Students at Catawba College enhance their education outside the classroom and are involved in many multidisciplinary research projects. Catawba students are engaged in challenging and unique research experiences that emphasize current developments in biochemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, environmental chemistry and forensic science using state-of-the-art instrumentation. At Catawba, you'll learn science content in the context of work-world applications.

Seven million pounds of garbage – 961 refrigerators, 143 sinks, 67,000 tires, 3,700 55-gallon barrels, 63 messages in bottles and much, much more. That's how much trash Chad Pregracke and his organization have dredged up from the Mississippi and 16 other major rivers over the past 15 years. This dedicated river champion has been featured on CNN, the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, ABC, CBS and NBC. He was awarded the Jefferson Award for Public Service, a prize that is considered the U.S.

Author Francis Koster will speak Thursday, May 16, on his recently published book, Discovering the New America: Where Local Communities Are Solving National Problems, at the Center for the Environment building on the Catawba College campus. The 6:30 presentation will be followed by a reception and book signing. His book will be available at a discounted price.

Children made flower bursts while their parents learned about how to improve air quality at a "Growing Green Kids" family night on Earth Day, April 22. A joint venture of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College and Town Creek Commons Chick-Fil-A, the event site, the festivities drew children from age 2 to their teens. "A girls' soccer team from Iredell County came as they were on their way to East Rowan," says Sarah Moore, outreach coordinator for the Center.

Members of the Catawba College community gathered in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on April 23 to celebrate achievement. The occasion was the annual Awards Convocation.Scheduled the day after Earth Day, the awards distributed were eco-friendly, made of Catawba blue, 100% recycled glass. They symbolized the college's commitment to environmental responsibility and are a reminder to the recipients to promote a greener, more sustainable lifestyle.

An article by 2011 Catawba College alumna Kacey Hoover is featured in the April 2013 issue of the award-winning magazine of the American Solar Energy Society, Solar Today. Hoover earned her degree in environmental science from Catawba in 2011 and is pursuing a master's in Technology with a concentration in Appropriate Technology at Appalachian State University. She works as an energy analyst and specializes in rate structure analysis and estimating utility bills.

Catawba College is one of the 322 most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S. and Canada, according to The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com). Catawba was also only one of 21 institutions among the 322 featured in the guide to be included in The Princeton Review's "Green Honor Roll" for receiving Green Ratings of 99.

Nearly 140 people learned about the harmful effects of common chemicals on the public health April 9 when research scientist Dr. John Peterson Myers spoke at the Center for the Environment building on the Catawba College campus.

By Rebecca Rider - The Center for the Environment at Catawba College collaborated March 21 with Bread Riot to host a screening of the film "GROW!" at the Center building on campus. Bread Riot also provided locally grown foods for a tasting before the film. Set against the backdrop of rural Georgia, the film explores sustainable farming and the new face of agriculture.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College will host its third Faith, Spirituality and Environmental Stewardship workshop on Thursday, April 18, at the Center facility on the Catawba campus. The workshops are designed to allow participants of various faiths to share their knowledge and experience or learn more about topics that focus on environmental stewardship. They are a Campaign for Clean Air initiative.

Area teachers and the staff of the Center for the Environment met recently to explore ways the Center and its Campaign for Clean Air can help them in the classroom, especially as they prepare lessons on air pollution and ways to lessen it.

Dr. Pete Myers, founder, CEO and chief scientist of Environmental Health News, will speak on "Endocrine Disruption: A Global Threat to Health" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, at the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus.

The Center for the Environment and Bread Riot will host a screening of "GROW!" on Thursday, March 21, at the Center facility on the Catawba College campus. The film focuses on the new generation of sustainable farmers. "All across the U.S. there is a growing movement of educated young people who are leaving the cities to take up an agrarian life," the "GROW!" website says. "Armed with college degrees, some are unable to find jobs in the current economic slump.

The Center for the Environment will offer a second Faith, Spirituality and Environmental Stewardship Workshop Thursday, March 14, at the Center facility on the Catawba College campus. This workshop, as well as those in February and April, is designed to offer people who have implemented green projects the opportunity to share their experience with others. Topics include Green Gardens, Green Food – starting a community garden; Go Green, Save Greenbacks – learning about inexpensive ways...

Nearly 50 individuals learned about everything from harnessing the sun's energy to engaging young people in eco-friendly efforts February 7 at the Center for the Environment's Faith, Spirituality and Environmental Stewardship Workshop. Participants drove as much as two hours to the Catawba College campus to gather information they could take back to their faith communities.

Catawba College will launch a new Environmental Stewards and Scholars Scholarship Program this fall through the college's Center for the Environment. These scholarships are being offered in addition to the academic scholarships the college currently offers to students majoring in one of the four environmental degree programs: Environmental Education, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies or Sustainable Business and Community Development.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College recently posted an 8½ -minute video on its website about the 2012 National Environmental Summit, which brought high school students from across the country to the Catawba campus to learn how they could use their talents to effect positive change in the world. John Wear, executive director of the Center, taped a number of the summit activities and interviewed about a dozen of the participants near the end of the session last July.

Catawba College Environmental Science and Sustainable Business students greeted the cold and clear first day of February by assisting the N.C. Zoological Park in management of a significant tract of longleaf pine in the Uwharrie region of northern Montgomery County. The Nichols Tract, a 116-acre property containing one of the finest examples of a piedmont longleaf pine community in North Carolina, was recently purchased by the N.C. Zoological Park and Salisbury's Land Trust...

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College will host Faith, Spirituality and Environmental Stewardship Workshops to bring together people who would like to share their experiences with green projects in their congregations with those who want to learn how to implement projects in their own faith communities. "This workshop is based on the understanding that the people in the trenches are the experts," says Dr. John Wear, executive director of the Center for the Environment.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College is now accepting applications for its third annual National Environmental Summit for High School Students, scheduled for July 9-13. The summit, "Redesigning Our Future," is open to high school students from across the country who will be juniors or seniors during the 2013-2014 academic year. Those who complete the application process before April 1 will receive a discount of $90 from the student portion of the tuition cost.

Catawba College's 189-acre environmental preserve was named for environmental champion Fred Stanback on November 8 in a special surprise ceremony honoring the longtime benefactor and advocate of the Center for the Environment.

Fourteen Catawba College students employed their unique gifts and talents in service to others as interns with tax-exempt nonprofit organizations during the summer of 2012. Funding and coordination for the program were provided through the college's Lilly Center for Vocation and Values. While these students clearly benefitted from the experiential learning opportunities offered through such internships, they also filled vital roles within the programs they served.

The Rowan Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Rowan Class of 2012-13 visited the Center for the Environment at Catawba College. Watch a video of highlights from the visit below...

