Center For Environment News 2011

Creating a Climate of Possibility

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:02:00 -0400

I recently watched a TED Talk by Ken Robinson, an English author and advisor on education, creativity and innovation. In it, he stressed the importance of creating a “climate of possibility” for students.

The minute he used that phrase, images of our National Environmental Summit for High School Students popped into my head. This week-long experience, which will be held this year from July 9-13, does just that: It creates a climate of possibility for high school students who come from all over the country to Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., to work on innovative solutions to environmental challenges.

Author Francis Koster Shares Simple Solutions to Big Problems

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:13:00 -0400

Author Francis Koster told audience members May 16 that the way to get people to change is to provide them with an alternative.
He spoke at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College on his new book, Discovering the New America: Where Communities are Solving National Problems, stories of proven cost-effective solutions that communities and organizations have adopted to address challenges.

Cleaning up the Mississippi River One Refrigerator, One Sink, One Tire at a Time

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:50:00 -0400

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.

Q&A Pete Myers

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:40:00 -0400

Dr. Pete Myers: ‘Science on Endocrine Disruption Offers Opportunity to Improve Public Health’

Dr. Pete Myers, a noted scientist involved in primary research on the impacts of endocrine disruption on human health, spoke April 9 at the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba College campus in Salisbury. The founder, CEO and chief scientist of Environmental Health Sciences, he co-authored Our Stolen Future, a book about how contamination threatens fetal development. Juanita Teschner, the Center’s director of communications, talked with Myers after his visit to the Center. This is an edited transcript of that conversation.

Center for Environment Speaker: ‘Human Interference Can Cause Hybridization’

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:34:00 -0400

Wildlife ecologist Amanda Chunco told an audience April 13 that human interference can cause hybridization, which is mating and producing offspring between two separate species. Her talk, Hybridization in Amphibians as a Conservation Issue, dealt with the complexities of species hybrids and their potential impacts on original populations.

Salamanders, Snakes, Turtles and Frogs – A Day Out with the Center for the Environment

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:26:00 -0400

The Center for the Environment at Catawba College gave kids a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with reptiles and amphibians April 13. The event, which was open to the community, offered salamander hunts, a look at turtles down by the lake, and live snakes, frogs and toads.

Center for Environment Speaker: ‘Common Chemicals Impact Human Health’

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:12:00 -0400

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.

Center for Environment, Bread Riot Host Film & Discussion on Local Food Sources

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:29:00 -0400

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.

Participants in Center for Environment’s Faith Workshop Learn about Environmental Stewardship

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 09:50:00 -0500

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 Students Help Preserve Long-leaf Pine Forest

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:03:00 -0500

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story by the Catawba College News Service appeared in the February 8, 2012, issue of the Salisbury Post

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.