Environmental Stewardship

• Reduce our consumption
• Improve student transference of environmental ethics
• Encourage partners, suppliers and local communities

Photo: Lara McCluskey

The Goal
Consistent with our mission, values, and strategic and operating goals, NOLS will work diligently to achieve greater sustainability in our use of natural resources. We will role model these changes to encourage our students and partners to adopt sustainable practices.

Context
In commitment to our core values of wilderness and excellence, NOLS models responsible use of natural resources. We practice and teach the principles of resource stewardship and environmental sustainability, integrating them into student experiences and throughout the global NOLS community. Our students graduate with a strong foundation in Leave No Trace principles and the tools necessary to transfer these values to their frontcountry lives. We actively engage in efforts to protect the natural character of our backcountry classrooms in support of high-quality wilderness experiences for our students.

Implementation
The achievement of this goal starts with the baseline sustainability audit delivered to the school in February 2008. NOLS will analyze the findings of the report and target goals and timelines for operating departments of the school. These plans will affect how we operate, what we teach, and our outreach efforts.

Further Goals and Tactics
We will embody our backcountry wilderness ethic in our frontcountry operations in a way that reduces our environmental impact.

1. Conservation: We will develop new internal mechanisms to increase efficiency and reduce our consumption of natural resources as measured relative to any change in our student body.

a. Our February 2008 schoolwide assessment of our environmental footprint will serve as a baseline for continual improvement.

b. We will develop administrative systems and policies that will facilitate our ability to track key sustainability data.

c. We will develop and achieve reductions in our carbon footprint on a student day basis.

d. We will target other primary goals based on our response to the sustainability audit.

2. Education: We will provide students and staff with tools to make sustainable choices.

a. We will develop new curriculum to enable students to transfer backcountry sustainability to their frontcountry lives.

b. We will develop training tools for staff that demonstrate sustainability practices for the office and home.

3. Outreach: We will encourage sustainability practices in our partners, suppliers, and local communities.

a. We will provide learning opportunities for our local communities based on tangible outcomes of our internal sustainability program.

b. We will identify and cultivate working partnerships with equipment and product suppliers who are willing to work toward greater sustainability in their supply chains.