Nineteen Colorado Mountain College (CMC) students ventured into the remote Himalayan country of Bhutan in November 2018 as part of a three-week field experience. On Feb. 19, some of those students will present their firsthand accounts of Bhutan’s environmental conservation, social empowerment and gross national happiness at CMC Vail Valley at Edwards.
Bhutan measures its success via gross national happiness, or GNH, rather than the more common gross national product, or GNP. Their constitution mandates that 60 percent of the country’s landmass be maintained and protected as forest. Additionally, Bhutan is the only carbon negative country in the world.
Several faculty from CMC have been visiting the country for years, cultivating ties that resulted in the college being invited to join the international Mountain Partnership. The Mountain Partnership falls under the aegis of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and is dedicated to preserving mountain communities through sustainable practices. This marks the first Bhutan study-abroad opportunity for CMC students.
The event, titled “Learning in the Land of Happiness,” will begin at 6:30 p.m. at CMC Vail Valley at Edwards, with a reception graciously underwritten by the Cantele-Fink family. The presentation will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and admission is free.
For more information, contact Diana Scherr at 970-569-2966 or dscherr@coloradomtn.edu.
The following Colorado Mountain College students will present:
Andrea Sanchez: Biodiversity conservation in Bhutan. Ansley Burnett: Bhutanese culture and family values. Jose Guzman: Bhutan’s blending of spirituality and environment. Keith Labbe: Short film, “CMC Sustainability in Bhutan.” Madeline Dougherty: Bhutan: Progress Redefined. Michael Gonzalez: Exploring Bhutan’s facets of sustainability. Sunny Frost: Bhutanese cuisine: A revival of tradition.
