Office of EE and EENC Adopt National EE Guidelines (News Release)
Michael F. Easley, Governor
William G. Ross Jr., Secretary
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Release: IMMEDIATE Contact: Lisa Tolley, (919) 733-0711,
Date: Feb. 20, 2006 Laura Smith 560-4326 ext.
235
NORTH CAROLINA’S LEADING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AGENCIES ADOPT NATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
RALEIGH – In a joint announcement today, the N.C. Office of
Environmental Education and the Environmental Educators of North
Carolina formally adopted the North American Association of
Environmental Education (NAAEE) national Guidelines for Excellence in
Environmental Education. NAAEE is the country’s leading environmental
education organization and boasts membership across North America and in
55 other countries. It has been actively supporting quality
environmental education since 1971.
Through the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education,
the NAAEE has taken the lead in establishing guidelines for the
development of balanced, scientifically accurate and comprehensive
environmental education programs. Quality environmental education
programs facilitate the teaching of science, civics, social studies,
mathematics, geography and language arts. These guidelines will help
educators develop meaningful environmental education programs that
integrate across and build upon the high standards set by the core
disciplines.
By adopting the national guidelines, these organizations will apply the
guidelines in the development of their organizational programs and
services, promote the guidelines among members and constituents and
support the implementation of the guidelines in the education field.
The guidelines provide a set of recommendations for developing and
selecting environmental education materials, for the preparation and
professional development of environmental educators and for developing
and administering high quality nonformal environmental education
programs. The public can view the guidelines on the NAAEE Web site
(http://naaee.org) under “EE Guidelines.”
“For several years, our office has been employing the NAAEE guidelines
when evaluating environmental education workshops for the North Carolina
Certification Program,” said Lisa Tolley, director of the N.C. Office of
Environmental Education. “We hope that formally adopting the guidelines
will encourage other agencies and organizations to use the guidelines in
developing and assessing their environmental education materials and
programs.”
“Our members strive to uphold the highest standards in environmental
education,” stated Laura Webb Smith, president of Environmental
Educators of North Carolina. “The guidelines provide a comprehensive
set of tools for our educators to use in crafting meaningful learning
experiences.”
The North Carolina Association of Environmental Education Centers
(NCAEEC), a volunteer organization that promotes and encourages
cooperation among North Carolina’s 188 environmental education
facilities, is taking this announcement as an opportunity to recognize
the importance of the guidelines in designing quality environmental
education programs and resources. “We have a diverse membership across
the state of North Carolina that serves a wide variety of educational
needs,” noted Amber Parker, NCAEEC president. “We hope this announcement
by the Office and EENC will bring attention to the NAAEE guidelines as a
development and assessment tool and we will encourage our member centers
to consult them when developing their own environmental education programs.”
The N.C. Office of Environmental Education (www.eenorthcarolina.org) is
a state office that serves as a clearinghouse for all the environmental
education resources, programs, materials and facilities in North
Carolina, and sponsors the work of the NCAEEC in its mission to promote
environmental education facilities. Environmental Educators of North
Carolina (www.eenc.org) is a volunteer-run, membership-based
professional organization for environmental educators and the state
affiliate of NAAEE.
Elephants and Ivory Soap
Save the Elephants - Don't Buy Ivory Soap:
Burdening Kids With Issue They Can't Understand Creates Confusion,
Not Future Environmentalists
 In this Newsweek article, Katie Johnson Slivovsky gives great examples of how poor quality environmental education can do more harm than good. Educators must remember the cognitive abilities of the age group they are teaching. Sometimes it's better to leave the lesson plan behind and just spend some quality time outside. Click here to read the article.
NC's Environmental Success Stories
While North Carolina faces an array of environmental challenges to
protect its land, water and air, it's also fortunate to have developed
an environmental preservation ethic that has led to a growing list of
success stories. Here are a few:
1. The Land Trust movement
The Piedmont Land Conservancy in Greensboro is one of a couple of dozen
nonprofit groups, including the Catawba Lands Conservancy, working to
preserve the state's land, waters and natural heritage through a variety
of means.
Land trusts sometimes buy land, help arrange conservation easements and
management plans that will protect it from development and sometimes
broker donations of property for parks or refuges.
