Blue Ridge Outdoors has named Warren Wilson College the “greenest college” of the Southeast, one of the “Green Globe” awards doled out in the magazine’s July issue.
“Warren Wilson is more than a liberal arts college, it’s a 300-acre working farm and 700-acre forest that operates as a laboratory for sustainable practices,” the article notes. “The college uses environmental sustainability to inform every aspect of campus life, from composting the cafeteria scraps to using bio-diesel car fleets. … It’s nice to see a school practice what it preaches, but [Warren Wilson’s] most earth-friendly program is its education model of hands-on learning, which drives home sustainable ethics through mandatory work, study, and community service.”
The Swannanoa campus isn’t the only enviro-friendly fixture in Western North Carolina to earn a nod from BRO, which scoped the entire Southeast to find the most deserving Green Globe recipients. The Canary Coalition’s annual Relay for Clean Air — a 100-mile jog/bike ride from the Smokies to downtown Asheville to draw attention to our local air quality — was singled out as one of the region’s “Best Green Running Events.” Also, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project got a mention in the “Best Grassroots Organizations” category.
It’s no wonder the Asheville area was mentioned so many times in the publication’s quest to find the greenest projects in the land. What is a bit puzzling is the magazine’s spotlight on “Eco-themed Video Games” as the “Best Indoor Trend.” Sounds like a far cry from Grand Theft Auto. Here’s the description:
“It’s tough to see how sitting on a couch and playing a video game could save the world, but Adventure Ecology gives it a shot. This eco-themed video game lets kids play an eco-hero on a quest to halt pollution and defeat global warming. The game teaches inter-dependencies in the ecosystem, a concept that is tough to get across in a text book or lecture, allowing kids to learn the ins and outs of sustainable living while entertaining them at the same time. adventureecology.com.”
Any eco-heroes out there vegging out on the couch?
— Rebecca Bowe, editorial assistant
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