By Rebecca Rider - Conservation veteran Eugene Hester shared his wood duck adventures with 75 people September 27 at the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus.

Catawba College has received a $1.45 million grant from the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program of the National Science Foundation that will provide five years of support for scholarships and internships that help prepare Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors for teaching careers. This is the largest grant of this type that Catawba has ever received.

Dr. F. Eugene Hester, a scientist and government administrator who shaped federal wildlife policy at the highest levels for 25 years, will talk about his experiences with wildlife photography and illustrate memorable photographic events with a slide presentation Thursday, September 27, at the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus.

Again this year, Catawba College is ranked among "The Best 377 Colleges" by The Princeton Review in its 2013 annual college guide. Catawba was also named to The Princeton Review's 2013 Green Honor Roll, one of only 21 colleges in the nation and one of only two in North Carolina to receive the highest possible score – a 99 – in the publication's tallies.

Catawba College's newest students learned about the campus' many green initiatives and opportunities August 14 when the Center for the Environment and Sustainable Catawba hosted a special event at Peeler Crystal Lounge on the Catawba campus.

By Juanita Teschner, Catawba College Center for the Environment - Two summer interns from Duke University completed their work at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College on July 20. Both recipients of Stanback Internships, they have focused on planning, promoting and helping to orchestrate major events offered by the center.

Catawba College upped its institutional commitment to sustainability recently by agreeing to create a green revolving fund that will loan money to finance on-campus investments in clean energy and efficiency projects. With this commitment, Catawba joins 41 other institutions, mainly colleges and universities, in the U.S. and Canada that are part of the Billion Dollar Green Challenge.

High school students from across the country converged on the Catawba College campus in Salisbury on July 9 to explore how they can use their interests and talents to make a difference in the world.

The deadline to apply for the 2012 National Environmental Summit for High School Students has been extended to June 14. The event, "Redesigning Our Future," is an intensive experience which is open to high school students who will be juniors and seniors in the 2012-2013 academic year. It will be held July 9-14 on the Catawba College campus.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College received one of four 2012 N.C. Mobile Clean Air Renewable Energy (CARE) Awards from the N.C. Solar Center/N.C. State University on April 20 at the 9th Annual Sustainable Energy Conference in Raleigh. The Center's Campaign for Clean Air was the winner in the Policy/Organization Innovation category.

Catawba College is one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S.A. and Canada, according to The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com). The Salisbury, North Carolina-based college was one of 322 schools included in the third annual edition of "The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition." Catawba joins 10 other North Carolina colleges and universities included in this free, downloadable book...

Three Catawba College students and one faculty sponsor represented the North Carolina Omicron chapter at the super-regional convention of Alpha Chi, the national college honor society, March 22-24 in Baltimore, Md.

By Sarah Robinson, Catawba College Student Intern. An air of excitement fills the student center. Dozens of students are lined up 20 minutes before the event begins. Sustainable Catawba hosted a successful kickoff Tuesday, February 21st, in the Cannon Student Center on the Catawba College campus. During the event, 193 students, faculty, and staff (including College President Dr. Joseph Oxendine) pledged to make sustainable behaviors a habit in their daily routines.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College and Salisbury's Bread Riot will host a screening of "Dirt! The Movie," followed by a panel discussion, which includes a Davidson County farmer, on March 1 at the center facility on the Catawba campus. Bread Riot, a nonprofit food advocacy organization dedicated to "facilitating a supply of locally produced food, utilizing sustainable farming practices," will offer a "tasting" of local foods at 6 p.m. The movie will begin at 6:45 p.m.

By Sarah Robinson, Writer/Communications Intern for the Center for the Enviornment - A collaborative effort called "Sustainable Catawba" will soon unveil a new approach to sustainability on the Catawba College campus. Representatives from several campus organizations gathered February 9 to discuss their vision for the effort as well as to report on what their groups currently do to promote sustainability.

On-campus collaboration between Catawba College student groups, organizations, and academic and operational departments is key to creating a new vision for Sustainable Catawba. An effort to seal this collaboration launches February 21 with a pledge.

Noting that only two higher education institutions in the Carolinas were selected to receive a prestigious Duke Energy 2011 Power Partner Award, Catawba College President Joseph B. Oxendine accepted Catawba's award during a Jan. 25 luncheon hosted by Duke Energy on campus. Oxendine explained that Catawba College and Clemson University were the only two higher education institutions tapped for the awards.

The Catawba Conservation Camp, a summer camp that teaches middle school girls about the importance of conserving and protecting the natural environment, will continue operating this summer, thanks to a $25,000 Ribbon of Hope grant. In late 2011, the NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation's Board of Directors awarded the Ribbon of Hope grant to Catawba College to continue its Catawba Conservation Camp or C3 that began in 2009 with funding provided by a three-year grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

By Kathy Chaffin, SalisburyPost.com - The more than 100 people who attended Thursday evening's presentation at the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus learned they had something in common: high ozone levels. They heard about the results of a Piedmont Carolina summer air monitoring study conducted by the Center for the Environment through its Campaign for Clean Air and Dr. Cindy DeForest Hauser, associate professor of chemistry at Davidson College.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College is now accepting applications for its 2012 National Environmental Summit for High School Students. The event, "Redesigning Our Future," is an intensive experience which is open to high school students who will be juniors and seniors in the 2012-2013 academic year.

Catawba College was among businesses, colleges and school systems throughout Duke Energy's service territory chosen as a 2011 Power Partner Award recipient. Since 1993, the program has recognized customers who share Duke Energy's commitment to strategic energy solutions and economic development.Catawba was selected because of its participation in Duke Energy's Smart Metering and SmartBuilding Advantage programs.

By Dr. John Wear. Students – and prospective students – are placing more importance on colleges' sustainability record than ever before. Environment & Energy, a publishing firm, recently noted that "colleges are ... beginning to see that environmental initiatives have impacts on how their peers, along with their current and past students, perceive them. A school's reputation may hinge as much on its green credibility as it does on conference titles and championships."

Catawba College alumnus Ben Prater '02 returned to campus in late November to help mark the 15th anniversary of the Center for the Environment and the 10th anniversary of the building that houses it, and to share some real-world advice about landing a job with current students.

By Kathy Chaffin, SalisburyPost.com - The Center for the Environment's 15th anniversary celebration on November 10 elicited a host of praise and appreciation for the work of the Center and for those who have brought its mission to life. Among the 80-plus people at the celebration included Catawba officials and professors, members of the Center Advisory Board and supporters. "The Center is all of us," said Executive Director John Wear, "and we all feel very proud of what we have accomplished."

