Left Hand Laurel Kaiya Brown

Kaiya Brown has been a member of the Niwot community for several years, during which she has become a familiar face and volunteer at events around Niwot.

For her volunteer efforts throughout Niwot, Brown is the July 2024 recipient of the Left Hand Valley Courier's Left Hand Laurel.

Brown has been volunteering as a Gargoyle at the local summer concert series Rock & Rails for three years, helping keep the event "zero-waste." As a middle schooler, Brown joined her school's "ECO Club." She would similarly stand behind the waste bins during her lunch period and assist her classmates and teachers with sorting waste. This led to her joining the Gargoyles.

Not only is Brown a volunteer, she is one of the "Lead Gargoyles." Leads are responsible for organizing and directing the group of volunteers throughout the night while supervisors manage other aspects of the event.

Brown can be found at other events at Whistle Stop Park including The RISE Concert benefiting the Jared Music Foundation. She is also an advocate of eco-friendly events to her peers at Niwot High School.

Brown's passion for all things sustainable extends to pollinators such as honey bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other creatures that stimulate the natural environment. Each spring, she plants a pollinator garden with a mix of local flowers as well as milkweed to support local pollinators. "It really does make a difference," she said.

After spending the first eight years of her life in a sustainable and off-grid area in New Mexico, Brown made it a point to dedicate parts of her life to preserving the natural world. Seeing first hand what it looks like to be sustainable with composting toilets and a 1500 gallon water supply gave Brown a unique and beautiful perspective of nature.

"My ultimate goal is to promote cleaner and more sustainable communities and I can't do that without participating myself," Brown said. "I really want the generations after me to be able to experience the beautiful things I have, so I am doing everything in my power to push towards that future."

Brown recently graduated from Niwot High School where she participated in both technical theater and choir. She attributes management skills gained at NHS to helping her with her eco-friendly goals.

She plans to attend Cal Poly Humboldt to study botany and possibly film. She plans to use her education for research and learn about upcoming habitat conservation methods.

Brown hopes to implement campus clean-up days as well as continue volunteering at sustainable venues perhaps through the local ECO Club. Her ultimate goal is to preserve the beauty of the natural world for future generations.