Redesigning Our Future

What do you do while you wait for the keynote address at the National Environmental Summit 2015? Answer: You play a game of Captain's Coming led by Sustainable Business and Community Development major and soon-to-be sophomore at Catawba College - Seth Stephens. Campers had a blast playing this game they they said was like a grown up version of Simon Says.  

Environmental Summit counselors for 2015 checked in high school campers for a week of fun and learning at Redesigning Our Future 2015. Campers got name-tags, water bottles, backpacks, and (of course) schedules for the week. Before heading off to dinner and settling in at Abernethy Village (green dorms at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC), campers enjoyed some ice breaker games in the Peeler Crystal lounge on campus.

Recycling bins are in our homes, schools and all over the world; our minds are trained to recycle every substance that is possibly recyclable. We often point to recycling as a superhero- like throwing away our plastics bottles are slapping pollution in the face! One by one we are cleaning up the environment by making small lifestyle changes like using reusable water bottles, but some of our changes are actually hurting the environment around us. Five negative effects from recycling are: 1) Contamination is a huge problem in the recycling industry. For example, when lead paint from an aluminum spray can makes it through the recycling process, it usually ends up being buried in the new product- usually a soda can. Contamination causes a huge problem when hundreds of buildings in Taiwan , made from recycled steel, were giving people gamma radiation poisoning for twelve years starting in 2000. 2) Air pollution will always be an issue in our world. The proc...

By Annabelle Nagy When you think animals, what animals do you think of? Dogs? Cats? The brown cow you see on your way to school? Or maybe the giant elephants in Africa? But do you ever think of the hawksbill turtle? Or the fin whale? Or even the eastern lowland gorilla? These are all animals too. But I bet you haven't heard of them. You know why you haven't heard of them? Because they're going extinct! Most people love loveable animals, and they show disgust to the slimy, little insects. Well every animal can be loving. Have you ever seen Discovery channel ? They are able to make me love the grossest animals and feel sorry when one of them has a loss. That channel portrays animals' emotions and how they all are part of a family. Discovery channel is a master at showing the loveliness in animals. Because of climate change and their habitats being cut down, animals are going extinct. And you know who is hurting these animals? Mankind. You, me, your neighbor, the mai...

Ready to Go at "Redesigning Our Future" - Environmental Summit 2015 Our national Environmental Summit for high school campers is off to a hot but fun start. There are forty-seven student campers this year with the bulk from North Carolina but students from as far away as Missouri (Kristina Inman) and Pennsylvania (Margaret Bowerman). The Summit is held at the Center for the Environment at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina. The award-winning center includes a 189-acre ecological preserve with hiking trails and lots of native plants, trees, and animals as well as a pond.  Environmental Summit Campers  Enjoy Time on the Pond in the Preserve