Free CMC youth outdoor leadership program offered in Leadville this June

First Ascent enrolling now, applications due April 28

At the 2019 First Ascent Youth Leadership course, participants climbed near Camp Hale. Students also hike Mount Elbert, raft the Arkansas River and participate in group leadership exercises during the five-day course based at CMC Leadville. Photo by Matt Lit

The First Ascent Youth Leadership program is now accepting applications for its free, five-day residential course at Colorado Mountain College Leadville. 

 This outdoor experiential course, now in its 25th year, is for current eighth and ninth graders. The course takes place Sunday, June 20 through Friday, June 25, and will follow state and CMC guidelines for COVID-19 precautions. 

First Ascent is designed to help young adults from various social and economic backgrounds develop leadership skills and confidence for personal, academic and social growth. During the program, students live at Colorado Mountain College’s residential hall in Leadville and build self-esteem through challenges such as rock climbing, hiking Mount Elbert and rafting the Arkansas River.

 This year, the program will accept 35 students who show potential to be leaders. Counselors and staff are graduates of the program; students completing First Ascent can return to work as staff during future summers. 

Students living in the seven counties of the Colorado Mountain College district – Chaffee, Eagle, Garfield, Lake, Pitkin, Summit and part of Routt – are encouraged to apply. To be considered for this summer’s program, students need to complete priority applications on the First Ascent page of the CMC website by April 28. 

First Ascent is sponsored by Alpine Bank and the J. Robert Young Foundation. For more information and to apply, visit our information page or contact sverburg@coloradomtn.edu, 800-621-8559. 

Watch the video of the Extreme Fire presentation with Kale Casey

 

CMC features ‘Extreme Fire’ with Grizzly Creek Fire’s Kale Casey

Kale Casey

Kale Casey was one of the lead information officers during last summer’s Grizzly Creek Fire in and around Glenwood Canyon. On April 15, he’ll discuss wildfire behavior, and talk about ways to protect yourself and your property from wildfires. Photo Kari Greer/Photo Kari Greer/USDA Forest Service

On April 15, Colorado Mountain College Glenwood Springs will present “Extreme Fire” as part of its free speaker series, The Gift of Education. The event features a virtual presentation and discussion with Kale Casey, an information officer during the Grizzly Creek Fire. The online-only event is free and open to the public.

Now based in Alaska, Casey is a 14-year wildfire veteran who spent over 20 years living on Colorado's Western Slope. For 50 days last summer, he served as one of the lead information officers on both the Grizzly Creek and Cameron Peak fires in Colorado.

At this Gift of Education virtual event, Casey will talk about and share insights regarding the highly unique wildfire behaviors firefighters saw last summer. He’ll also discuss Firewise principles – measures communities and individuals can take – to protect property and businesses.

“Extreme Fire” is a free community event and will take place on WebEx from 6:30-8 p.m. on April 15. Attendees need to send an email to Annmarie Deter at adeter@coloradomtn.edu and she will forward the link to access the WebEx event.

For more information, please contact Annmarie Deter at the email above or 970-947-8477. More information is available at The Gift of Education speaker series: "Extreme Fire."

Rendering of the CMC Spring Valley solar array

Rendering representative of 5MW solar PV system and 15MWH battery energy storage system to be installed through Holy Cross Energy and Colorado Mountain College’s partnership with Ameresco.

HCE and CMC announce partnership with Ameresco for solar and battery energy storage project

Under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) Ameresco will install 4.5MW of solar PV and 15MWH battery energy storage

FRAMINGHAM, MA and GLENWOOD SPRINGS, C.O. – April 6, 2021 – Ameresco, Inc., (NYSE: AMRC), a leading clean technology integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced its partnership with Holy Cross Energy (HCE) for a solar and battery energy storage project, which utilizes land leased from Colorado Mountain College at its Spring Valley Campus.

Ameresco’s project with Holy Cross Energy is under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), which allows Ameresco to design, build, operate and maintain the facilities while simultaneously offering Holy Cross Energy the benefit of clean, renewable energy to help HCE meet its goal of sourcing 100% of the electricity used to serve customer load with renewable resources by 2030 as a part of its 100x30 plan. According to the agreement, Ameresco will install 4.5MW of solar PV and 15MWH battery energy storage.

The technology solutions installed will be owned by Ameresco on land it will lease from Colorado Mountain College. Ameresco will then sell the output generated to HCE. The avoided annual greenhouse gas emissions of the solar PV are expected to be 6,853 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, which equates to the emissions benefit of removing 1,481 passenger vehicles from the road, or not burning 7,551,050 pounds of coal.

“One of the extraordinary things about working in this industry is finding and utilizing solutions that work for all of our customers,” said Louis Maltezos, Executive Vice President of Ameresco. “By eliminating concerns around potential financial barriers and leveraging our deep technical expertise, we can focus on fostering innovative solutions that fit our clients’ needs and benefit the communities they service.”

The Ameresco project will help HCE achieve its goal of leading the responsible transition to a clean energy future by increasing the renewable energy it provides to its members to 100% clean by 2030 and completely offsetting its greenhouse gas emission to net-zero by 2035. Since 1939, HCE has provided electric services, often for the first time, to rural areas left out of large- scale electric and energy projects.

“Projects like this one will allow HCE to attain our 100X30 clean energy goals

while keeping power supply costs low,” said HCE President and CEO Bryan Hannegan. “We are honored to be partnering with local organizations such as CMC to develop reliable and resilient energy resources that will benefit all HCE members even as we assist CMC in meeting its specific sustainability goals.”

