Quote for November 30, 2004
November 30, 2004 by Ford Church
Filed under Quotables
CAP Week In Review – November 16, 17, and 19, 2004
November 20, 2004 by Ford Church
Filed under Program News
On Tuesday, we spent the class debriefing our first weekend overnight camping trip. We weren’t quite sure we were going to have a trip, because my co-instructor who usually comes on the overnight trips could not join us due to a medical issue. I wanted to thank my friend Janelle Weissman, who works for Social Venture Partners Boulder County, for coming to the rescue and joining us at the last minute. For many of the students it was their first winter overnight camping trip and I was really proud of everyone on the trip. Please review the CAP Trip Log (TLOG) for all the details about the trip.
After defining our Action Project issue last week, we spent Wednesday morning in the computer lab conducting research to find more information about our topic and to challenge some of the assumptions we made when we were defining the issue. Dan Mills and Gwenna Horne were nominated by the class as Project Managers to oversee the project and the rest of the class split up to research specific topics. We began to define the scope of our project by focusing on educating potential SUV buyers about the current state of our environment and how they can purchase environmentally friendly and sustainable vehicles instead of purchasing traditional SUVs. We are thinking of putting together a resource guide that highlights the pros and cons of Biodiesel, Hybrid, and hydrogen fuel-source vehicles.
On Wednesday afternoon, our ecology hike was once again postponed because more than half the class was absent and the weather was looking bleak. Instead, we learned about the importance of being able to make natural cordage in a long-term survival situation, different local plant sources available to process and make cordage, and then we practice making reverse-wrap cordage using Jute. We then watched the movie, Into Thin Air, about a tragic expedition to Everest in the mid 1990’s. After the movie, we discussed the hubris of the guides, how they let money and corruption influence their decision-making skills, and how mountains such as Everest are not necessarily meant to be “conquered.”
During our class on Friday, we had the honor and pleasure of meeting John Bush from Boulder Biodiesel and Josh Sperling from CU Biodiesel. John and Josh came in to speak to our class about the organizations they work with, information about Biodiesel, the pros and cons of using the fuel, as well as some ideas we could take on for our Action Project. I want to acknowledge John and Josh for taking time out of their busy day to share their wisdom with us!
CAP Week In Review
November 20, 2004 by Ford Church
Filed under Program News
On Tuesday, we spent the class debriefing our first weekend overnight camping trip. We weren
Quote for November 19, 2004
November 19, 2004 by Ford Church
Filed under Quotables
“It is our collective and individual responsibility to protect and nurture the global family, to support its weaker members and to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live.” - Dalai Lama
Quote for November 17, 2004
November 17, 2004 by Ford Church
Filed under Quotables
“To be whole. To be complete. Wildness reminds us what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.” - Terry Tempest Williams
Quote for November 16, 2004
November 16, 2004 by Ford Church
Filed under Quotables
“To waste, to destroy our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed.” - Theodore Roosevelt
TLOG for November 13 - 14, 2004
November 14, 2004 by Ford Church
Filed under Trip Log (TLOG)
The Community Adventure Trip Log (TLOG) is a tool that we use to document each trip. Students can use this as a reference and template for coordinating their own trips outside of this class and future CAP classes will use this information as a reference for future trips. This is also a reflective tool for students to document what worked and what did not work for future outings.
PRE-TRIP INFORMATION
Basic Trip Information:
Land Management and Permitting:
Emergency Information:
Quote for November 12, 2004
November 12, 2004 by Ford Church
Filed under Quotables
CAP Week In Review – November 9, 10, and 12, 2004
November 12, 2004 by Ford Church
Filed under Program News
This week we dove deep into our Action Project as we began to define the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) issue. Because this is a very broad topic, we began to analyze the issue by answering a few questions to further define the problem. On Tuesday we began to go through the Action Process by defining who or what was causing the issue, who were the stakeholders, what were their positions, what was our position as a class, what would happen if the issue were not addressed, and finally, what were some sustainable solutions to address the issue at hand.
Since we didn’t get through all of those questions during Tuesday’s class, we picked up where we left off on Wednesday. There are many stakeholders with a variety of pro and anti-SUV positions, but we realized that we were passionate about exploring the alternative fuel source technologies and vehicles on the market so that we may help persuade potential SUV buyers to purchase a more environmentally and sustainable vehicle.
Because of the weather, we had to take a rain check on our Wednesday afternoon field trip. There was a combination of rain and snow and we really weren’t prepared to be outside in those conditions for a few hours. So, we had to postpone our ecology hike with naturalist Tom Moore from the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. Instead, we explored what it meant to have a Sense of Place by reading Wallace Stegner’s short story called “Crossing into Eden,” from his book Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs. We then completed a journal exercise reflecting on a special place in the outdoors where we felt a strong sense of place. After that, we participated in a Sense of Place Quiz where many students realized that they were not as connected with the land as they thought they were in terms of being able to name edible and medicinal plants in the community, identify animal tracks, make natural shelters, or friction fire. While humans have evolving for millions of years, we have become increasingly disconnected from the skills that humans have used to connect with the land in order to live, thrive, and survive. This weekend, we will work on our fire building and fire making skills in order to help reconnect ourselves to the land and re-remember the skills of our ancestors.
On Friday, we made final preparations to make sure that everyone has the right gear and equipment for our first overnight. Temperatures will dip down to about 15 degrees in the mountains, so we discussed our safety concerns for the weekend and made sure that we were ready for action for the weekend. For many students, this will be their first winter camping experience, so we are all excited to get outside this weekend!
CAP Week In Review
November 12, 2004 by Ford Church
Filed under Program News
This week we dove deep into our Action Project as we began to define the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) issue. Because this is a very broad topic, we began to analyze the issue by answering a few questions to further define the problem. On Tuesday we began to go through the Action Process by defining who or what was causing the issue, who were the stakeholders, what were their positions, what was our position as a class, what would happen if the issue were not addressed, and finally, what were some sustainable solutions to address the issue at hand.
Since we didn
