Freedom Writers

The Cottonwood Institute recently hosted a screening of Freedom Writers, starring Hillary Swank, for our latest "Change the World Movie Night." The movie chronicles a new teacher in a recently integrated public school in Long Beach, CA during the early 1990′s, following the Rodney King beating and LA riots when racial tensions were high. Erin Gruwell, played by Hillary Swank, was deeply committed to making a difference in the lives of her 9th grade English class and to transforming the way she taught and inspired students that most of her peers, teachers, and administrators had written off. Despite a lack of resources and support from her Department Chair and Principal, she taught these students all four years of their high school career and they all graduated high school. Guiding Question: Like Erin Gruwell, if we are deeply committed to changing something, we can be unstoppable. What are you committed to changing in your school, your job, your environment, or your community?

CAP Pre-Course Survey, 2nd Quarter 2007

Welcome to the Community Adventure Program. Before we get started, we
need to get some feedback about your outdoor experience, your thoughts
about the environment, the community, etc. Please answer this survey
honestly and to the best of your ability. The good folks who fund this
class use this information to assess the performance of the class and
this information will help us acquire new grants. Please Click Here to Take Survey.

Quote for October 22, 2007

“My experience leads me to believe that the main distinction between those who fully participate in their communities and those who withdraw into private life doesn’t rest in the active citizens’ grasp of complex issues, or their innate moral strength. Instead, those who get involved view their place in the world very differently. They have learned specific lessons about approaching social change: that they don’t need to wait for the perfect circumstances, the perfect cause, or the perfect level of knowledge to take a stand; that they can proceed step by step, so that they don’t get overwhelmed before they start. They savor the journey of engagement and draw strength from its challenges. Taking the long view, they come to trust that the fruits of their efforts will ripple outward, in ways they can rarely anticipate.” – Paul Rogat Loeb

Five things you can do in five minutes (or less) to protect the planet

I just learned that today was Blog Action Day, where bloggers around the world were encouraged to blog for the environment. Given that the Cottonwood Institute is committed to sustainability education, I had to post something! I found this post on GoodSearch.com and I wanted to spread the word about 5 things you can do to protect the planet in 5 minutes or less:

1. Change a light bulb to a compact fluorescent bulb – www.18seconds.org
   If every American swapped just one bulb for an Energy Star labeled CFL,
   it would collectively save more than $8 billion in energy costs,
   prevent burning 30 billion pounds of coal and remove 2 million cars
   worth of greenhouse gas emissions from our atmosphere.
2. Use GoodSearch to search the web — www.GoodSearch.com
   This search engine, which is powered by Yahoo!, earns money for your
   favorite environmental charity, or any other cause you care about, with
   every search.
3. Adjust your thermostat by 2 degrees.
   It’s estimated that 1/6 of all energy consumed in the US is from heating and cooling.
4. Remove yourself from postal bulk mail — https://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing
   Every year, 100 million trees, 28 billion gallons of water, and $320
   million in local tax money are used for the production and disposal of
   junk mail.
5. Unplug unused electronics
   Even when electronic devices are turned off, they use energy. Save over 1,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and $256 per year.

Send this email to five friends (ok, that’s six things you can do!)

Source: GoodSearch.com

Raise Money for the Cottonwood Institute by Searching The Internet!

The Cottonwood Institute recently established a partnership with
GoodSearch.com and now you can help raise money for the Cottonwood
Institute by searching the Internet! You may have heard about this
website through friends, the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, or CNN. If you
use this website, which is powered by Yahoo, every time you search the
Internet, a donation will be made to the Cottonwood Institute!

You can get started now with 5 easy steps:

1. Go to: http://www.goodsearch.com
2. Under the section that says "Who Do You GoodSearch For," Type in
   Cottonwood Institute
3. Add GoodSearch to your browser by going to:
   http://www.goodsearch.com/Toolbars.aspx
4. Start searching the Internet and raise money for the Cottonwood
   Institute!
5. Spread the word to your friends and colleagues!