“We are so excited to be part of this great venture in solar energy,” said Dr. Heather Exby, Colorado Mountain College Vice President and Spring Valley Campus Dean. “By leasing a portion of our land for the solar array, we will help our community to attain energy independence by use of this renewable, and locally abundant, source. Colorado Mountain College as a whole will also move closer to our goal to be carbon neutral by 2050, as we will be receiving renewable energy credits from Holy Cross Energy that will offset electrical usage at our Spring Valley, Aspen and Edwards campuses.” Exby said, “We could not have done this without the advice and guidance from the staff at CLEER (Clean Energy Economy for the Region). The expertise of Katharine Rushton, Renewable Energy Program Director, ensured a high-quality and community-appropriate project that wins for everyone.”

Construction is set to be completed in the first quarter of 2022.

To learn more about the energy efficiency solutions offered by Ameresco, visit www.ameresco.com/energy-efficiency/.

About Ameresco, Inc.

Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) is a leading cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner and operator. Our comprehensive portfolio includes energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions delivered to clients throughout North America and the United Kingdom. Ameresco’s sustainability services in support of clients’ pursuit of Net Zero include upgrades to a facility’s energy infrastructure and the development, construction, and operation of distributed energy resources. Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with Federal, state and local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has more than 1,000 employees providing local expertise in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.

About Holy Cross Energy

Founded in 1939, Holy Cross Energy is a not-for-profit rural electric cooperative that provides safe, reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy and services that improve the quality of life for almost 45,000 members and their communities in Western Colorado. We are committed to leading the responsible transition to a clean energy future. For more information on HCE, please visit https://www.holycross.com.

About Colorado Mountain College

Founded in 1965, Colorado Mountain College provides a diverse range of learning opportunities at its 11 campuses and learning locations throughout the state’s north-central mountain region, as well as online. The college offers over 125 certificates and degrees, including bachelor’s degrees, and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. From high school students earning college credit, to adults learning English or earning a GED, to students of any age earning certificates or associate and bachelor’s degrees, to local residents passionate about lifelong learning, Colorado Mountain College plays an intrinsic role in the lives and communities it touches. The U.S. Department of Education has ranked Colorado Mountain College among the country’s most affordable public colleges offering bachelor’s degrees. Learn more at: www.coloradomtn.edu.

Rising up by rooting down

Editor's note: This first-person account by Adrian Fielder, assistant dean of instruction at Colorado Mountain College Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs, was published in the May 2017 "green" issue of Roaring Fork Lifestyle magazine http://www.roaringforklifestyle.com/2017/04/30/rising-up-by-rooting-down/. The piece is on the impact of  CMC's sustainability program in Fielder's life, and why sustainability is a crucial field of study in western Colorado.

By Adrian Fielder

What brought me to the Roaring Fork Valley eight years ago was a deep longing for a place to root down. Having lived in multiple countries, I had encountered many of the world’s treasures but didn’t find “home” until coming here. I landed a position with Colorado Mountain College (CMC), but perhaps it was Mother Sopris that drew my family here with her rooted, humble magnetism: the antidote for an unmoored wanderlust. In this I am like the rest of us, for we are all immigrants beneath this mountain, the difference being when each of us arrived here.

During my previous travels through five continents, I learned five languages to become an aficionado of recipes and stories from every place I visited. The more I listened, the more I realized these were all part of the same narrative: the story of our human need to belong and to get along, to know where we fit in the cosmic picture. Our recipes, languages, and cultures are templates for developing and expressing our relationship to one another and the earth.

What brought me to sustainability was the realization that these relationships are under threat. Science tells us we are now in the age of the Anthropocene, the first geologic era named after a species—us—for we have radically (and perhaps irreversibly) altered the physical structure of our planet. We humans, who in a span of mere centuries have caused the sixth mass extinction event in the 3.7 billion year history of life on Earth, have endangered our own life-support system—the only known biosphere anywhere in the universe. Along with this loss of biodiversity, the cultural diversity of humanity (or ethnosphere) has also been greatly diminished over the past two centuries as the modern industrial economy has colonized indigenous people on all continents, catalyzing the loss of thousands of languages and lifeways—each of which once preserved sacred knowledge and a unique relationship to the land.

Why were we taught that we are separate from nature and from each other, that we can master nature (and other humans) for our own ends, and that we do not depend upon nature (and each other) for our very existence? Science now shows us the profound folly of this notion, but long before that, so did all the mythological traditions of humanity. These stories remind us that we are not separate entities, each whole unto ourselves; rather, we are all parts of a larger whole, and our identity comes from our relationships with all the other parts. However, when we are in constant migration, we cannot rediscover those relationships and remember what we always knew. We need a place to root down. Because of CMC, I was fortunate to find such a place: this valley, so conducive to partnership, reciprocity, and interdependence. This is what makes our home special.

Case in point: because of you, our stakeholders, we heard (when we asked you in 2010) that our community needed sustainability education. In response, we launched a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sustainability Studies in 2011. Because our valley is home to some of the most innovative sustainability organizations in the country, we partnered with dozens of local employers to provide training, internships, and job opportunities. To date, 44 students in the Roaring Fork Valley have graduated with this degree and entered a wide variety of fields in which they are now leaders. Among our local graduates are those who conserve land and open space, build soil and grow food on that land, and create local markets for that produce. Others work to protect the water we all need to live, ensure access to the outdoors for disabled children, maintain the environmental health of our communities, convert food waste into compost, and coach the community on both conserving energy and powering their homes and businesses with clean energy.

Each of these graduates provides our community with added vitality and resilience, but their greatest value is derived from the relationships among us. These former students have now become our partners, rising up as role models for current and future waves of students. As CMC celebrates the past 50 years of serving our beautiful Rocky Mountain communities, these bright souls now teach us how to grow our own future in uncertain times.

Adrian Fielder is Assistant Dean of Instruction at CMC, where he is proud to have co-created one of CMC’s first bachelor programs with a team of excellent colleagues both within the institution and in the wider community.