NOLS Teton Valley

NOLS Teton Valley is one of nine branch schools of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). The mission of NOLS is to be the leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment. Founded in 1965, one of our primary objectives is to broaden our students’ environmental awareness and practices.
NOLS instituted a comprehensive Sustainability Initiative to increase staff and student environmental awareness and significantly reduce our school-wide environmental footprint. All nine of our branch schools are taking active steps to reduce their consumption through conservation, education, and conversion to renewable sources of energy.
Here at NOLS Teton Valley we have taken aggressive steps to reduce our environmental impact, including the installation of a 7.59-kilowatt solar system. This system consists of 33 panels mounted on the south-facing roof of the shower/bathroom addition. The total power production will offset between 35 and 40 percent of our annual electric use, saving approximately 121 metric tons per year of carbon from entering the atmosphere. Additionally we compost organic waste, we have prioritized building retrofits, such as increased insulation and a lighting retrofit, and implemented a responsible purchasing program. All of which will further reduce our resource consumption.