 
 

CAP-15 Post Course Survey, 1st Quarter 2007

As the first quarter comes to a close, I want to get some open and honest
feedback from the 1st Quarter 2007 CAP class to improve the CAP for
future students. This information will not affect your grade, but
please take it seriously. It will be reviewed by the school, the
Cottonwood Institute, and this information will help us secure funding to make this class accessible to other
high school students. Please Click Here to take survey.

Quote for October 5, 2007

“An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.” – Buddha

Quote for October 4, 2007

“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her serenity.” – E.B. White

Sustainability Resources

In order to help people tread lightly on the planet, we have compiled the following list of sustainability resources for people to learn more about issues they care about and how to make small changes in their daily lives to make reduce their environmental footprint:

ENVIRONMENTAL MOVIES:

• 11th Hour
• An Inconvenient Truth
• The Next Industrial Revolution
• The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
• The Real Dirt on Farmer John
• Who Killed the Electric Car?

ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT CALCULATORS:

• My Footprint
• Earth Lab

ENERGY:

• American Council for and Energy Efficient Economy
• Center for Resource Conservation
• Clean and Green
• EnergyStar Program
• Green Heart Institute
• Home Energy Saver
• Inconvenient Truth
• OurEarth.org
• Renewable Choice Energy
• Solar Living Institute
• US Department of Energy program on Energy Efficiency

GREEN BUILDING:

• Center for Resource Conservation
• Environmental Construction Outfitters
• Greenprint Denver
• Jacques Environmental Services, LLC
• Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
• Living Space
• Syndesis

HOME/OFFICE PRODUCTS:

• Better World Handbook Shopping Guide
• Consumer Reports Greener Choices
• Eco Products
• EnergyStar Program
• Environmental Home Center
• EPA’s Alternatives to Hazardous Household Cleaners
• Fabri-Kal Greenware Cups
• Gaiam
• Green Culture
• The Green Guide
• Green Heart Guide
• Healthy Home
• Healthy House Institute
• Mother Earth News

INVESTING:

• Chittenden Bank
• ShoreBank Pacific
• Calvert Financial Group
• Domini Social Investments
• Citizens Funds
• Green Century Funds
• Neuberger Berman Mutual Funds
• New Alternatives Fund
• Parnassus Investments
• PAX World Fund
• Portfolio 21
• Powershares
• Sierra Club Mutual Funds
• Winslow Green Growth Fund

LANDSCAPING:

• Colorado Native Plant Society
• Colorado Plant Select Program
• Composting Fact Sheet
• Fertilizing the Organic Garden Fact Sheet
• Grasscycling
• Integrated Pest Management Fact Sheet
• Lawn Care and Turf Resources
• Planttalk Colorado
• Xeriscape Colorado

ORGANICS:

• Boulder Farmers Market
• Denver Farmers Market
• Organic Consumers Association

RECYCLING:

• Boulder County Recycling
• Center for Resource Conservation
• Denver Recycles
• Eco-Cycle
• National Recycling Coalition, Inc.
• National Waste Prevention Coalition
• Grassroots Recycling Network

RESTAURANTS:

• Consortium for Energy Efficiency Commercial Kitchens Initiative
• EPA EnergyStar Restaurants
• Food Service Technology Center
• Green Restaurant Association

TRAVEL:

• Conservation International Ecotravel Center
• Green Hotels Association
• International Ecotourism Society
• Sustainable Travel International

WATER:

• American Water Works Association
• Boulder Area Sustainability Information Network
• Boulder County Drought Information
• Center for Resource Conservation
• City of Boulder Water Conservation
• Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
• Denver Water
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Household Hazardous Waste Hotline: 303.441.4800
• League of Women Voters Colorado Water Protection Project
• Partners for a Clean Environment
• Spill Hotline: 303.441.4444
• Wash Project
• Water Info
• Water Saving Irrigation and Drought Management
• Water Wise Tips for Colorado Landscapes