A celebration of science and curriculum-based fun with Dennis Regling's "The Magic of Science" Wonder Show is slated between 2:30 and 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 23 in the J.C. Carson High School Auditorium in China Grove. This free family event, sponsored by the Catawba Conservation Camp, celebrates three successful years of the summer camp held at Catawba College for girls from a six-county area.

Catawba College is among 13 Duke Energy customers in five states to receive Duke Energy's 2011 Power Partner Award. The awards, given since 1992, recognize customers who work with Duke Energy to achieve high levels of energy efficiency, sustainability and economic growth.

Catawba College wants to achieve climate neutrality by 2030, according to the plan it submitted as a signatory of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. To get there, the institution will have to change the way it uses energy and reduce the amount of energy it uses. Carrie Gonnella, an Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Public Sector Fellow, spent ten weeks at Catawba this summer. During that time, she was busy, assessing the college's energy usage and costs...

By Kathy Chaffin - Even high school students eager to take on the world's environmental problems admitted to being scared when it came to the night hikes along the pristine preserve behind the Center for the Environment on the Catawba College campus. The night preserve hikes were held July 21 during the "Redesigning Our Future" National Environmental Summit for High School Students sponsored by the Center for the Environment in partnership with Rocky Mountain Institute of Colorado.

By Kathy Chaffin - A couple of years ago, Dr. John Wear, executive director of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College, said he received a phone call from Robert Pruehsner of Salisbury. He and his wife, Lois, had been regular supporters of the Center for some time, and Pruehsner wanted to talk to Wear about his plans for the future. At that time, cosponsoring a "Redesigning Our Future" National Environmental Summit for High School Students with Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado...

By Kathy Chaffin - Kenneth Dunn of Durham didn't realize the extent of the world's environmental problems before participating in the "Redesigning Our Future" National Environmental Summit for High School Students. Sponsored by the Center for the Environment at Catawba College in partnership with Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado, it was held July 20-24 on the Catawba campus.

By Kathy Chaffin - High school students attending the "Redesigning Our Future" National Environmental Summit at the Center for the Environment on the Catawba College campus had the opportunity to learn from representatives of one of the country's leading authorities on energy solutions. Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in Colorado – which cosponsored the July 20-24 summit – is committed to mapping and driving the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy and energy efficiency.

By Mark Wineka, salisburypost.com - Julie Williams of Moore County did things you might expect at a National Environmental Summit for high school kids. She and her "small group" braved the summer's toughest heat and Catawba College Ecological Preserve's largest mosquitoes to radio-track turtles, often from a kayak.

[By Kathy Chaffin] It was in December of 2003 when Doc Hendley — named one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes for 2009 — heard the phrase, "Wine to Water," repeating itself over and over in his head. Hendley had no idea what it meant, he said at Wednesday night's opening of the "Redesigning Our Future: National Environmental Summit for High School Students," cosponsored by the Center for the Environment at Catawba College and Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado.

Doc Hendley, one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes for 2009, will speak at the National Environmental Summit for High School Students July 20 at Catawba College. Hendley, 32, is the founder of an organization that has provided clean water to nearly 100,000 people in 11 Third World countries since 2004.

By Kathy Chaffin, Center for the Environment - For Catawba student Sarah Moore, helping with the National Environmental Summit for High School Students at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College gives her experience planning a large event and the opportunity to ultimately help create a better world.

By: Carrie Gonnella, 2011 EDF Climate Corps Public Sector Fellow - This summer I am lucky to have a fellowship at Catawba College's Center for the Environment. I was fortunate to start just in time to learn about two initiatives the Center is pursuing: a green roof for the science building and a new high efficiency greenhouse.

Catawba College will host an Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Climate Corps Public Sector fellow this summer who is specially trained to identify areas where the college can save energy and money. Carrie Gonnella, a candidate for a master of environmental management degree in the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment, will work with Catawba's facilities management staff to develop a custom energy efficiency plan for the college.

John Wear, director of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College, delivered the keynote address April 29 at the three-day 2011 Moravian Environmental Stewardship Conference in Laurel Springs, N.C. The conference, co-sponsored by Laurel Ridge and the former Commission on Church & Society, was for congregations and stewardship leaders from across the Moravian Church's Southern Province.

Source: SalisburyPost.com - When it comes to confronting environmental challenges such as expanding green energy, sustaining ocean fisheries or providing a thirsty world with pure water, you couldn’t blame America's youth if they were worried about the future.

Two individuals have joined the staff of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College for the coming year. Craig Midgett, a former researcher with the Environmental Assistance Office at UNC-Charlotte, and Michael Smith, a LEED-accredited professional, will work with the Center in energy-related fellowships.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College will honor three organizations in Rowan and Cabarrus counties this spring as Champions for Clean Air. The winners are Roush Fenway Racing, the City of Concord and the Centralina Council of Governments/Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition.

By Kathy Chaffin - Renowned wilderness conservationist Dave Foreman delivered a passionate message at the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus Tuesday evening for humans to help save wild habitants and habitats.

Salisbury resident Eric Slipp has made a gift to establish a new scholarship at Catawba College. Preference for the Eric P. Slipp Endowed Scholarship will be given to a member of the Catawba baseball team who is majoring in business, environmental science or physical education.

The second summer of the Catawba Conservation Camp (C3) came to a close in late March with a final follow-up science academy held at the Mary L Farm in Mt. Ulla, NC. Dr. Joe Poston, Associate Professor of Biology, shares video of the follow-up activities the campers participated in.

by Jessica Everett, '09 West Teaching Scholar - C-3 Campers began their journey with us in July 2010 with a weeklong, residential science camp experience on the Catawba campus. There could not have been a better way to conclude the 2010-2011 chapter of this second group of conservation campers than to take the young group of middle school girls to the Mary L. Farm in Mt. Ulla. This organic dairy farm gave the campers the ultimate field-trip experience.

By Kathy Chaffin - The United States is lagging behind in heeding signposts to survive the 21st Century, said British urban designer David Walters during a presentation Thursday evening at the Center for the Environment building on the Catawba College campus.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College continues to accept applications for its first annual National Youth Environmental Summit, which promises to bring high school students from across the country to the Catawba campus. The event, "Redesigning Our Future," is an intensive experience for rising high school juniors and seniors who want to learn more about becoming effective environmental leaders.

There will be no increase in Catawba College's tuition, room and board for day students in the 2011-2012 academic year. College Trustees made that decision at their Feb. 15 meeting. Tuition will remain $25,160 per year for students in the day program enrolled in between 12 and 18 semester credit hours, while annual room and board for these students will stay at $8,700.

