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City Wild Takes on Growing Gardens!

Under the warm August sun, Cottonwood Institute and City Wild partnered up for a service learning project with Growing Gardens in Boulder. We were treated to a tour of this amazing property and walked along rows of sunflowers, heirloom tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, and potatoes.  In the Children’s Peace Garden, we ate grapes off the… Read more »

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The Three C’s: Casa, Calwood, and Camping!

Throughout 2011 and 2012, Cottonwood Institute has been partnering with Casa de la Esperanza, a Boulder County housing community in Longmont.  We have gone on day hikes, hosted movie nights, and worked on action projects.  And finally, on the weekend of July 21st, we embarked on the best adventure ever – CAMPING!  The forest of… Read more »

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CAP Reconnects to Nature

Every quarter offers something new for each Community Adventure Program (CAP) student at New Vista High School in Boulder, and this past one was no different.  While traipsing through the snow on both overnights, the students learned a lot about themselves, each other, and how to be comfortable outdoors in the Colorado winter! Read what… Read more »

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Students Were Deeply Impacted By CAP This Quarter

Community Adventure Program (CAP) students at New Vista High School were deeply impacted by their outdoor experiences this quarter.  In CAP class, one of our goals is always to awaken students to their gifts and abilities to make change in their own lives and the lives of people in their communities.  The reflections of this… Read more »

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Earth Task Force Recognized for Green Prize and Receives $10,000 Check!

Last February, Earth Task Force (ETF) students and staff, co-wrote a grant application for the National Environmental Education Foundation’s (NEEF) Green Prize Award. The Green Prize is a national contest for schools across the country with a prize of $10,000 to help fund the winning schools’ sustainability efforts.  In 2011, over 100 schools from around… Read more »

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Earth Task Force Students Keep It Clean

When anybody in Boulder litters, sooner or later it ends up in the creek and river system.   Not only does this destroy diverse creek ecosystems, but it also contaminates the water. Contamination is the last thing the river system needs because much of the water in Colorado runs off into the rest of the country,… Read more »

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Conserving Water Creatively

“When you drink the water, remember the spring” ~Chinese Proverb How much water do you use everyday? Where does your water come from? How long could you survive without water? The second quarter CAP class chose “water” as their environmental issue. Students got excited about this issue after reading the New York Time article “The… Read more »

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Happy Sixth Birthday CAP!

Watch out, we’re going to do a little bragging to celebrate. The Community Adventure Program, or CAP, the Cottonwood Institute’s main educational program, is celebrating its sixth year at New Vista High School! If you don’t know…CAP aspires to inspire students to change the world through community involvement, an increased awareness of local environmental issues,… Read more »

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Successful Volunteer Day at Sunrise Century

Amidst the splendor of the surrounding mountains, Team Cottonwood Institute arrived at the Sunrise Century Bike Race in Boulder on July 25, ready to conquer the world of route marshaling. We donned our orange safety vests and valiantly took on the challenge of the cowbell, ringing it passionately as the cyclists flew by our posts… Read more »