2016-Cairn January 2016: Sustainability

Start Date-End Date: 01/23/2016-01/23/2016 Land Manager Office: Waste Management (CO & UT) Land Manager Contact: Katie Symons Funding Partner: Oxford Recycling Programmatic Partner: Summary: Cairn members will get a tour of the Waste Management landfill in Aurora, and then head back to their Education Center to learn more about recycling. In the afternoon, we will head to Oxford Recycling to learn about industrial recycling methods. Description: Cairn members will get a tour of the Waste Management landfill in Aurora, and then head back to their Education Center to learn more about recycling. In the afternoon, we will head to Oxford Recycling to learn about industrial recycling methods. Latitude/Longitude: Additional Information: Camping Available: No Physical Difficulty: High Altitude Project: Desired Number of Volunteers: 30 Total Adult Volunteers Attended: 5 Total Youth Volunteers Attended: 22 Total Volunteer Days: 27 Total Unique Volunteers: 27 Total Volunteer Hours: 241 Staff Hours: 19 Stipend Hours: 0 Project Summary: Since land managers do not have many needs in the winter months, we decided to focus on a sustainability theme for the January project. The Cairn students went on a tour of the Denver/Arapahoe Waste Management landfill, presented by the WM Community Relations Manager and the Operations Manager at the landfill. This was an incredibly eye opening experience, to see just waste humans generate, and what a truly pressing issue this already is, and is going to continue to be. After the tour, we headed back to WM's Education Center, where we looked at different recycling displays, and talked about how to make ourselves, our homes and our schools more waste-efficient. After this, we went to Oxford Recycling and got a tour of their industrial facility. They recycle asphalt, cement and wood to make new products. Successes and Challenges: The tours all had to take place in the van, since we were around heavy machinery. This got a little long, since it was a beautiful day out. The landfill was still VERY much worth the time in the van, and followed up by the Ed Center, made for a great first part of the day. Oxford Recycling was cool to see, but the president of the company was long winded, and not great at speaking with a younger crowd. Lessons Learned: The sustainability theme makes for a great winter project, and I think it can be built upon in future years. It also is a great project for having the students reflect on their choices and actions. Special Notes: Stewardship Education: The whole day was education based, and was provided by staff at Waste Management and Oxford Recycling. Kadin, one Cairn student, led the group in a discussion as part of his IB CAS project. Key Concerns or Comments from Staff or Volunteers: Description of Accidents/Incidents: Description of Work Completed: