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National Outdoor Leadership School - Index

National Outdoor Leadership School - brochure - Index

8
THE
Leader
Q&A
Walking the
Sustainability
Talk
Q&A with Latane Frank,
NOLS Rocky Mountain
Facilities Manager
BY NICOLE CHILTON
QLatane, you’ve been a part of NOLS since 1999
when you took your instructor course. What first
got you interested in the school?
ABefore coming to NOLS I worked in outdoor education
and as a guide for a long time. NOLS has always
been known as the leader in wilderness education,
and I got to the point where I was choosing between professional
guiding and educating. That led me to NOLS.
QWhy did you make that decision between guiding
and education?
AI enjoyed guiding, but I also liked the amount of
responsibility that we can give to students. It’s a
different relationship between a student and instructor
instead of a guide and client. I really liked the student/instructor
relationship that comes from teaching.
Not that as a guide you don’t teach, but you can do so
much more as an instructor.
QWhat do you think is the most important thing
that NOLS students can learn from their course?
AGood question. It depends on the student, but I
hope they just come away caring about the world
they live in. Whether that’s the city, the wilderness or
the people they live with in that area. I want them to
realize that their energy and effort makes their lives
and the lives of the people they are with better. I want
them to know that it can be a fun adventure. I want
them to care about this earth. Whether or not the students
decide to go back to the wilderness after they
have completed their course, they know that they have
to be a defender of that space in order to go back.
Everyone that takes a NOLS course needs to be a protector
and defender of wild places.
Nicole Chilton
QWhat is it that motivates you to be so passionate
about sustainability?
AI guess I’m not a very good capitalist. The
bumper sticker that says “live simply so others
can simply live” is something that I take pretty heavily
to heart. I think my commitment to sustainability
comes from the fact that I like places, people, and
the world that I live in. And so, as a result of that, I
just hope that other people can realize that they can
also live happy, fulfilling, rewarding lives and that
the planet is a place that we need to be stewards of,
whether it is the wilderness, my yard, my house, the
headquarters building, NOLS Rocky Mountain, or
the Noble Hotel, and that we know that we are only
temporary stewards.
QWhat are some of the projects that you’ve been
involved in at NOLS in regard to sustainability?
AI was lucky when I took my job. I inherited some
neat projects that were set up by my predecessors.
So I get some glory, I guess, for implementing things
that were other peoples’ visions. I’ve also been lucky
enough to be involved with some other projects that
I’ve been able to take and run with on my own. There
are a few things that I’ve done that have been pretty effective
and fun. There is a business in town that collects
our recyclables. They are a viable local business
that is making recycling easier and more convenient.
The more that NOLS can support that business, the
more they can grow and get even more people recycling.
At NOLS Rocky Mountain, we’ve changed the
electronics that run our light fixtures so they run off a
more efficient platform that has reduced energy costs
by over 30 percent. In the next month, through a
grant with the power company and some other funds,
we are going to put solar panels on the roof of NOLS
Rocky Mountain.
QWhat are you doing to prepare for the addition of
the solar panels?
AWe’re using a local company, Creative Energies,
and working with them. They do solar and geothermal
work, and through the information that we’ve
given them, they have designed a system for us. I’ve
been working to make sure that the building can
structurally hold the additional load. Putting holes in
the roof to take the bits and pieces of equipment are
Guided fly fishing in the Wind River Range since 1977
Offering day fly fishing in the Lander area, as well as extended
trips with backpack, horse, goat, and llama support options.
We are experts in golden trout … and just having fun!
all part of the logistics. It’s Creative Energies’ baby,
but I’ll be involved in the installation to learn how
the system works to maintain it as well as to reduce
costs and make it a more efficient project.
QHow long has the planning for this project been
in the works?
AWe’ve been dreaming about it since the first solar
panel cell came out. We thought that would be so
nice for the school to have. It’s been within a year that
we’ve really been planning though. Getting a grant
from the power company, working with Creative Energies,
and getting backing money from our side as
well has made this a very cost effective project.
QAre there any other cool projects going on at
NOLS Headquarters, Rocky Mountain or the
Noble that you’re excited about?
AAll of them. There are the little things like trying
to buy better appliances with an energy star on
them instead of just cheap ones. Lighting has been
something that I’ve worked with by putting compact
fluorescent light bulbs in all the fixtures in the hotel
to try and reduce that cost. In my dream world, I’m
hoping that we can more efficiently use energy in
NOLS Headquarters for heating and cooling and optimizing
systems to be as energy efficient as possible.
For the Noble, I bought exercise equipment that
isn’t plugged in. People generate the energy to run the
computers on the machines. I’m also really excited that
the school has taken on the sustainability audit with
Pure Strategies. It was great getting to meet with those
two gentlemen. I like the climate that is at the school
that supports these initiatives and desires and works
to walk the talk. By putting our values into these projects,
hopefully we can find that natural balance between
people, the environment and the bottom line
of the school, and we can do it in a really intelligent
and thought out way.
QAny last tokens of inspiration for our readers?
ATo all our alumni, thanks for taking a course and
taking what you learned and applying it to your
daily life. Do whatever it takes to do the next thing to
leave the world better than when you started.
Sweetwater
Fishing Expeditions
George and Paula Hunker
PO Box 524
Lander, WY 82520
www.sweetwaterfishing.com
307-332-3986
george@sweetwaterfishing.com
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FISHING EXPEDITIONS