Habitat for Humanity joins with NOLS...

On September 25th, as part of NOLS' commitment to service to our local communities, seven NOLS employees volunteered their day to help Habitat for Humanity complete their latest Fremont County project in Shoshoni. It was a motley crew ranging from directors to interns, but everyone possessed unique skills that helped make this house a home. We spent the day installing fiber-cement siding to the house, a mixture of sand, cement, and celluose (which is added to prevent cracking). It is durable enough to withstand the elements, unless you are Bam-Bam Bannon, who has the strength to break a piece in half.

Everyone should be very excited to hear that Habitat for Humanity is coming to Lander next spring for a project. This not only means providing a house for a family in need, but it's also another opportunity to use power tools. 

Photos courtesy of Kelly Sherwin.

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Wyoming Range Victory Party

Solar-powered bluegrass and heartfelt speeches by Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, U.S. Senator John Barrasso, and Susan Thomas drew cheers from the 200 attendants who turned out on August 23, 2009 to celebrate the passage of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act. Braving 40 miles of dirt and inclement weather, folks poured in to Gary Amerine’s hunting camp in the heart of the Wyoming Range from all corners of the state, and from as far as Washington, D.C., to recognize the significant contributions made by so many to pass the bill. Signed into law by President Obama on March 30, 2009, the act protects 1.2 million acres of this mountain range from future oil and gas development.

In her keynote address at the celebration, NOLS Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Director Jennifer Lamb took time to recognize those whose contributions were so great but were no longer with us to enjoy the day. Senator Craig Thomas, who passed away shortly before he would have introduced the bill, was represented by his wife, Susan Thomas. Duane Hyde, long-time game warden on the Wyoming Range and a co-founder of Sportsmen for the Wyoming Range, passed away just a few weeks before the celebration.

Jennifer Lamb also noted, “Outsiders to this campaign have expressed amazement with what this movement accomplished because of where it is located – in a region of intense energy development in a state with a proud legacy of serving our country’s energy needs – and because of its scope – 1.2 million acres. But I think what is more amazing is the way that so very many people came together to realize a common Wyoming vision and set a standard for Senator Craig Thomas’ point of balance.”

Several members of NOLS staff and faculty were in attendance, including Executive Director John Gans and the Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability team. Shooting the breeze in the shadow of Wyoming Peak while listening to the tunes of Steam Powered Airplane provided a fitting finish to this remarkable chapter in the story of the Wyoming Range.

Some NOLS staff and faculty showed up early and explored the Greys River valley. Good fishing, apparently, and Karly Copeland, Christi Van Eyken, and I can also verify that the tubing is good too.

For background on the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, visit our webpages: www.nols.edu/wyomingrange.

photos courtesy Joy Bannon & Scott Christy

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Wyoming Range Celebration - You're Invited!

Come one, come all, to the heart of the Wyoming Range. It’s time to celebrate!

Gary Amerine, co-founder of Citizens for the Wyoming Range and long-time outfitter with Greys River Trophies, has offered up his hunting camp as the locale for festivities celebrating the passage of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act. Guests of honor will include U.S. Senator John Barrasso, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal, and Susan Thomas, wife of the late U.S. Senator Craig Thomas. NOLS is co-organizing the event, and you are invited!

What: Wyoming Range Celebration!

When: Sunday, August 23, 1-5 p.m.

Where: Greys River Trophies Camp, Greys River Road mile 39, Wyoming Range

Who: Gary Amerine, Senator John Barrasso, Governor Dave Freudenthal

Why: To honor those who brought about the passage of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act, which prevents future oil and gas development on 1.2 million acres of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

For more details about the Wyoming Range campaign, visit the ALL NEW Wyoming Range pages on the NOLS website: http://www.nols.edu/wyoming_range/

For event details such as directions and what to bring, contact Aaron Bannon at (307) 335-2312, or email aaron_bannon@nols.edu

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Carbon In The Life of a NOLS Student

Since 1965 NOLS has been teaching minimum impact/low maintenance camping and traveling techniques.  Students travel into the backcountry with the essentials to thrive and after coming out of the field, no student has seriously recommended adding paper towels to their gear list.  Comparing the classic Wind River Wilderness student with their front country counterpart, you can easily see a remarkable difference between consumption in the field and consumption in the front country.  After checking out this data, you may decide to forgo the paper towel for a re-useable cloth next time a drink spills on the counter. 

Water:
The average U.S. Citizen uses 250 liters of water a day
The average NOLS Student uses 5 liters of water per day
Most people in the front country use 50 times more water than a NOLS student does in the field.

Energy:
The average U.S. Citizen uses 33 kilowatt hours of energy per day.
The average NOLS student uses .02 kilowatt hours of energy per day.
Most people in the front country use 1650 times more energy than a NOLS student does in the field.

