Sustainability and Outdoor Education at Colorado College

The Outdoor Education Center aims to incorporate sustainability into not only its daily practices, but into every project it promotes. This intentionality has won Colorado College the Green Program Award (2015), deeming it the "greenest" outdoor program in the country by the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education. And it's really no wonder how CC came to win this prestigious award; from the very structure of the CC Outdoor Education Center building to the t-shirts bought for outdoor leaders, every move the OEC makes has sustainability in mind.

Environmental Policy

The core tenants in Outdoor Education at Colorado College are leadership, service, and stewardship. These tenants are realized through healthy relationships with other people, as well as the natural environment. Since so much of the value of Outdoor Education is derived from these relationships, the members and staff at CC Outdoor Education feel an obligation to strive to act in a sustainable manner. Outdoor Education is in an excellent position to not just act sustainably, but also to teach an ethic of sustainability to the entire Colorado College outdoor community.

Outdoor Trips

Teach Leave No Trace (LNT) Principles practiced for all outdoor trips

Risk analysis always calculated in trip planning

Unused trip food is either donated to Colorado Springs Food Rescue or composted

Local produce is eaten during New Student Orientation (NSO) trips

• Organically/locally grown food produced by Arkansas Valley Organic Growers (AVOG)
• This produce is encouraged for FOOT trips/Outdoor Recreation Club (ORC) trips
• Composting option for trips
• Reusable bags for grocery shopping
• Local food helps fuel our service trips (13,000 + hours of service)

Senes of place trips focus on educating the CC community about the area's cultural history, ecology, geology, and sources of our sustenance

• Examine watersheds, foodshed, and energy sources
• Helps students have a better understanding of the environment they live and play in, in addition to gaining a more educated perspective on how they impact the world

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