The Center for the Environment has received a great deal of interest in its Catawba College Energy Corps, a program that will facilitate the placement of as many as 17 students or recent graduates in on-the-job green energy positions. Candidates must be currently enrolled in college, pursing an associate, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree, or they must have completed such a program within the past three years. Students from any accredited college or university may apply.

The president of the Environmental Defense Fund and his coauthor will speak Thursday, January 20, at Catawba College on "Earth: The Sequel – What's Next for the Clean Energy Revolution?" Fred Krupp, who has headed the organization for 26 years, wrote the book, "Earth: The Sequel – The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming" with staff member and journalist Miriam Horn. They will talk about innovative technologies that can reverse global warming in Keppel Auditorium in the Robertson Coll

by Stephanie Cook '12. Catawba College stepped onto the environmental friendly bandwagon with its Green Pig Initiative in the 2009-2010 school year. This academic year, the college traveled even further in its efforts to preserve the environment by implementing recyclable takeout boxes in the dining hall for use by all members of the college community.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College and the prestigious Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) will collaborate to offer a National Youth Environmental Summit that promises to bring 200 high school students from across the nation to the Catawba College campus in Salisbury. RMI sustainability designers, scientists and engineers will join a diverse group of Catawba professors and other visiting presenters to offer the landmark experience for high school students. The young leaders will engag

In an effort to monitor and control its energy costs, Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina is partnering with Duke Energy on a yearlong energy management pilot program that is made possible by digital, smart grid technology. Through the energy management program, seven large buildings on the Catawba campus are equipped with digital smart meters that gather energy usage data for each building.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College has received a $184,000 grant from the N.C. Energy Office's Student Energy Internship and Fellowship Program to launch the Catawba College Energy Corps. It was one of 23 private businesses, public agencies and public and private universities to receive a combined $5.6 million from the N.C. Energy Office for the program, which was funded with money from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Dr. David Peden, professor of Pediatrics, Medicine and Microbiology/Immunology and Toxicology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will speak to area leaders and health professionals Aug. 12 on "The Health Effects of Ozone and Asthma." The noon luncheon will take place at the Center for the Environment on the Catawba College campus.

By Diane Tennant, (PilotOnline.com). "Bump," Alex Wilke warned, as the skiff nudged into the marsh grass and abruptly stopped. With binoculars, she scanned the low dune line along the Eastern Shore's Metompkin Island. "There's an oystercatcher chick right there," she said, pointing to a long-legged bird skulking along the edge of the grass. "There's another chick that I think we will go for later." She looked some more. "Actually, we might go for them now."

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service. There was excitement in the air the week of July 11-16 as 54 rising sixth- and seventh-grade girls descended on Catawba College for the second-annual Catawba Conservation Camp.

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service. Visiting Catawba College's ecological preserve at night is as different as — well, you know. Dr. Joe Poston led a group of 14 girls on a night walk at the preserve Monday night as part of the Catawba Conservation Camp (C3). Other groups went to the preserve on successive nights. Each girl wore a headlamp and several carried large nets as they prepared to leave from the Center for the Environment.

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service. An experiment for you to consider: What do you get when you synthesize 5 professors, 10 counselors, 2 staff members, 2 co-directors and 54 rising sixth- and seventh-grade girls? The second-annual Catawba Conservation Camp (C3), slated for July 11-16 on the campus of Catawba College.

Source: SalisburyPost.com - Six home-schooled students from Rowan County built a three-chambered compost bin May 1 near the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus. The students, ages 14-18, used wood and chicken wire to build the three-by-three-foot chambers, which will hold garden clippings and leaves as well as vegetables from the Center's kitchen.

By Sherry Walker, Master Gardener (SalisburyPost.com). This time of year, many gardens in the area are bursting with colorful blooms from azaleas, most of which are hybridized plants. Another genus of azalea is a native one that lurks in few gardens but is gaining in popularity as people look to garden with native plants.

By Susan Shinn, Catawba College News Service. Peter Forbes was the perfect speaker for Earth Day. In his years as a conservationist, he has learned that the work is all about relationship building. He has also learned that those who are interested in conservation and those who are interested in social justice must work together to solve the planet's problems. Forbes, co-founder of the Vermont-based Center for Whole Communities, spoke Thursday evening, April 22

Their outfits were made of Hershey Kisses wrappers, Styrofoam packing peanuts, bubble wrap, tinfoil, old record albums and used CDs and DVDs, but the models sported them with pride and wide smiles. The five outfits were entries in Catawba College's annual Recycled Fashion Show, sponsored by student organization Environment Catawba Outreach and held April 21 in the Cannon Student Center.

Area farmers, restaurateurs, chefs, health care representatives, elected and government officials, retailers, and a few who were just curious came together to discuss a program called FarmerFresh on March 30th at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College. Those attending hailed from Rowan, Cabarrus, Montgomery, Davidson, Stanly, Iredell and Davie counties. They asked questions and shared their personal opinions and insights on how to create both jobs and a viable market for food grown l

Author and architect Sarah Susanka brought her "Not So Big" philosophy to Catawba College's campus on March 16 and advised those members of her 11 a.m. audience to "be the custodian of your own life. We are that channel by which God moves through this world," Susanka explained, noting "those inner judgments [each person makes about themselves] undermine the truth of who God wants you to be."

He made it sound so easy. Catawba College welcomed Amory Lovins, one of the world's "top thinkers and environmentalists" and co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) based in Colorado, to Keppel Auditorium Feb. 23. Speaking to a crowd of more than 700, Lovins discussed doable ways to cut our dependence on oil. "It's not a fantasy," Lovins said. "It's available, practical and profitable now."

Energy thinker Amory Lovins will speak at Salisbury's Catawba College on Feb. 23. Lovins is co-founder of Rocky Mountain Institute, a "think-and-do tank" that applies market-based solutions to efficient use of resources. Time magazine last year named him one of the world's 100 most influential people. He talked with energy and environment writer Bruce Henderson; comments are edited for clarity and brevity.

Author and architect Sarah Susanka, who developed her philosophy of "Not So Big" into a series of best-selling books, will be the keynote speaker for Catawba College's seventh annual Lilly Colloquium on Tuesday, March 16. Susanka's visit to campus is sponsored by Catawba's Lilly Center for Vocation and Values and the Center for the Environment.

Much has been going on behind the scenes since June of 2007 when Catawba College joined close to 300 other colleges and universities nationwide in supporting the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Today, Catawba submitted its completed Climate Action Plan to the ACUPCC.

New contracts with both a soft drink vendor and a snack foods vendor have resulted in new Energy Star rated machines on campus at Catawba College. The new contracts, with Pepsi for soft drinks and Executive Vending for snacks, went into effect January 1st.

