- We used to send our acceptance letters through snail mail to all of our campers. *This year, we have done ALL of our correspondence through e-mail!
- We used to print an average of 85 Daily Drum Newsletters per day, each composed of 8 pages! *Now we print only five copies and put them in binders for our campers and staff to share during meals and free time! Saving 640 pages a day, 4,480 pages a week, and a grand total of 21,760 pages throughout the whole month on the Daily Drum alone!
- We used to print an average of 65 surveys composed of two pages each for each guest speaker. *Now we discuss the survey in person and take notes on only one printed survey! Saving 1,920 pieces of paper!
- We used to brainstorm for our media hour on paper totaling to about 40 pages a day, 280 pages a week, and a total of 1,360 pages throughout the whole month! *Now we use a white board for everything, using zero pieces of paper!
- We used to print an average of 80 yearbooks with an average of 48 pages each, totaling to 3,840 pages every year. *Now we will print zero yearbooks, and will have DVD yearbooks instead!
(With the paper we saved on the Daily Drum alone we spared one whole tree!)
- Speaking of all that paper: we used to throw everything away in the trash.*Now we recycle any and all papers we use!
- We used to leave the lights on in the administration building all day.*Now we keep the lights off until it becomes dark outside or when absolutely necessary!
- We used to sell junk food (candy, chips and sodas) during canteen breaks three times a day! *Now we have only one canteen break in the afternoon selling only healthy snacks such as nature valley bars and trail mix! Every day the campers drink only water, milk, and juice. No sodas and no candy! We provide fruits in the morning for snack.
- As a result of this, we save plenty of trash from wrappers, plastic bottles and cans!
- We have more vegetarian and vegan options available for our vegetarian/vegan staff and campers!
- We also have a salad bar available!
- We encourage our campers to use their canteen bottles at all times. If our campers don't have a canteen bottle of their own we loan them one! The more our campers use their canteens, the less water we use washing cups.
- We emphasize the importance of LNT (Leave No Trace), and ensure that our campers and staff pick up after themselves whether they are on the campgrounds, or if they go off site for field trips!
- We encourage the campers to use less wood to fuel the fire during Fireside every evening. Burning less wood reduces our air pollution!
- We used to have our campers sleep at 11 p.m. and get up at 7 a.m. *Now we have them sleep at 10:30 p.m. and get up at 7 a.m. They certainly are more well- rested with that extra hour of sleep!
- We are conscious of the well-being and mental health of our campers, every other day we have 30 minutes of group processing, which allows our campers to process what they have learned, what they are going through, and to vent their concerns and frustrations!
- We believe every camper has something important to offer, we give them several opportunities to share with each other. For example, every morning we give the campers 10 minutes to share an inspiring quote and to discuss their meanings and interpretations!
We are thrilled with our progress and results! We are searching for more ways to improve every day!
