The Story of Stuff

Have you ever looked around your house and thought to yourself, "Man! I have so much junk!" Why do we have so much useless stuff? And where does all this stuff come from and go after we throw it away? These are the questions that Annie Leonard explores in her short video, "The Story of Stuff." From extraction to production to distribution and consumption and finally to disposal all of our stuff goes through this cycle. But how does this effect us? Well, all along the way the environment, communities, and even our children are reaping negative effects from this process. In the past two decades alone one third of the planet’s natural resource space has been used up! In "The Story of Stuff," Leonard describes in detail each step of the process. From trashing the environment through extraction and the toxic chemicals used in production, to the government’s plan to create a nation of consumers by convincing us to buy more and more stuff. Can you believe that 99% of the stuff we consume is trashed within 6 months of us purchasing it? At the end of the video Leonard talks about how we can work together to change this vicious cycle and create a more sustainable future.

"The Story of Stuff" is packed with facts and fun animations, and Annie Leonard makes the whole process simple and easy to understand. Check out the video at www.storyofstuff.com and prepare yourself for an eye-opening experience.

Guiding Question: How often do you think about where you stuff comes from and what effect it might have on the environment and other people to create? How can you, as an individual, help stop this unsustainable cycle?

Two New Community Adventure Program Instructors

The Cottonwood Institute is proud to welcome two amazing young woman onto our staff as instructors for the Community Adventure Program. Paige Doughty will be instructing at New Vista High School in Boulder, CO and Leslie Douglass will be instructing at P.S.1. Charter School and Manual High School in Denver and will teach camping and wilderness survival skills to help students to tackle important environmental issues. Paige and Leslie are both thrilled to be working with the kids and teaching their shared passion for the outdoors and the environment.

Paige Doughty is a writer, artist and environmental educator who is always looking for new ways to blend her creative passions with her commitment to education towards a sustainable culture. Paige received her Masters degree in Environmental Education at Lesley University and the Audubon Expedition Institute. Since then, she has taught high school and middle school in Australia and has worked for various environmental organizations including, Living on Earth, The Green Streets Initiative, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Through teaching, Paige was inspired to act on her passion to make the world a healthier happier place by working with high school aged students.

Leslie Douglass grew up with the Rockie Mountains as her playground and she took full advantage. Today Leslie is an avid hiker, cyclist, skier and gardener, who enjoys being able to share her passion and knowledge with others. Leslie received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology at Butler University in Indiana and her Master’s in Secondary Education from George Fox University in Oregon.

Denver Zoo Teens Join The Cottonwood Institute This Summer

Every year a group of dedicated high school students choose to spend their free time volunteering at our local Denver Zoo.
They get to lend a hand in every department of the zoo, including
preparing food for the animals and completing any odd jobs that need to
be attended to. But this summer, these students got a taste of
something very different; a Cottonwood Institute Endangered Wolves and Animal Tracking course designed especially for them!

Lead by instructors Steve McCue
and Eric Ellison, eight teen zoo volunteers and two adult volunteers
set up camp close by to the remote wolf sanctuary Mission: Wolf.
Several times throughout the week, the group hiked over to the
sanctuary where they got to meet with the wolves first hand, help with
the completion of the play pen and assist with one of the big feeds. In
addition, the group learned important wilderness survival skills
including, natural shelter construction, fire making methods and how to
signal people for help when lost. When questioned about the course,
teen volunteer Sarika Steinhaus said, "I made a lot of new friends and
it was really great to learn the survival skills. I feel much more
prepared now if I were ever to get lost in the woods. It was also great
to learn about the wolves. They are actually really gentle and scared.
We could learn a lot from them if we just pay attention."

Notes From The Field: Endangered Wolves and Animal Tracking

In the past, wolves have acquired the false reputation of being bloodthirsty, vicious, wild animals. Unfortunately, these notions have lead to the near extinction of the species throughout the United States. This August, through the Cottonwood Institute’s Endangered Wolves and Animal Tracking course, students had the opportunity to discover just how false these stereotypes are by getting up-close and personal with a group of wolves.

Located at the base of the beautiful Sangre De Christo Mountain Range in southern Colorado, there is an unique wolf sanctuary called Mission: Wolf. Dedicated to educating the public about wolves, Mission: Wolf houses a pack of 40 wolves that were born in captivity. Lead by instructors Steve McCue, Eric Ellision, and Brittany Salley-Rains, the students of the Cottonwood Institute set up camp near by to the Mission. Over the course of seven days the students helped to complete the final stages of a 20+ acre playpen for the wolves, participated in smaller daily feeds and helped with a big feed where the wolves were given the raw meat from an entire cow. Back at camp, the group learned and practiced outdoor survival skills, including methods of making fire, collecting water and animal tracking. Some of the work and activities were challenging, but the students worked as a team to become effective problem solvers and overcome all obstacles.

Co-Instructor Eric Ellison had only positive things to say about the course.

“I think this group got a lot of new knowledge and cool experiences this summer, things they can go back and tell their friends about. More so, they learned about themselves and how to function as a team and to take confidence in their ability and take on the daunting. I say that there are a few experiences that the Cottonwood Institute offers that are real “life changers.” One of them is the blind drum stalk, and another is looking down a wolf’s snout into those big, golden eyes.”

September Upcoming Events!

FREE REI SURVIVAL SKILLS CLINICS:

Most survival situations happen when you least expect it and when you are least prepared. Before you head to the hills this fall to explore the color change or the bugling elk, join the Cottonwood Institute for a Free Survival Clinic at REI to participate in an interactive survival scenario, learn about survival priorities, tips, strategies, and techniques, and will learn how to make a personal survival kit. We have 2 Free Clinics in September:

REI Boulder Store - Tuesday, September 30th, 2008, at 7pm located at: 1789 28th Street, Boulder, CO 80301.

ESSENTIAL SURVIVAL SKILLS: LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!

Taking a free survival class, reading a survival book, or watching a survival show is an important first step, but to really learn these skills it is essential to take a course to get the dirt time to confidently rely on these skills in a real survival situation. We are gearing up for our Essential Survival Skills course for adults on October 2 - 5, 2008, but our registration deadline for this course ends this Friday, September 5th, so register today! Bring a friend and practice essential survival skills, including natural shelters, friction fire, water location and procurement, and complete a 24-hour survival scenario to apply your new skills.

If you have any questions, please contact Ford Church, Cottonwood Institute Executive Director, via Email or by phone at (303) 447-1076.