Center for the Environment
SALISBURY — High school juniors and seniors just got a huge break.
Recent donations to the National Environmental Summit for High School Students, scheduled for July 20-24 on the Catawba College campus, have allowed the Center for the Environment to drop the cost from $875 to $150, and the $50 registration fee is refundable if the student attends the summit.
That means it will cost the student only $100 for an opportunity to learn and explore innovative environmental solutions under the guidance of scientists and engineers from Rocky Mountain Institute, one of the world’s most successful solutions-based, sustainability-focused organizations, and faculty from Catawba College.
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 as they learn to apply techniques RMI uses in its global work in their schools, transportation and home life.
The summit, which will include follow-up activities via the Internet through May 2012, will emphasize whole systems thinking, helping students become collaborative leaders and effective communicators. Summit leaders will provide knowledge and analytical skills that will help the participants return to their schools and communities empowered to have a tangible impact.
One of the distinctive elements of the summit is that it will involve multiple disciplines and Catawba faculty from many departments. Students will explore the concept of environmental leadership through the perspective of their own skills and interest in the arts, humanities, education, business, science and technology. They will learn how essential elements of these varied disciplines — creativity, expression, innovation, research, experimentation and teamwork — are critical to their effectiveness as environmental leaders.
“This reduction in price has been an incredible boon for the program,” says John Wear, director of the Center for the Environment. “The generosity of our sponsors and other donors has been overwhelming. This should make the experience affordable for everyone.”
For more information, visit www.centerfortheenvironment.org/redesigning-our-future.html.