The documentary FRESH, dubbed "a fresh look at food production," will be shown at the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 28. The screening, co-sponsored by the Center, Bread Riot and Wild Turkey Farms, offers a positive message about small farms and local food.

Rocky Mountain Institute's cofounder — a scientist Time magazine recently called "one of the world's 100 most influential people" — will speak at Catawba College on Tuesday, February 23. The Wall Street Journal named Amory Lovins, RMI's chairman and chief scientist, one of 39 people worldwide "most likely to change the course of business in the '90s," and Newsweek called him "one of the Western world's most influential energy thinkers."

Green Pig offers these special holiday tips to help make the season more environmentally friendly. Following just a few of these will help eliminate waste. During a recent holiday season, our nation's trash from gift wrap and shopping bags totaled over 4,000,000 tons. We all can do our part not to add to the waste, but rather to be part of the solution to eliminate it.

Members of the Catawba College student organization, ECO (Environment Catawba Outreach) were presented with a rare opportunity on Friday, November 13th. Restoring Eden, a faith-based environmental group, invited ECO to Washington D.C., to speak with North Carolina's senators.

A guest column by Dr. John Wear, executive director of the Center for the Environment, appeared in the Oct. 14 edition of the Charlotte Observer. He noted that cooler summer temperatures, increased rainfall and the recession played a role in the number of reduced ozone alert days. So did environmental laws that were instituted earlier in this decade.

By Kathy Chaffin, Salisbury Post - It was an enchanted evening in an enchanted building overlooking a pristine 189-acre ecological preserve. Luminarias lined the path to the Center for the Environment at Catawba College Friday night, while white lights outlined the three-level building. "It's like a fairyland," said Karen Alexander of KKA Architecture, who designed the green facility.

A biochemist in UNC-Chapel Hill's Department of Nutrition will talk on "Nutrition and Environment: Could Arsenic in our Water be Causing Diabetes?" on Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College. The 7 p.m. presentation will be followed by a reception.

More than 100 Catawba College students, faculty and staff put their names in a hat for a chance to win a Brita water pitcher and six winners were chosen. The giveaway was another Green Pig Initiative for the campus and was designed to heighten awareness to an Oct. 1st statewide ban on plastic bottles being disposed in landfills.

Several Green Pig Initiatives will be happening on campus to heighten awareness of the fact that there is a statewide ban on the acceptance of plastic bottles at landfills. As of October 1, plastic bottles, oil filters and wooden pallets are a no-go at N.C. landfills. These items will have to be recycled and cannot be included in regular household or bagged garbage.

A Catawba College student has received a $1,000 research stipend from the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU) to perform research. Only five research stipends were awarded throughout the state by the NCICU.

By Roxanna Haynes, FOX8 News: HIGH ROCK LAKE, N.C. - An environmental expert believes the nearly 16 million gallons of sewage dumped into a creek that feeds into High Rock Lake could lead to a fish kill, among other effects.The city of Thomasville could face a massive fine from the federal government for the sewage leak, which occurred between July 13 and August 4.

By Hugh Fisher, www.salisburypost.com - Live a long healthy life. Keep your mind and your energy. Die with a minimum of disease and pain. If you eat right, exercise and cut down the number of toxins in your living environment, those could be the positive results, according to a Salisbury doctor who is trying to change locals' living habits. Dr. Christopher Magryta shared a mix of healthy directions and cutting-edge science at Catawba College's Center for the Environment...

By Hugh Fisher, www.salisburypost.com - Dan Menchey, vocalist and drummer for Boulder, Colo., alt-rock band Morsoul, said that anyone who wants to spread an Earth-conscious message ought to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. That's why his band's bus — a 1986 model that started its career hauling schoolchildren — no longer runs on diesel fuel.

A small Green Pig pin was handed out to all students, faculty and staff who attended Catawba College's Opening Convocation on August 27th and most wondered exactly why. But when College President Dr. Craig Turner officially introduced Green Pig, calling it "a new symbol of our commitment to the environment at Catawba College," the wondering ceased.

Air pollution in North Carolina and the cause of surface ozone will be the topic of a presentation Thursday, Sept. 17, at the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus. Dr. Viney Aneja, North Carolina State University's Air Quality Research Director and a professor in N.C. State's Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, will elaborate on the state's poor air quality at the 7 p.m. event.

The line was long. Nearly 150 people queued up Thursday night to ask John Wear and Wanda Urbanska to autograph the newly released anthology Less is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, a Caring Economy and Lasting Happiness. The book includes essays by both.

Conservation efforts are on the minds of Catawba College administrators as the institution begins a new academic year. Two recent projects on campus are indicative of the new emphasis. For years, the fountain installed on Stanback Plaza in front of the Cannon Student Center was a source of fun and pranks for students and a source of problems for the College Facilities Department.

Bird Banding at Catawba Conservation Camp (C3) - C3 is a residential science camp designed for rising 6th and 7th grade girls from rowan and contiguous counties all in an effort to enhance interest in the environmental sciences. Participants stay in a college dorm, band birds, explore lakes & woods, and make new friends who love science. The girls are challenged to identify and tally plant life, explore amphibian & aquatic life, and examine insects.

The Center for the Environment's Fourth Annual Ugly Bug Ball will be held Friday, October 2, from 6:30 p.m. to midnight at the Center facility. The popular fund-raiser offers a festive evening of dinner, entertainment and dancing. Dress is casual. The cost is $75 per person ($40 is tax-deductible). The proceeds support the ongoing activities of the Center, value-added education for Catawba students and the Center's outreach to the region, including its Campaign for Clean Air.

Source: www.wsoctv.com. Eco-Friendly Classroom Educates College Students: Students at a local college might have a hard time finding their classes this fall because one classroom is designed to blend in with its surroundings.Nestled in the woods next to Catawba College in Salisbury is a building that almost seems at one with nature.

By Barbara Bamberger Scott, JOURNAL BOOK REVIEWER. Source: www.journalnow.com. LESS IS MORE: Embracing simplicity for a healthy planet, a caring economy and lasting happiness. Here is a book with its roots in the earth that can move you to new places, stimulate ideas and encourage change.

Source: www.wsoctv.com - Some local children are learning a lot this summer. They're not in summer school. In fact they're spending most of their time playing outside. The girls are learning about nature at the Catawba College conservation camp in Salisbury. Read more...

An essay by John Wear, executive director of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College, will be published in the upcoming book Less is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, a Caring Economy and Lasting Happiness.

Dr. Christopher Magryta, a physician with Salisbury Pediatric Associates, will speak on "Nutrition, the Environment & the Genome" at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus.

Two years ago, Catawba College's Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling did not exist. But since it was established within the Facilities Department in 2007, this office has championed recycling and waste reduction efforts on campus with a track record of success, measured in tons.

