Shadowcliff E-News - March 2009

The Shadowcliff Experience
by Robert J. Mann, Co-Director

In 2002, Shadowcliff adopted the phrase “inspiring the journey” as a way of communicating the special place that we want to hold in the lives of our guests. Shadowcliff is more than vacation lodging or great educational opportunities. Shadowcliff is a mountain sanctuary where memories are created: memories of time together, of family, of new friends, of pine trees and pine beetles, marmots, deer, elk, moose and chipmunks and of being up close and personal with the beauty and lessons of the natural world.

In these mountains, sitting by the streams, hiking the trails, our senses come alive. Guests hear with new ears, smell in a new way, walk with renewed awareness of their surroundings and see the sacred everywhere. Life is old in these mountains. Oceans once covered Shadowcliff and seashells and fossils are still found along high mountain trails and passes. With hopeful eyes, Shadowcliff guests reconnect with nature. Tensions ease as they become more at peace with themselves and the world around them. Lives change, commitments are made and new dreams arise.

At the heart of the Shadowcliff experience is the affirmative commitment to live our values. Shadowcliff guests can feel the vitality of these values simply in the way volunteers, staff and guests honor this place and those who make it part of their lives. This is the reason nearly 80 percent of Shadowcliff groups, individual and cabin guests return year after year. This is a mountain sanctuary where lessons are learned and guests, volunteers and staff leave inspired for the journey.

Shadowcliff Education

The fulfillment of Shadowcliff’s mission calls us to explore and expand the opportunities for education in all that we do in day-to-day operations as well as in the services we offer our guests. As highly as we regard this modeling role, we are equally committed to affirmative pro-active teaching of the principles and values that are critical to creating a climate for a restorative world.

Shadowcliff Facilitated Workshops
In 2002, Shadowcliff launched its first multi-day Sustainability Series Workshop. These workshops, facilitated by Shadowcliff faculty, have increased in number and impact during each succeeding year. In 2008 there were six such workshops with attendees including mayors, federal and state agencies, CEOs of major corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Shadowcliff workshops emphasize the interdependence of all of creation and the lessons that nature offers to the human family as well as practical tools and strategies for addressing those challenges in creative and effective ways.

Shadowcliff workshops are often strategic planning experiences applying the principles of sustainability, which inspire participants to plan actions to be implemented when they return to their home communities and work places.

Ongoing Educational Opportunities

Shadowcliff staff offer interactive nature hikes on a regular basis. The hikes are usually one to three hours in length, are offered weekly at no cost to guests and incorporate teachings about nature, Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) and the important lessons nature offers to the human family.

Each week a Rocky Mountain National Park ranger visits Shadowcliff to share stories and educational opportunities of RMNP with Shadowcliff guests. Continuation of this and other ways of intentionally connecting with RMNP and the Rocky Mountain Nature Association are an important aspect of Shadowcliff’s educational emphasis.
Periodically, Shadowcliff staff offer additional educational opportunities to guests, such as an evening program or presentation on issues related to the Shadowcliff mission.

Facilities as Educational Message

To be restorative, we must always be conscious of our everyday choices in everything that we do as an organization. This includes the energy we use, the materials we use for construction or repairs, the meals we provide to our guests, the diversity of our staff, our transportation choices and dozens of other daily choices we make as a part of our operations. We don’t claim to have all of the answers, but do hold ourselves accountable for making conscious choices in these areas and remaining ever vigilant for new and better choices each year.

Food Choices as Educational Message

We like to think of Shadowcliff’s kitchen as a compassionate kitchen, a place where the food we prepare and serve is a further expression of the principles of sustainability and hospitality that guide our meal service as part of the overall Shadowcliff experience.

By modeling ethical choices that result in tasty and nutritious meals, served with care and attention, we show guests and staff alike one more way to bring our daily decisions into alignment with a sustainable, restorative world. From planning menus to buying, preparing, serving and, ultimately, disposal of waste, our goal is to live both well and lightly on the Earth.

To learn more about all that Shadowcliff offers, visit www.shadowcliff.org. We hope you choose to join us soon and gain first-hand knowledge of the Shadowcliff Experience.

Shadowcliff is an affiliate of Bridging The Gap - Connecting Environment, Economy, Community