Redesigning Our Future

Dan Couchenour Returns to Catawba to Inspire Environmental Campers Dan Couchenour graduated from Catawba College last year (2014) and was invited to the National Summit for the Environment to tell high school students that they really can impact on the world even at a young age. As a student at Catawba College, Couchenour was a West Scholar, a member of the lacrosse team, and an Environmental Steward. Clearly he was a very busy college student. Environmental Stewards were challenged to come up with projects to benefit the environment. That can be a big task at any age. What can you do? How can you make it happen? Couchenour's idea was to reduce campus water usage and use the money saved to set up a Bike Share program. Yes. This does sound like a real challenge. Can you really get fellow college students to voluntarily cut back on water waste? Yes you can. Couchenour proved it. The first step to pulling off a big project is to enlist the help of everyone involved said Co...

Camp Counselors Getting a Little Bug Eyed Yes. Being a counselor at the National Environmental Summit is a great and rewarding experience. You not only work and earn money for your college expenses, you get to learn more about environmentalism right along with the high school campers. Days are long. You're up around 6 am and may get to bed at 11 pm or midnight. Then there are those 2 am room checks. Coffee becomes your best friend even if you don't like coffee. Here you see some of our counselors trying to hold their eyes open. Okay. They are joking around, but being a counselor is pretty intense as these counselors can tell you. Is it worth it? You bet! Thanks to Deep Dave for the funny photo and to all the counselors for taking a summer week to work at Redesigning the Future. They are making a difference too.

Holly Kuhn and Savannah Herrera Holly Kuhn was one of eight returning campers to Redesigning the Future 2015. You know campers had a good time when they opt to return for another second (or even third) year. Holly said she loved the camp and her Focus Group "A Backbone for Conservation" so much that she talked her friend, Savannah Herrera, into signing up for camp and joining her this year. Holly said she enjoyed Dr. Joe Poston's section so much that she wanted to take it again and share it with her buddy. Both young ladies were having a great time this session, and Holly said she'd enjoy coming back a third year. We think Holly would make a great National Environmental Summit counselor one of these days. She certainly has a passion for the Center for the Environment summer summit.

President of Catawba College Brien Lewis, Founder of the Center of the Environment Dr. John Wear and Heather White, Executive Director of Environmental Working Group  Dr. John Wear, Director of the Center for Environment at Catawba College, welcomed Heather White and Catawba College President Brien Lewis to the 2015 Designing the Future Summit for high school students. President Lewis noted that Catawba College is an award-winning green college. The college is currently working on a solar panel project which is the largest academic solar panel project in the state of North Carolina. Panels on top of campus buildings will save money and resources over the years which is good for all of us. Some other projects Lewis mentioned were the sustainable garden on campus and a bike share program for students. These, along with other projects like turning cafeteria waste into compost, make Catawba College an excellent college to major in environmental science or studies. Waste...

Meet Our Energetic and Hard-Working Counselors 2015 Meet our counselors for 2015. Camp couldn't run without these high energy college students who live and breathe camp for a week every summer. From setting up events to late night dorm checks and cleaning up messes to coming up with fun ideas, these young people deserve a high five. Counselors this year include Payden Mitchell, Ashley Everidge, Mary Scott Norris, Brinsley Stewart (head counselor), Seth Stephens, Deep Dave, Hannah Davis, and Forest Fugate.

One popular Focus Group at Redesigning the Future is Dr. Joe Poston's "A Backbone for Conservation" group. The campers in the group enjoyed learning about turtles and then trapping some to tag for scientific study. Here are some photos taken by Payden Mitchell, the student counselor for the "Backbone" group, which included Renuka, Savannah, Ashley, Riley, Holly, Kathryn, Macayla, Caitlin, and Thomas.

Campers enjoyed a fun time kayaking and canoeing on the lake at the ecological, wildlife preserve behind the Center for the Environment at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC. Read more about hands-on geocaching with "Green Ink" (blogger group) camper Kayla Blackburn in her educational article on geocaching from earlier in the week. Here are some great photos of the event provided by summit counselor, Payden Mitchell.