By Mark Wineka, salisburypost.com. Chalk this one up as a good news, bad news story. Good news for Catawba College, which is saving roughly $20,000 a year in water costs. Bad news for the city of Salisbury, which has lost that same amount in water sales to Catawba. Two years ago, thanks to a monetary contribution from trustee Jim Hurley, the college sank a 20,000-gallon storage tank into the ground...

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College has received a $25,000 grant from the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation for the Center's Clean Air Initiative. The Robertson Foundation funds will be used to assist the Center in meeting the matching requirements for its CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) grant with the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

The Catawba College Chapter of Beta Beta Beta, the national biology honor society, inducted 13 new members at its annual induction ceremony of April 22, 2009. The ceremony was conducted by president Rachel Roberts of Knoxville, Tenn.; vice-president Kyle Ganow of State College, Pa.; secretary Katrina Pergerson of Spring Lake, N.C.; and faculty advisor Dr. Steve Coggin.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College was named one of three finalists today for the Green Non-Profit Action Program of the Year Award from the Charlotte Business Journal. The award was for a non-profit's action program to educate its employees, students and/or community on environmental sustainability.

Fifty-three rising sixth or seventh grade girls have been selected to participate in the Catawba Conservation Camp (C3), a weeklong residential science camp to be held July 5-10 on the Catawba College campus.The 53 students were selected from 280 applications received from girls enrolled in 40 different schools in Rowan, Stanly and Iredell counties.

Theatre-goers attending Catawba College's "An Evening of Magical Song" April 16-18 in Keppel Auditorium probably will not realize that the production's set is the result of a large recycle/reuse materials project. Steel shelving and work tables salvaged after the recent closing of local Carter Chair/Carter Furniture on Long Street were donated to the Theatre Arts Department, according to Professor Christopher Zink.

Peter Frumhoff, a world-renowned global change ecologist, will speak on "The State of Climate Change Science & Policy in the U.S." at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, in Room 300 of the Center for the Environment building on the Catawba College campus. A reception will follow the talk.

Rising sixth or seventh grade girls interested in the environmental sciences are invited to make application to attend the Catawba Conservation Camp (C3). The camp is open to girls who are enrolled in public or private school or who are home schooled in Rowan, Cabarrus, Iredell, Davie, Davidson and Stanly counties

Source: www.nicholas.duke.edu. Connor P. Coleman, a second-year graduate student at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University has been elected national co-president of the Student Association for Fire Ecology (SAFE). His term began January 1 and will run through December 31, 2009.

Experts from the renowned Rocky Mountain Institute will speak at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College on a new energy paradigm and the growth opportunities it will offer businesses and communities. The speakers will also address how the new approach will favorably impact air quality and other climate issues.

Alarming Study of Industrial Chemicals, Pollutants in Our Bodies is Subject of Center for Environment Presentation: An unsettling study about industrial chemicals, pollutants and pesticides in humans will be the focus of a talk at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College in February. Ken Cook, president and co-founder of the Environmental Working Group in Washington, will talk about the research and its implications...

When Lester Brown spoke at Catawba College on Nov. 10, he did so with quiet urgency and some hope, warning his audience that unless civilization changes its ways, its end is truly near. This environmental Paul Revere, the founder of Worldwatch Institute and current founder and president of Earth Policy Institute, says "we're in a race between natural tipping points and political tipping points," and that what we need most of all is for "the market to tell the environmental truth."

An experienced fund raiser has joined the staff at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College. Jay Laurens, the center's new director of resource development, most recently served as executive director of the non-profit multi-agency Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson. He directed the efforts of a variety of health and human service components designed to assist those struggling with issues related to poverty.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College will host a special presentation Nov. 10 by the founder and president of Earth Policy Institute. Lester Brown, called "one of the world's most influential thinkers" by the Washington Post, will speak at 7 p.m. in Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on the Catawba campus. Registration is required for the event.

The Third Annual Ugly Bug Ball, scheduled for Oct. 3, will feature a Southwestern theme. This year the fundraiser for the Center for the Environment at Catawba College will continue to offer dancing and fun, but it will also celebrate the Center's past and upcoming air quality efforts.

Simple Living television host Wanda Urbanska and green building consultant Jennifer Pippin will discuss the trials and tribulations of creating their green homes on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College.

Two Catawba College seniors have been recognized with double awards. Katrina Pergerson of Spring Lake, N.C., and Rachel Roberts of Knoxville, Tenn., both received a Yarbrough Research Grant from the N.C. Academy of Science and a stipend from North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities for use on their student projects.

The editor of "Natural Home & Garden" magazine will speak on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College. Robyn Griggs Lawrence will talk about "Creating a Green, Healthy Home: Shelter for Mind, Body and Soul" at 7 p.m. in Room 300 of the Center facility. A 6:30 p.m. reception in the Center lobby will precede the presentation.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College will receive nearly $1 million from the N.C. Department of Transportation to help educate the region and catalyze efforts to improve air quality. The NCDOT has committed to funding 80 percent of the $1.3 million project. The center must raise the remaining 20 percent.

Catawba College rising sophomore Jake McClain of Williamsburg, Va., landed a paid internship near his home during the summer of 2008, working as a research technician for the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary.

UNC-TV's statewide news magazine "North Carolina Now" will spotlight the Center for the Environment at Catawba College Wednesday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m. The feature story focuses on the work of the center, mentioning the upcoming interfaith conference, "Faith, Spirituality and Environmental Stewardship." The conference is scheduled for May 29-31.

Several individuals, including students, an alumnus and retiring faculty members, received special recognition during Catawba College's May 10th Commencement Exercises.

Dr. Michael Baranski, a Catawba College professor of biology, was recently honored with the 2008 Elizabeth Ann Bartholomew Award by the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society (SABS). The award was presented during the society's annual awards banquet held in Spartanburg, S.C. on April 18.

Catawba College senior Hayley Stafford of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who is majoring in Environmental Science, received a Grant-in-Aid of Research award from the national honors society, Sigma-Xi, for her proposal, "Effects of increased levels of carbon dioxide on calcification in cnidarians."

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College will offer a live, interactive webcast called "The 2 Percent Solution" on Wednesday, Jan. 30, in Room 300 of the Center for the Environment facility. Light refreshments will be served at 7:30 p.m., and the webcast will begin promptly at 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

A Collegiate Recycling Coalition Meeting will be held at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC at 10:00 am, Thursday, January 24, 2008. Hosted by David Najarian, Coordinator for the Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling at Catawba.

By Katie Watkins, Catawba News Service (The Pioneer). For a lengthened period of time, multiple recycling containers purchased by Catawba College students sat in storage. However, a new focus has been placed on reusing Mother Earth's goods, and the containers are being dusted off and put to work.