Trash:
The average U.S. Citizen produces 4lbs of trash per day
The average NOLS student produces 1/10th of a lb of trash per day.
People in the front country produce 40 times more trash than a NOLS student does in the field.

CO2:
The average U.S. Citizen produces 20lbs of CO2 every day through vehicle emissions.
The average NOLS student produces a 1/2 pound of CO2 every day through stove emissions.
People in the front country produce 40 times more CO2 than a NOLS student does in the field.

photo courtesy of Amy Rathke

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H20 Conservation

     Residents of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado have been wrestling with water rights ever since the exploration of the Wild West.  However, water shortages are no longer isolated to America’s big sky region.  As populations grow and rain patterns shift, water resources are becoming less and less predictable.  Lake Mead’s 100-foot evaporation ring and the dramatic water shortages in the state of Georgia represent historic and current water management problems.   Even NOLS river classrooms are feeling the pinch with fluctuating water levels and the prospect of river water extraction permanently lowering the Green River’s flow.  As water shortages become more severe throughout the nation, water conservation techniques are more important than ever. 

Below are some tips to help you take control of your water use:

1. Use your water meter to check for hidden water leaks
Read the house water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.

2. Check your toilets for leaks
Put a little food coloring in your toilet tank. If, without flushing, the color begins to appear in the bowl within 30 minutes, you have a leak that should be repaired immediately. Most replacement parts are inexpensive and easy to install.

3. Don't use the toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket
Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue or other small bit of trash, five to seven gallons of water is wasted.

4. Put plastic bottles or float booster in your toilet tank
To cut down on water waste, put an inch or two of sand or pebbles inside each of two plastic bottles to weigh them down. Fill the bottles with water, screw the lids on, and put them in your toilet tank, safely away from the operating mechanisms. This may save ten or more gallons of water per day. Be sure at least 3 gallons of water remain in the tank so it will flush properly.  

photo courtesy of Brad Christensen

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Wrapping Up "Trash Your Can"

This past week NOLS HQ and NOLS Rocky Mountain participated in a week long “Trash Your Can” waste management challenge.  During the week of April 20-24, NOLS staff members voluntarily gave up their personal trash cans in exchange for a comparably sized recycle bin supplemented by one small trashcan for the whole department.  Our goal was to reduce the amount of trash we create by facilitating an office climate where recycling is more convenient than “trashing”. 

From the beginning, many staff members were excited for the challenge.  Jeanne O'Brien thought we should extend the program from one week to two.  Lou Gordon told me she didn't want her trash can back saying, "When the trash can is under my desk it is too easy just to throw things away, working without a trash can really helps me to recycle."  After the "Trash Your Can" campaign we had 10 HQ employees permanently give up their trashcans.  We plan to label these vacant cans and re-distribute the containers to NOLS staff as more durable and waterproof recycling bins.  Using these new recycling containers gives people the opportunity to store their leakier recycling items in a secure place while they wait to sort their items.

As a result of the Trash Your Can campaign we doubled the amount of food waste NOLS Headquarters composts in a week, increasing from 1 1/2 five-gallon buckets to over 3.  By moving our trashcans out of reach we eliminated enough waste to reduce our trash by 4 industrial sized trash bags in one week (down from 8 bags/week).  The cleaning staff also saw a huge difference in the kind of waste we were producing.  Rhonda, who manages the cleaning for HQ said, "Normally we see all kinds of paper and food waste in the trash cans, this week we hardly saw any.  People did a great job."

At NOLS Rocky Mountain 4 people decided they no longer need their trashcan.  Greg Fleming reflected on his Rocky Mountain experience stating, "Trash Your Can” experience stating, "Wow! What a positive, eye opening event... a great concept that worked very well.  It was amazing to see that the reduced number of 'community' (departmental) trashcans did not fill up.  Thanks you organizers & the NOLS Lander community for making this work.  My can has been trashed, FOREVER!" 

Thanks to everyone who participated for their great work!  Please contact the NOLS sustainability department at sustainability@nols.edu if you have any further questions or suggestions about recycling.

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Trash Your Can for Earth Week

Just like building cardiovascular endurance for a NOLS mountaineering course or practicing for a difficult climb, training for any big goal requires that one constantly push the limits. NOLS adopted this same philosophy in the sustainability effort, designed to facilitate maximum impact education through minimum impact practices.   NOLS newest opportunity for maximum impact education comes in the form of the “Trash Your Can” week long challenge. 

