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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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Earth Task Force Helps New Vista High School Win National Green Prize

In February 2011, the Earth Task Force (ETF) put together a team of students and adults to write an application for the National Environmental Education Foundation to help fund sustainability initiatives at their school. Despite the stiff competition nationally, we are thrilled to announce that New Vista High School (NVHS) has been awarded the Green… Read more »

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Earth Task Force Helped Bag It!

On Saturday February 19th, 2011, a few enthusiastic members of the Cottonwood Institute’s Earth Task Force (ETF) took part in the Boulder International Film Festival’s screening of Bag It, a documentary about waste created by plastic bags and plastic usage, in general.  Gracie Currier-Tait, Kelly Percy, and Zander Deetz represented the ETF and shared a… 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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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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S.U.P.E.R. Summit Was Stupendous

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 »

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Transportation Transformation

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 »

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Cottonwood Institute’s Impact Ripples Out In 2010

People often ask me about the impact that Cottonwood Institute programs are having and I am reminded of a quote by Paul Loeb that we share with students at the end of our programs: “We never know how the impact of our actions may ripple out. We never know who may be touched. That’s one… Read more »

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Earth Task Force Hosts S.U.P.E.R. Summit

After a wildly successful inaugural year, the Cottonwood Institute‘s Earth Task Force at New Vista High School is taking on a new challenge this year to host Boulder Valley School District‘s first student-directed environmental summit called Students Understanding Personal Environmental Responsibility, also known as the S.U.P.E.R. Summit. High school students and teachers from all over… Read more »

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Earth Task Force Is Unstoppable

The Earth Task Force is a new program the Cottonwood Institute launched last year to give student who have completed our Community Adventure Program an opportunity to continue changing the world. Looking back on their accomplishments the past year, the Earth Task Force is unstoppable. With the support of Cottonwood Institute Earth Task Force Mentor,… Read more »