Nature Provides a Cheaper Alternative for Fun

Posted on March 19, 2012 by

Malls and beaches have always been popular destinations for fun, but as these institutions of money-spending fall in popularity due to financially difficult times, attendance only rises at natural alternatives.

“We have seen a steady increase in attendance,” Charlie Peek, public information officer for the N.C. State Park System said, “Most parks don’t charge admission and are inexpensive alternatives for recreation.”

Yu-Fai Leung, associate professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at N.C. State, agrees adding that this is a nation-wide trend.
Read the complete article by Frances Ellis in The Technician>>

Venditti Named TAPPI Fellow for 2012

Posted on March 2, 2012 by

Dr. Richard Venditti

Dr. Richard Venditti has been named a 2012 TAPPI Fellow by the nation’s leading association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging and converting industries, TAPPI. He is currently on the faculty of the Department of Forest Biomaterials in North Carolina State University’s College of Natural Resources.

According to TAPPI, Fellow is an honorary title bestowed upon a very small percentage of TAPPI’s membership. It is given to individuals who have made extraordinary technical or service contributions to the industry and/or the Association. The new Fellows will be honored at the TAPPI Fellows Luncheon on Sunday, April 22, 2012 held in conjunction with the 2012 PaperCon meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

“As an outstanding educator Dr. Venditti has made major contributions to the pulp and paper industry by training and educating many technical and engineering graduates who now work and hold key positions in our industry,” said Larry N. Montague, president and CEO of TAPPI. “In addition, he’s conducted top level research in areas such as recycling and more recently into bio-based materials and biofuels. He’s an outstanding choice for this prestigious award.”

Currently Venditti teaches Chemical Process Control, Unit Operations of Pulp and Paper, and Life Cycle Analysis at NCSU and he’s also director of the Hands-on Workshop for Pulp and Paper Basics co-sponsored by NCSU and TAPPI.

His research group’s goal at NCSU is to develop and understand systems for the effective utilization of renewable resources to produce sustainable products, including polymeric materials and biofuels.

In addition to TAPPI he is a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment. In 2001 he was awarded The Investigator of the Year Award by the AF&PA Containerboard Group Technical Division for his research in paper recycling. In 2009 he received a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Environmental Science for travel to South Africa and in 2010 was awarded the Association for the Concerns of African American Graduate Students Advocacy Award at NCSU.

Venditti received a Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering at Princeton University and B.S. degrees in Pulp and Paper Technology and Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University.

About TAPPI:
TAPPI is the leading association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging and converting industries and publisher of Paper360° and TAPPI JOURNAL. Through information exchange, events, trusted content and networking opportunities, TAPPI helps members elevate their performance by providing solutions that lead to better, faster and more cost-effective ways of doing business. It has provided management training and networking to the industry’s leaders for more than 97 years. Visit www.tappi.org.
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Media Contacts:
Deborah Chafin, TAPPI Marketing, dchafin@tappi.org, 770-209-7216
Tilla Fearn, NCSU College of Natural Resources, tilla_fearn@ncsu.edu, 919,513-4644

Attarian Is New AAC Southern Applachian Conservation Ambassador

Posted on February 21, 2012 by

The American Alpine Club has announced that Dr. Aram Attarian of NC State University has been named to serve as Conservation Ambassador for the Southern Appalachian Section of ACC.

Dr. Attarian will replace Patrick Weaver, owner and chief guide of the Appalachian Mountain Institute, who has completed a two year tour in this critical role. He will be assisted by a Conservation Working Group comprised of volunteers drawn from across the section. They will work with the AAC Conservation Committee Chair Ellen Lapham, Conservation Committee Sections Liaison Fred Glover, and the Section Chair to further implement these roles and the section’s conservation strategy, programs, and projects.

Attarian is an Associate Professor in the North Carolina State University College of Natural Resources, Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management. He also serves as Director of the National Association of State Park Directors-State Park Leadership School. He was involved in the early years of the Carolina Climbers Coalition, and has served on the CCC Board of Directors. He played a critical role in the CCC efforts to replace aging bolts at Carolina crags, and authored the Climbing Management Plan for Laurel Knob. Attarian currently serves as a member of the AAC Safety Advisory Council and assists the editor of Accidents in North American Mountaineering.

About The American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club provides knowledge and inspiration, conservation and advocacy, and logistical support for the climbing community. The AAC advocates for American climbers domestically and around the world; provides grants and volunteer opportunities to protect and conserve the places we climb; hosts local and national climbing festivals and events; publishes two of the world’s most sought-after climbing annuals, The American Alpine Journal and Accidents in North American Mountaineering; cares for the world’s leading climbing library and country’s leading mountaineering museum; manages the Grand Teton Climbers’ Ranch as part of a larger lodging network for climbers; and annually gives $80,000+ toward climbing, conservation, and research grants to adventurers who travel the world.
More at americanalpineclub.org.