Dr. James Beard, a Catawba College professor of chemistry, has signed a contract with the publishing house of Taylor and Francis and its CRC Press to publish the latest version of his book, "Environmental Chemistry in Society." The book is designed to teach environmental chemistry to non-science majors and should be available late in the summer of 2008.

Dr. John Wear will appear on a live webcast Oct. 31 during Central Piedmont Community College’s Geek Fest. Wear, founding director of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College, will speak from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on sustainability and technology that helps to solve environmental problems. The Geek Fest is an event designed to educate students and the community about the creative innovations of technology.

by Amanda Hooker, Catawba News Service. Catawba College will present a documentary screening of "Black Diamonds: Mountaintop Removal and the Fight for Coalfield Justice" at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5, in the Center for the Environment facility on the college campus. The film's director, Catherine Pancake, will also be present for a discussion on the issue.

What exactly is "mountaintop removal?" What is its history in the exploitation of natural resources in Appalachia? What impact has it had on the people and environment of that region? Writer Ann Pancake will discuss those questions and more in the next edition of the Catawba College Community Forum, October 23.

Join us May 28-30, 2008 for a significant conference that will help to clarify the connection between faith and the environment. The conference will take place at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College. Hear renowned thought leaders from across the nation discuss the environmental challenges we face from a spiritual perspective.

The Catawba College Facilities Department is encouraging all members of the college community to start seeing green this academic year. That department is taking a leadership position on campus, advocating recycling, use of sustainable, green, and recycled products, encouraging conservation and waste reduction, and even establishing a new position to coordinate those efforts.

Faculty and staff members at Catawba College have been tapped to serve on a committee that will guide the institution's work in support of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Committee members begin their work two months after Catawba joined close to 300 other colleges and universities nationwide in supporting the ACUPCC.

Catawba College has joined close to 300 other colleges and universities nationwide in supporting the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). At their May retreat, college trustees authorized President Robert Knott to sign the agreement on behalf of the institution.

Experts from around the world will convene at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College in August to discuss the development of hydrogen-powered railways and transit. Pioneers in the new technology will deliver presentations at the Third International Hydrail Conference to expedite the development of this petroleum- and pollution-free method of transportation. "Hydrail" is the general term used to describe hydrogen-powered railways and transit. One focus of the conference will be hydrail

Catawba College will offer two new academic majors this fall, both targeting students with an interest in environmental issues. Students can opt to pursue an interdisciplinary major in Sustainable Business and Community Development or a major in Environmental Education. The faculty approved both majors this spring.

Betsy Rich of Salisbury is paying tribute to the kind, loving and resilient spirits of her late husband and son through a new scholarship she has established at Catawba College. The Maynard L. and Paul L. Rich First Family Scholarship will be awarded to a student who demonstrates financial need, who feels called to the helping professions (education, psychology, religion/philosophy and pre-med), and who demonstrates a caring spirit and a sense of high moral values.

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College will host a conference for business and community leaders on how recycling can revitalize the economy and communities. "Recycling Works! Jobs, Profits & Opportunities for North Carolina's Communities" will be held at the Center for the Environment facility on Tuesday, April 17.

Members of the Salisbury-Rowan community are invited to join faculty, staff and students at Catawba College for a free showing of "An Inconvenient Truth, a Global Warning" at 7 p.m. Friday, February 2. The film will be shown in Tom Smith Auditorium of the Ralph W. Ketner Building on campus.

Salisbury Mayor Susan Kluttz was recently recognized through a new scholarship established in her honor at Catawba College. Mayor Kluttz, now serving her fifth term, is the longest serving mayor in the history of the city. The Susan W. Kluttz Endowed Scholarship will assist able and deserving students, with a preference given to those majoring in environmental science.

A new scholarship has been established at Catawba College in honor of Dr. Michael Baranski and in recognition of his many contributions to the institution. Baranski, a professor of biology, joined the Catawba faculty in 1974 and has spent his career promoting environmental preservation and awareness among his students and the public at large. The Michael J. Baranski Endowed Scholarship will be awarded to a student majoring in environmental science until that student graduates.

Dr. John Wear, director of Catawba College's Center for the Environment, was one of the featured speakers at a national public conference, "Simple Living and the Rekindling of Public Life," held earlier this month in Leavenworth, Wash. Wear's topic was "Creating Sustainable Communities at the Grassroots Level."

The Catawba College Center for the Environment will launch its Sustainable Communities Leadership Institute in October to advance sustainability in the state and the region. The institute is a program designed to educate and equip current and emerging leaders in the state to become effective change agents on issues spawned by rapid growth. Its purpose is to create a network of leaders and community action groups capable of transforming communities in sustainable ways.

The Catawba College Center for the Environment recently received a $25,000 grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation for its Sustainable Community Leadership Institute. The institute will educate and equip current and prospective community leaders in the state with the skills and information they need to address the complexities of community issues. Participants will approach community challenges, recognizing that economic prosperity, issues of social concern and the health of our citizens an

Catawba College's Environmental Science Program and Center for the Environment will be featured soon on PBS's "Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska." The TV crew filmed footage on campus in April for the fall program. Urbanska, the host and co-producer, said she and Frank Levering chose to feature Catawba's Center for the Environment because "it offers one of the premiere environmental education programs in the nation in an amazing physical setting – both the green building that houses the center a

N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary William Ross summed up air quality and other environmental concerns March 22 with an analogy by scholar Jared Diamond: It's a horse race. The horses are environmental salvation and environmental destruction. And the race is picking up speed.

The Catawba College Center for the Environment announced today the creation of the Sustainable Communities Leadership Institute with an initial grant from the Alcoa Foundation.

Dr. John Wear, director of the Catawba College Center for the Environment, will be featured March 8 on the syndicated science radio program "Earth & Sky." The series is broadcast globally on 1,000 radio stations and has 10 million weekly listeners.

Two upcoming events sponsored by the Catawba College Center for the Environment will be of special interest to individuals who are committed to a sustainable future for this region.

Bird enthusiasts can take bird identification to a new level Dec. 3 when the Catawba College Center for the Environment offers a bird banding demonstration on the Catawba Ecological Preserve.

Alisa Gravitz, executive director of Co-op America, will speak at Catawba College on Tuesday, Oct. 18, on “Social and Environmental Responsibility in Investing and Purchasing.” The presentation is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Room 300 of the Center for the Environment building. A 7 o’clock reception will precede the talk.

Before you pile up your leaves and burn them this fall or put them out at the curb for the city to pick up, you may want to consider an alternative that will make the air easier to breathe and also make your garden grow. On Saturday, Oct. 8, the Catawba College Center for the Environment will offer a workshop on composting that will help you use your leaves and food scraps as a resource, not a waste product.