Since its founding in 1990, the Piedmont Land Conservancy has protected
about 11,300 acres in nine central Piedmont counties -- 6,000 acres
donated and 5,300 acres either purchased or acquired at below appraised
value.
One of its most compelling stories is its decision to pursue the
creation of a farmland preservation corridor in an area between Liberty
and Randleman, south of Greensboro.
Working with owners whose families have farmed the land for generations,
the conservancy has put together funding from local governments,
foundations and state and federal trust funds to protect 1,000 acres of
beautiful, rolling farmlands in a fast-growing section of the Piedmont.
The project keeps family farms whole, protects the scenic landscape and
helps keep waterways clean.
For more, visit the group's Web site at www.piedmontland.org and follow
the links to other land trusts in North Carolina.
2. N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund
The N.C. General Assembly sometimes deserves criticism for its failure
to act proactively on environmental protection, and sometimes it
deserved rave reviews. It deserves special thanks in 2005 for fully
funding the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund for the first time
with a $100 million appropriation.Run by former Secretary of Environment
and Natural Resources Bill Holman, the fund works across the state to
help identify, design and help pay for land and water acquisition
projects. It helps provide buffers, set aside natural areas and preserve
wetlands that help filter runoff and keep surface and groundwater clean.
3. Military cooperation
In a state that is economically dependent upon large military bases,
North Carolina has a big stake in maintaining good relations.
Unlike Virginia, which allowed residential development near Naval Air
Station Oceana until the Base Closure and Realignment Commission began
to talk of relocating the base, N.C. environmental interests put
together some creative funding to buy 37,500 acres of buffers around
Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune. Those buffers provide wildlife habitat and
ensure that residential development would not be an immediate problem.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld took note of the state's
cooperation with the military in a speech in August, quoting the state
Department of Environment and Natural Resources as saying that "military
bases are now among that state's most environmentally conscious
communities."
4. Local government leadership
Environmentalists point to a number of local governments that are
providing leadership to reduce pollution, ameliorate anticipated effects
of global warming and use resources more efficiently.Outgoing Asheville
Mayor Charles Worley signed the U.S. Mayor's Climate Protection
Agreement committing the city to pursue more fuel-efficient staff cars
and design more efficient buildings. Meanwhile, the city of Charlotte
decided to add two dozen hybrid electric vehicles to its fleet,
expanding on an earlier decision to reduce fuel consumption and emit
fewer pollutants.
5. The Coastal Federation's wetlands and oyster restoration
The N.C. Coastal Federation has long combined education, advocacy,
policy development and preservation projects to help restore and
preserve the state's coastal region.
One of its most admirable efforts is its project to restore wetlands to
the North River Farms area of Carteret County as a prelude to fostering
a return of the oyster population. When the vast acreage was cleared for
agricultural production, wetlands largely disappeared, and storm runoff
in the area sent oyster beds into further decline.
The federation has acquired acreage and begun to restore the wetlands
that filter storm runoff and reintroduce a forest of bald cypress, water
tupelo, Atlantic white cedar, black gum, green ash and silky dogwood.
The federation hopes to plant 6,000 trees as part of the 5,100-acre project.
For more information about paying for one or more of those trees, go to
www.nccoast.org.
6. N.C.'s Ecosystem Enhancement Program and other efforts
State agencies have success stories, too.One is the Ecosystem
Enhancement Program, which combined efforts by the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Transportation
to mitigate the loss of wetlands.
Instead of delaying highways and other transportation projects because
of environmental concerns, the program protects natural areas and
creates new wetlands to compensate for the potential loss of wetlands
from forthcoming projects. Since 2003 it has created 7,600 acres of
wetlands with another 1,500 in the works, without delaying any of the
$1.9 billion in transportation projects that required wetlands mitigation.
State regulatory efforts evidently have reduced nitrogen in the Neuse
River -- thought to be related to fish kills on that river, and to a
reduction in agricultural nutrients that degrade waters in the
Tar-Pamlico basin. These are remarkable reductions that either meet or
exceed the targets set by the state in major river basins feeding
Pamlico Sound.
The state is also expanding its parks system, adding more than 300 acres
to Mayo River State Park just last week. It is also developing the Haw
River State Park north of Greensboro, the Hickory Nut Gap park east of
Asheville and the Carvers Creek park in Cumberland County, significant
expansions of the state system.
