate change.  Students spent Monday watching "An Inconvenient Truth" and will finish the film on Tuesday.  Students have spent discussion time talking about the recent cyclone in Myanmar, the week-old storm that spawned… Read more »

|

Naturalist Studies

PS1 students spent class time today sketching the natural world around them, taking time to meticulously observe the plant structures found in the Sunken Gardens across from the school.  Students filled their journal pages with the flowers, grasses, and prairie plants found in the landscaping, and then enjoyed the great weather by joining another class… Read more »

|

CalWood Overnight

We spent the weekend at CalWood Education Center, hiking, camping, and practicing wilderness survival skills.  Students hiked 2 miles in to the campsite, set up a wide range of shelters (tarp shelter, tent, schwag), and, after some lunch we hit the trail again to do some wildfire mitigation. Students braved a cold night, using hot… Read more »

|

Smoke, no fire…yet.

  The CAP class spent Tuesday’s session at the park across the street working some bow drill skills, with special guest instructor and Cottonwood Institute founder Ford Church lending a hand.  Although the bow drill is an extremely difficult skill to learn and master, the students pushed through their difficulties and kept working at it… Read more »

|

How Green are Solar Panels?

In many circumstances, the products we use in our efforts to be more sustainable have a bigger footprint than we think. Recent articles in the Washington Post and from the Worldwatch Institute show how the production of large amounts of polysilicon in China are dumping toxic wastes on the surrounding landscape—the homes of poor Chinese… Read more »

|

New quarter, new instructor…

The CAP class at PS1 started the new quarter with new instructor Steve McCue, who will be taking over for Megan to finish off the year.  The class spent the day discussing the import of Awareness, a skill absolutely essential for survival in both natural and urban settings.  The class finished the day with rehearsal… Read more »

|

Community Adventure Program in the Media

The Cottonwood Institute‘s core education program called the Community Adventure Program (CAP) has received some media attention recently. Students enrolled in CAP at New Vista High School recently had an article written about their environmental service project, which involved building a greenhouse at the school in order to raise an awareness of the importance of… Read more »

|

Action Project: Super Saver Bags

November 5-9, 2007: In order to raise awareness about the waste caused by plastic bags, students decided to sell reusable grocery bags at local grocery stores. Proceeds raised will benefit the CAP class and the MaxFund (a no-kill animal shelter in Denver). Pictured above: David V., David S., Jesus, Candace, Perla, Leatha, Monica.