This October James Farmer, assistant professor in the Department of
Recreation, Park, and Tourism Studies, teamed up with Associate Professor Vicky Meretsky from the School of Public
and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) to offer 27 students and 2 visiting scholars
the opportunity to see firsthand the impact of energy production, specifically
coal extraction, on rural residents.
Students had the opportunity to visit
several sites including a restored stream system, hydro plant, wind farm, and
mountain top removal site, as well as hear from college students in the area
studying the issue, industry representatives, environmental managers and
advocates, as well as local residents and community organizers engaged in
eco-restoration.
The trip allowed students the opportunity to witness individuals from the coal and gas
industries and those engaged in watershed protection and restoration working
together to solve human-environmental problems, “…problems that have had and
will continue to have a profound impact on human health and quality of life,”
Farmer noted.
He hopes that students
became more aware of the need for collaboration in developing solutions to
energy production problems, but that also the“…learned where their energy comes from and
what it takes (and how it affects both people and the natural environment we
depend on) to turn on a light switch.”
No comments:
Post a Comment