7. Private donations of important lands
Every so often a private donor makes available a biologically diverse
tract of land or waterway, and groups like The Nature Conservancy are
there to inventory it, receive it and make sure it's handled appropriately.
The Nature Conservancy was given the 1,380-acre Long Valley Farm in the
Sandhills area of Harnett and Cumberland counties when James Stillman
Rockefeller, the great-nephew of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, died at
102. The tract, near Fort Bragg, is a heavily wooded farm that includes
longleaf pine and a cypress swamp with canopy trees 100 feet tall. BY
JACK BETTS | jbetts "at" charlotteobserver.com
NC's Environmental Challenges
State of the environment North Carolina's most urgent environmental challenge JACK BETTS jbetts "at" charlotteobserver.com Not long ago, Environmental Defense wrote about Caroline Tyler, born in Charlotte in 2001, in an update on climate change. "When she was one year old, she took her first trip to the Outer Banks, where her mom and dad helped her build sand castles and chase crabs," the report by the nonprofit, science-based organization said. "When Caroline turns 30, the beaches she visited with her family may very well have disappeared. That's because sea level is likely to rise by about six inches by 2030, destroying much of the coast we know now. By the time Caroline's grandchildren are grown, sea level in North Carolina is expected to have risen by 19 inches." If these and similar projections from coastal geologists, meteorologists and other scientific experts are even remotely accurate, North Carolina is in for significant change within our lifetimes -- all related to global climate change. And once again, climate change tops the list of the Observer's annual assessment of North Carolina's environment. The eastern face of the state -- battered by increasingly intense storms, ongoing pounding by tides and currents, and rising sea levels related to climate change -- will break up in spots we have long taken for granted. One estimate says 770 square miles of the coast -- about the size of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park -- could submerge. Agriculture and forestry faces changes just as dramatic in what can be grown and where. Air quality may worsen as temperatures rise, and the health of many citizens could decline. Some will die of heat stroke. That's why the N.C. General Assembly created a global warming commission to assess the likely impact of dramatic climate change on North Carolina. Among its missions is figuring out how North Carolina should respond. Environmental Defense, among others, has suggested a series of strategies the state should pursue to limit the harmful impact and prepare its residents to make some money off the changes in store. These are among the reasons the Observer's editorial board ranks climate change as the state's most pressing challenge in its 10th annual assessment of North Carolina's environment. The list changes each year as new problems arise and old ones ameliorate. This year, air quality drops out of the top 10 problems because there were fewer bad air days than in years; scientists and regulators think one reason for fewer problems is that controls on smokestack pollution have begun to take effect. Each of these annual assessments is subjective, not scientific. Anyone who spends time pondering the subject could come up with a different set of challenges. That's what the Observer aims to do each year -- promote debate and focus thoughtful attention on what steps the state ought to take in dealing with North Carolina's top environmental challenges. The others: 2. Water The online North Carolina Atlas notes a curious circumstance: While there is no discernible trend in annual rainfall, writes Peter Robinson, "the consistent annual totals mask an important change: summers have been getting drier, while falls have been getting wetter. As a consequence, North Carolinians tend to have less water available for their use than they did 100 years ago."The recent droughts in the Piedmont tend to confirm what many have long expected: a future with insufficient water in some areas as the state continues its dramatic urbanization. Raleigh, the state's second-largest city, has problems with one of its key reservoirs, Falls Lake, which supplies water to at least eight other Wake County towns. For the past month or more, the lake has been well below normal level, forcing Raleigh to think about asking for an interbasin transfer from Kerr Lake on the Roanoke River near the Virginia border. Concord and Kannapolis have sought permission to drain some 38 million gallons a day from the Catawba River in another interbasin transfer. Worries about water quality continue to mount. Storm runoff, nutrients and sediment remain a top concern. The problem, says Bill Holman of the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund, is that development is overwhelming the ability of regulators to keep pollution out of water supplies. The state has taken steps to preserve water quality, he writes in an upcoming issue of Warren Wilson College's journal "Heartstone," but "we're losing the war to protect water quality and the environment in North Carolina and America. The rapid pace of development is transforming our landscape." 