Source – American Alpine Club Southern Appalachian Newsletter – Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/gUaa .

Sustainability, College Athletics Don’t Always Connect

Posted on February 15, 2012 by

Large college athletics departments talk the talk when it comes to concern for the environment and environmental sustainability, but only a small percentage of these departments actually walk the walk in making their operations “greener.”

It turns out there’s a large disconnect between athletics departments and other campus departments charged with advancing environmental sustainability, says Dr. Jonathan Casper, a North Carolina State University associate professor of sports management and lead author of a paper that examined athletic department sustainability practices at almost 100 NCAA Division I schools.

Concerns about the costs of going green, mixed with a lack of communication with the rest of the university about campus sustainability initiatives, appear to vex many green efforts in athletics, Casper says.

He adds that some schools are capturing the “low-hanging fruit” – replacing incandescent light bulbs and utilizing recycling bins at stadiums, for instance – but says most haven’t included sustainable practices or long-term planning about environmental issues in athletics departments’ strategic plans.

The study, one of the first to examine sustainability in big-time college athletics, surveyed 117 so-called football bowl subdivision (FBS) schools; 97 schools responded to a number of questions on athletic department perceptions and actions on environmental sustainability. Generally, athletic department representatives responding to the survey understand that sustainability issues are important. But not many athletic departments have formal relationships with other campus groups involved in sustainability.

“Getting these groups talking to one another and partnering to make athletics more sustainable could really make a difference, as athletics departments understand the need to be greener in their building and facility operations, event management, and other areas,” Casper says. “Partnering with other campus groups already working on green initiatives may also help bring the cost down for athletics departments.”

For more information contact:
Dr. Jonathan Casper, NC State University Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, 919/513-0771 or jmcasper@ncsu.edu
Mick Kulikowski, News Services, 919/515-8387 or mick_kulikowski@ncsu.edu

– kulikowsi –

Note: An abstract of the paper follows.

“Athletics Department Awareness and Action Regarding the Environment: A Study of NCAA Athletics Department Sustainability Practices”

Authors: Jonathan Casper, North Carolina State University; Michael Pfahl, Ohio University; Mark McSherry, ProGreenSports

Published: Jan, 27, 2012, in Journal of Sport Management

Abstract: The relationship of sport to sustainability management is relatively unknown. Despite the increasing recognition of the growing role of athletics in regard to environmental sustainability, it remains unclear what role athletics departments have with regard to environmental action and what is currently being done now. The purpose of this study is to examine American intercollegiate athletics department personnel in relation to their organization’s sustainability practices, organizational strategies, and personal perspectives at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) universities. Athletics department members (N = 97) who were most responsible for sustainability initiatives responded to a survey designed to assess awareness levels and concern for environmental issues and the strategies and practices at work in their respective athletics departments. Findings based on prioritization, planning, decision-making, and use of initiatives using frequencies and means are reported. Differences, using t-tests were also compared based on BCS or non-BCS standing. Results show that although environmental concern is high, there is disconnect between concern and action perhaps due to a lack of communication between the athletics department and the general university, cost concerns, and a lack of knowledge about sustainability initiatives. Implications related to the need for better communication between the athletics department/university and improved planning and prioritization is discussed.

Natural Resources Dean Paddles for Hope

Posted on February 15, 2012 by

Dr. Bob Brown, Dean of the College of Natural Resources at NC State University, will be one of nine kayakers participating in the Hope Floats 9-day, 225 mile kayak trip this April.

The group will paddle from Raleigh to Beaufort down the Neuse River. Hope Floats is part of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life campaign, which raises funds through walks, runs, bike trips and kayak trips. The group is limited to 9 paddlers for the entire trip, but others are invited to join this group for one-day trips. The group has set a fund-raising goal of $ 5,000, but hopes to raise much more. Each paddler has an individual fund-raising goal.

Along the way, a “Reserve Team” will follow along by car, helping to establish camps each night and prepare meals. Each paddler pays $ 150 to cover the expenses – in addition to the fund raising.

Brown has done kayaking and canoe trips before. When he came to NCSU in 2006, his photo was taken with a kayak – and he in suit and tie. Brown got started in canoeing as a Scoutmaster and Boy Scout Venturing Crew Leader, twice taking groups to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota.

He later got into marathon canoe and kayak racing, participating in both a solo kayak and a tandem canoe in several 40 – 60 mile races – the “Colorado 100” mile race in Texas three times, and the grueling 260-mile “Texas Water Safari” five times. The later race has to be completed in 100 hours, which involves paddling at night, portaging around or over fallen trees and broken dams at night, and little sleep. “I had to drop out of that race twice, once for utter exhaustion and once for dehydration, “Brown said.

“No one in my family has had cancer, fortunately, and by raising funds for cancer research I hope to keep it that way,” Brown said. Anyone interested in learning more about the trip or contributing to the fund can do so at hopefloatscn.org .