“Trash Your Can” is designed to facilitate a new and improved outlook on waste.  During the week of April 20-24, NOLS staff members are voluntarily giving up their personal trash cans in exchange for a comparable size recycle bin and a small department trashcan, creating an office climate where recyclables are the most convenient type of waste.  By experiencing a work week where throwing things away requires a trip down the hall, “Trash Your Can” participants are forced to think about the waste they are creating.  The trip to the trash can will not only help stretch those legs to train for the next big hike, it also allows recycling to go from being a second thought, to a first instinct.

In the effort to improve recycling everywhere, the NOLS Sustainability Program encourages everyone to “Trash Your Can” this coming Earth Week.  Please let us know if you’re participating or if you’re stepping it up in another way this Earth Day.  To RSVP for the “Trash Your Can” event and to download and print out a “Trash Your Can poster visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=95127748135&ref=mf 
or contact Paige_Healy@nolse.edu.  

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Shedding Some Light on Sustainability

    You don’t have to invest a fortune to reduce your carbon footprint.  In fact, small facility investments, like changing out your building’s lighting ballasts and replacing energy hogging bulbs with compact fluorescents, make a big difference.  Lighting ballasts are a component of the lighting circuit intended to limit the flow of current through the fixture.  When old ballasts are replaced with newer more efficient versions, the building’s overall electricity use drops dramatically.

    The purple line in the graph below plots NOLS Rocky Mountain month-by-month kwh consumption for 2005.  From July- September 2007 the old lighting ballasts were replaced with a more efficient version, contributing to a 17, 516 kwh reduction for the year 2007 and decreasing the buildings carbon emissions by almost 8 tons.  However, the lighting ballasts relatively hidden location often translates into a lack of appreciation.
    In the winter of 2007, NOLS Rocky Mountain received a Blue Sky Grant from Rocky Mountain Power to install a solar array on the roof of their facility.  Solar panels, being the more exciting and visible facility addition, receive a majority of the attention.  In the fall of 2007, the solar array was installed, mitigating the facilities energy consumption by 27,493 kwh in 2008 and reducing their carbon emissions by 12 tons.
    While the energy generated by solar panels is impressive, one of the more important pieces of data in the graph is the dramatic reduction achieved through a simple lighting update.  A change that is accessible to almost everyone at a reasonable cost, resulting in carbon reductions comparable to a large solar array.  

For more information you can contact paige_healy@nols.edu and check out http://nols.blogs.com/nols_news/2009/03/getting-a-grip-on-sustainability.html
for more ideas on how to reduce your consumption.    

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Omnibus Public Lands Management Act Hits Obama's Desk

Today the National Outdoor Leadership School celebrated passage of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 by the U.S. House of Representatives, which included the Wyoming Range Legacy Act. The bill will now move to President Obama’s desk and await his signature. Since 2004, NOLS has been closely engaged in a broad grassroots effort to protect 1.2 million acres of Wyoming’s namesake mountain range from oil and gas development, which is a key year-round classroom for backcountry wilderness courses.

“Passage of the Wyoming Range Legacy Act verifies that protecting wildlife and wild places in addition to healthy rural mountain economies is a high priority for Congress.” said John Gans, NOLS Executive Director. “The National Outdoor Leadership School would like to thank Senator John Barrasso, Senator Mike Enzi, and Governor Dave Freudenthal for their unwavering support of this bill, and for their commitment to the legacy of the late Senator Craig Thomas.”

Today, the passion and commitment of those who value wilderness, wild rivers, and wildlife habitat has paid off.   Once signed, the 160 bills that make up the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act will designate 2 million acres of new Wilderness, create 1,000 miles of new Wild and Scenic Rivers, and expand our National Park System. This is the largest Wilderness bill to be passed since 1994.

photo courtesy of Gary Amerine

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NOLS Rocks the House

The U.S. House of Representatives, that is. NOLS staff took time out of their busy lives this week to participate in the Wyoming Range Call-A-Thon, phoning alumni in key congressional districts to build support for the Omnibus Public Lands Act. Over 450 alumni in 12 key congressional districts were called and asked to contact their Congressional Representatives in support of the bill. The Public Policy department predicts that Representatives could be hearing from 10 to 20 NOLS graduates in each district.

The Omnibus Public Lands Act designates more than 2,000,000 acres of new Wilderness on Federal Lands, creates more that 1,000 new miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers, and withdraws 1,200,000 acres from oil and gas development in the Wyoming Range, a crucial NOLS classroom.

Two weeks ago, supporters' hopes were dashed as the Act fell two votes shy of the 2/3 majority required to move it swiftly out of the House and place it on the President's desk. This week, the U.S. Senate pass a different version of the bill that would be more amenable to the U.S. House.

NOLS and other supporters of the legislation hope that constituent calls to moderate Democrats and Republicans can gain additional votes before the revised bill is reconsidered, which could be as soon as March 25 or 26.

photo courtesy Gary Amerine

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