3. Inappropriate growth Rapid growth and inappropriate development embody every significant environmental problem North Carolina faces and has been near the top of this list for 10 years. Residential growth consumes farmland, green space and forests, putting new strains on air quality and water quality. Marion Cowell, retired vice president of First Union Corp. and a member of the state Board of Transportation, takes pride in the dynamic growth that has come to Charlotte. "But I've also become concerned that air pollution, along with traffic congestion, sprawling low-density development and related quality-of-life concerns, could interfere with our future prosperity," he wrote in the forward to a Southern Environmental Law Center report about air quality in Charlotte. The fast pace of development is forcing a rethinking about zoning controls in mountain counties that long resisted government regulation of lands. But even in counties with zoning plans, surging population has led to inappropriate development. Growth and development has even threatened places where no one ever imagined overdevelopment. Because of residential encroachment around a jet base near Norfolk, the Pentagon wants to put a $186 million practice landing field next to the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, winter home to hundreds of thousands of large tundra swans and snow geese. Defenders of Wildlife, a national conservation group, calls the Pocosin Lakes refuge one of the nation's 10-most endangered. 4. Coastal overdevelopment In 1994 Gov. Jim Hunt appointed a special commission to examine North Carolina's landmark 20-year-old Coastal Area Management Act and make recommendations for the future. But a growth surge in coastal counties has caused problems."Population growth is exploding, and the land use planning program for the coast is totally broken," says Todd Miller, founder and executive director of the N.C. Coastal Federation. "It's probably time to do away with this program" and replace it with a system that gives incentives only to counties that enforce their plans. Michelle Duval, a scientist with Environmental Defense, calls it " `death by a thousand cuts' of our diverse coastal economies -- the working waterfronts that used to define the N.C. coast. Unfortunately, as land values increase and the McMansion economic model expands, this diversity is lost. The very people who depend on waterfront availability for their economic survival can no longer afford that access." 5. Energy Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast -- and brought to North Carolina a vivid reminder of the absence of adequate, sustainable energy sources. Molly Diggins, state director for the N.C. chapter of the Sierra Club, ranks energy as North Carolina's top problem. "How North Carolina will meet its escalating energy needs at an affordable cost will dominate all other debate affecting the environment in 2006 and beyond," she said. While utilities are interested in building more nuclear plants, they involve both significant costs and environmental risks. Pressure grows for the state to rescind its official opposition to offshore natural gas exploration. Michael Short, senior policy analyst at Environmental Defense, believes North Carolina must make"huge investments in energy efficiencies," including more incentives to use advanced technologies such as hybrid cars. 6. Fish and shellfish depletion While some fish stocks have made admirable recoveries in N.C. waters, others have declined in alarming ways. Observer outdoor writer Jack Horan reported in October on the virtual free-fall in river herring, once a staple of the Carolina coastal diet in late winter: "The silvery fish have become so depleted that, for the past four years, catches have failed to reach a quota limit." Biologists recommended a moratorium on all fishing, but the state Marine Fisheries commission rejected it.State officials also remain concerned about the stocks of southern flounder, spiny dogfish, Atlantic sturgeon, tautog and weakfish, all listed as "overfished" by the Division of Marine Fisheries. The division also lists oysters, bay scallops and blue crabs as species of "concern" because of low catches. 7. Waste disposal A 1991 law sought solid waste reduction by 40 percent by 2001, but population growth has increased the amount going into landfills by more than 18 percent, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said in March. At the same time, the state might begin importing garbage in landfills proposed for sparsely populated areas of eastern North Carolina. The Sierra Club's Molly Diggins says these "massive new landfills in sensitive areas" are a distinct environmental threat. Meanwhile, the state continues to search for solutions to large-scale hog farm waste, typically held in open lagoons that can spill over into the state's waterways before it is sprayed onto nearby fields. Researchers have identified promising technologies to replace lagoons, but the state appears to still be years away from making a transition. 8. Loss of scenic landscape Just as city folk longing for a place in the hills have bought cottages clinging to mountainsides that once were part of the uncluttered view along the Blue Ridge Parkway, so have thousands more bought up the shoreline along the Intracoastal Waterway and built out-of-scale mansions to replace the modest fish camps and clapboard cottages that once dotted the coastal area inside the Outer Banks.Even in the urbanized areas of the west, Piedmont and the east, the loss of natural areas to upscale residential developments has changed what we North Carolinians see from our windows. Litter accumulates in startling volume along our highways, costing the state millions of dollars in collection costs and providing volunteers with more work than they can keep up with in many areas. Utility poles and wires mar the viewscape, too. Some urban areas have launched plans to replace overhead wires and traffic signals with buried utilities and less-obtrusive signs featuring fiberglass poles and efficient LED lighting, but the job has barely begun. 