The national president of Republicans for Environmental Protection will speak at the Catawba College Center for the Environment building on Monday, Sept. 12. Martha Marks, president of REP America, will deliver a presentation entitled “Conservatively Speaking” at 7:15 p.m. in Room 300. A 6:45 reception will precede the program. The event is sponsored by NatureSAFE, a student environmental club, and the Catawba College Political Science Association.

What brings a woman who is second in command at a large environmental organization in Montana to Salisbury, N.C.? The answer: the Catawba College Center for the Environment.

Dr. John Wear, director of the Catawba College Center for the Environment, will speak July 21 to a five-person delegation from the International Visitor Leadership Program. The participants will travel to Salisbury to learn about environmental education and community participation.

By Dr. John Wear, Director of the Catawba Center for the Environment A recent Associated Press story reminded me of how important the Catawba College Center for the Environment is to the education of our students. A young man in a northwestern state reacted shrilly to development’s encroachment on the habitat of an endangered species. The result was not the preservation of the habitat but a backlash of anger against his tactics.

Most of the workshop participants were developers and planners and engineers and surveyors. But not all. Seven Catawba College students took advantage of the professional workshop April 20 that featured Randall Arendt, an internationally known land-use planner and advocate of “conservation planning.” Hosted by the Catawba Center for the Environment in partnership with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other organizations, the workshop was held in the Center facility

It took a tractor, a trailer, a generous donor and a lot of strong backs and willing hands. Catawba College students planted 25 trees Tuesday and Thursday afternoon in an ambitious project that will add 53 trees to the Catawba campus. Twenty five students planted the 8-to-12-foot 300-pound trees under the supervision of Kurt Cribb, special projects coordinator for the Catawba Center for the Environment and Dr. John Wear, center director.

The day couldn’t have been better for filming on the Catawba College campus. The sun was shining. The students were full of excitement about the campus greening initiative. Even the crabapple trees cooperated, offering their fresh pink blossoms as a backdrop for Catawba President Robert Knott’s interview.

The Catawba College Center for the Environment has received a $5,000 gift from Duke Power Company to help fund the initial phase of a campus-focused sustainable practices program. The pilot program, which will begin this spring, will help formulate a three-year initiative designed to reduce the environmental impact of campus operations and to serve as a model for other organizations and businesses in the community.

Catawba students Jay Johnson and Daniel Robertson hardly kept their eyes on the road when they drove back recently from a Green Building Conference in Atlanta. Their attention focused on the colors of roofs and the orientation of homes on lots. They talked about using insulation made from soybeans and recycling storm water for watering plants.

Catawba College’s ecological preserve has a way of capturing students’ attention. It’s where they study the reclusive mole salamander or train their binoculars on the cavity-dwelling prothonotary warbler or watch the erratic flight of the Falcate orangetip butterfly.

An upcoming workshop at the Catawba College Center for the Environment will examine different types of development that spans from towns and their fringes to the more rural areas of the county. Entitled “Conservation Based Development: Providing Community Benefits and Economic Returns,” the workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, April 20, from 12:30 to 6 p.m. at the Center facility on the Catawba College campus in Salisbury.

Environmental issues are no longer the sole purview of environmental science at Catawba College. Classes in religion and philosophy, economics and political science also offer their perspectives on the relationship between human beings and the environment.

An upcoming workshop at the Catawba College Center for the Environment will examine different types of development that spans from towns and their fringes to the more rural areas of the county. Entitled “Conservation Based Development: Providing Community Benefits and Economic Returns,” the workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, April 20, from 12:30 to 6 p.m. at the Center facility on the Catawba College campus in Salisbury.

The Catawba College Center for the Environment will host a presentation entitled “Developing a Sustainable Rowan” on Tuesday, Feb. 22, as part of its Clean Air/Sustainability Lecture Series.

“By making small changes, we can make a big difference,” Catawba College Senior Connor Coleman recently told a small gathering of faculty, staff and students. His comment was made at the conclusion of an on-campus presentation concerning student-developed proposals to help “green” Catawba’s campus.

The Catawba College Center for the Environment recently received an award for its contribution and dedication to improve the state’s air quality during the 2004 ozone season.

Urban designer David Walters will be the featured speaker Monday, Nov. 29, at the Catawba Center for the Environment’s Clean Air Lecture Series. Walters, who is also an architect, town planner and professor at UNC-Charlotte, will speak at 7:15 p.m. on “Designing Our Way to Cleaner Air.” A 6:45 reception will precede the presentation, which is free and open to the public. It will be held in Room 300 of the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus.

The Catawba College Center for the Environment has entered a partnership with the Simple Living TV Series that will bolster the work of both. “Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska,” which is produced by Urbanska and Frank Levering for public television stations nationwide, is the first major television series on simplicity. The series focuses on environmental stewardship, thoughtful consumption, community involvement and financial responsibility. Urbanska calls it “a paean to a more meaningful

Four Catawba College students have received grants from the Beta Beta Beta Research Foundation to support their senior research.

The Catawba College Center for the Environment will offer a Field Sketching Workshop with illustrator David Williams on Saturday, Nov. 6. Scheduled for 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Center for the Environment building and the Catawba Ecological Preserve, the workshop will enhance participants’ observation skills, introducing them to current and historical field sketching. Williams will lead participants in simple exercises to increase awareness of natural surroundings, sharpen observation skill

Dr. Clay Ballantine, a nationally recognized expert on air pollution and health, will launch the fall 2004 Clean Air Lecture Series at the Catawba College Center for the Environment on Tuesday, Sept. 14. The 7:15 presentation will be held in Room 300 of the Catawba Center for the Environment facility on the college campus. A reception at 6:45 p.m. will precede the lecture, which is free and open to the public. The event is funded by a gift from Rowan Regional Medical Center.

Dr. William Schlesinger, dean of Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, will speak Thursday, Sept. 9, at the Catawba College Center for the Environment on the college campus. Schlesinger, who also serves as the James B. Duke Professor in Biogeochemistry, will speak on climate change at 7:15 p.m. in Room 300. A 6:45 reception will precede the presentation, which is open to the public without charge.

Kimberly A. Betts has joined the Catawba College Center for the Environment as the executive administrative assistant. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Brandi Bettis Orbin, formerly assistant director of development stewardship at Georgia Institute of Technology, has joined the staff of the Catawba College Center for the Environment. She will serve as coordinator of fund raising and volunteers.

The Catawba College Center for the Environment is ratcheting up its efforts in the community. “We’re taking our mission to the next level,” says Dr. John Wear Jr., center director.