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Environmental Practices at
NOLS Southwest
In operation for the past 15 years, NOLS Southwest occupies what was previously an Arabian horse ranch, a ten-acre property at the base of the Catalina Mountains where Gila monsters and javelina are regular visitors.
The facility is made up of spacious rations and equipment rooms, a climbing wall, two recently-built straw bail houses, and an open air, covered ramada, where students eat their meals and prepare for their courses.
What we're doing:
Recycling
- We recycle all bottles, cans, plastic, paper, and cardboard.
- We use environmentally friendly paper.
- NOLS Southwest participates in the Adopt-a-Highway program, donating time to pick up trash along nearby roads.
Efficiency
- Motion sensors on outside lights reduce use when not needed.
- Solar hot water heaters, low flow showerheads, and no flush urinals make our new shower house super efficient.
- We use solar rechargeable battery system for cave headlamps.
- The strawbale staff housing requires no heating or cooling and is built from renewable resources.
Transportation
- We improved the efficiency of evacuations and town runs by purchasing a Subaru in fall 2005.
Being Organic
- Our rations room purchases environmentally friendly toilet paper and cleaning supplies, while also committing to purchasing more organic food.
- All laundry is hang dried on clotheslines.
Goals
- Set up a compost system that is not accessible to rodents.
- Create an adequate system for utilizing rainwater to water plants.
- Install solar panels on the main house.
- Build sustainable staff housing (four 200 sq ft huts) made from Durisol ICF blocks which are recyclable and rammed earth with solar power on each hut.
- Convert the entire NOLS Southwest campus to solar power!
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