9. Ecosystem management Environmental leaders have been thinking about environmental protection in a new way. Dave McNaught, senior policy analyst for Environmental Defense, puts it like this: "The frame of public discourse about matters environmental is consistently flawed" because it fails to consider long-term implications of decisions and doesn't recognize the "inherent interdependence of conservation and development." Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources Bill Ross hopes to kindle public interest in rethinking why we want to protect the environment, along the lines of Gretchen Daily and Katherine Ellison's 2002 book "The New Economy of Nature." "We still think of conservation basically as something to do for moral or aesthetic reasons -- not for survival and certainly not for profit," they wrote. "Nevertheless, the record clearly shows that conservation can't succeed by charity alone. It has a fighting chance, however, with well-designed appeals to self-interest." 10. Loss of natural areas North Carolina has more than 17 million acres of forests -- fourth-highest in the nation -- and large stands of trees in national and state forests, parks and wildlife reserves. But once the area was part of a nearly unbroken canopy of forestland that extended from the coast to the Mississippi River. The huge stands of hardwoods and regal longleaf pines are now a small fraction of what they once were. That's why many worry about the Bush administration's efforts in 2005 to open some national forests to logging in roadless areas, including in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests in North Carolina. In a state where development has gobbled up an average of 100,000 acres of forested lands and natural areas per year, recent legislation may make it harder for local governments to preserve land at a time the state's population continues to grow -- and consume more natural areas.
Last Child In the Woods
 Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods, describes the phenomenon of "nature deficit disorder" among today's children and examines how our children's lack of personal experiences in nature will affect our environment and their learning. He explores the connection between this deficit and some of our most troubling threats to childhood health including obesity and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). You'll enjoy this review of his book from one of North Carolina's environmental educators, Parks Chief Naturalist Marti Kane!
What is more frightening to an environmental educator than global warming? I’ll tell you what it is – no children playing in the woods! Many of us can remember a time not too long ago when, as children, we played in the woods, made forts and tree houses, and explored nature in her wildest forms. But, as journalist Richard Louv documents in his new book, Last Child in the Woods, this type of natural play is endangered and, perhaps, on the verge of extinction.
There are many reasons why this is so. The death of the family farm and the lack of natural places in which to play have certainly contributed. Larger homes, air conditioning, TV, videogames and computers make the indoors a more inviting place. And then there is fear – the fear that parents feel about allowing their children to roam anywhere these days unsupervised. Human predators seem to lurk everywhere. Messages of “have you seen this missing child?” show up on our milk cartons and in our mailboxes. And what about deadly diseases such as rabies and bird flu that we might catch from wild animals?
Louv addresses these fears and presents strategies for overcoming the barriers that prevent children from experiencing the natural world. As environmental educators, we can employ Louv’s strategies in our work. For example, we could examine the educational services we offer to determine how well we are allaying fears. Those of us fortunate enough to be working at Environmental Education Centers could take the lead in developing partnerships with schools, scouts and other youth organizations.
Why is it so important to save our children from nature-deficit disorder? So what if children don’t play in the woods anymore? Well, we are in the midst of a childhood obesity crisis, for one. Louv also quotes studies, such as “Closing the Achievement Gap” from the State Education and Environmental Roundtable, that show remarkable improvements in the test scores of children involved in environment-based education. Other studies demonstrate that natural play can be used successfully as therapy for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In fact, the absence of nature in the lives of children may aggravate symptoms of ADHD.
Even more important is this question that Louv asks: “Where will future stewards of nature come from?” As the number of children with hands-on emotional attachment to nature decreases, can we expect that they will advocate in the future for the protection of habitats, biodiversity or the natural processes on which the health of our ecosystem depends? Probably not. If we care about sustaining life on planet Earth, we had all better be concerned about the environmental education of our children. If we are to survive and thrive here, then no child can be left behind!
-- Marti Kane, Parks Chief Naturalist, N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation
Also by Louv:
"Nature Deficit." Orion Magazine. July/August, 2005. http://www.oriononline.org/pages/om/05-4om/Louv.html
Union-Tribune columns: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/louv or http://www.thefuturesedge.com
In addition to Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, the following books, also available at the DENR Library, may also be of interest:
Kahn, Peter H. Jr. and Stephen R. Kellert, eds. Children and Nature: Psychological, Sociocultural, and Evolutionary Investigations. MIT Press, 2002. Env Ed BF353.5 .N37 C47 2002.
Lieberman, Gerald A. and Linda L. Hoody, Closing the Achievement Gap: Using the Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning. State Education and Environment Roundtable, 1998. Env Ed GE70 .L54 1998. (The executive summary for this study is available online at: http://www.seer.org/extras/execsum.pdf.)
Nabhan, Gary Paul. The Geography of Childhood: Why Children Need Wild Places. Beacon Press, 1994. Env Ed BF353.5 .N37 N32 1994.
Sobel, David. Beyond Ecophobia: Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education. Orion Society, 1996. Env Ed LB1585 .S583 1996.
Grist Magazine
 Has reading about environmental issues got you down? Than you need to check out Grist Magazine - Environmental News and Commentary! Grist is the self-proclaimed "beacon in the smog," or "gloom and doom with a sense of humor." The content will leave you informed, and the article titles will leave you laughing. From environmental headlines to environmental advice, it definitely has a lot to offer. Check out their Web site when you need to be informed, or sign up for free, daily environmental news by e-mail.
Store Wars
 Join Cuke Skywalker and Obi Wan Cannoli in Store Wars! Produced by Free Range Studios for the Organic Trade Association, this spoof of the classic film is sure to have your sides splitting, and you just might learn something! So, grab some popcorn, and remember, may the farm be with you.
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We update several of our online news sections daily, but there was no way for us to let you know which sections had been updated except for occasional e-mails with huge lists of news items. That has all changed! 
Our new Discover the World Outside postcards relate the many physical and mental benefits of spending time outdoors. Some of these cards are targeted towards parents and highlight the specific benefits for children. Others are aimed at reaching the adult population in our state. All of the post cards share recent research findings and direct people to the statewide EE Calendar, the online EE Centers database and many other resources that can help them Discover the World Outside wherever they live! 
Professor Mike Hulme is with the Tyndall Centre in the United Kingdom. Here he has been conducting research on people's attitudes to media portrayals of a catastrophic future. Those who are involved in educating people about global climate change may be interested in his findings.
It's the end of the year, which means it's time again for Jack Betts of the 
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Institute for Learning Innovation and the Monterey Bay Aquarium have collaborated to better understand the role that zoos and aquariums play as facilitators of free-choice learning. The study conducted sought to determine why visitors come to these institutions, what they already know when they come and what they learn while they are there. The study found that people's motivation to visit zoos and aquariums generally place them into one of the five following categories: explorer, professional/hobbyist, experience seeker, spiritual pilgrim or facilitator. 
She has everything...the looks, the clothes, a cool car and a pooper scooper. Wait a minute...what? It's true! Barbie has a new dog named Tanner. Tanner likes to go for walks, play fetch with her bone and eat doggie biscuits. She's your typical retriever, and like any typical retriever, she poops (although unlike your typical retriever, only after you press down on her tail). And Barbie is a model citizen who realizes the impact that dog waste can have on water quality, so she picks up after Tanner using her turquoise pooper scooper! That's why she dumped Ken, you know...he didn't care about fecal coliform levels and stormwater pollution. You go, girl! 
What will you eat for dinner? This is the question that Michael Pollan's latest book, 
We mean it...you really don't want to miss this! John Simmons, photographer for the Charlotte Observer, has done an incredible job capturing images of wildlife that can be found in and around Charlotte, NC. In 
So, what is an ETP anyway? "An 'environmental tipping point' is a point in a linked eco-social system where a small action can catalyze major changes in the system's health." They are often the cause of environmental problems, but as Marten, Brooks and Suutan have found, they can also be the solution. Go to 
