Welcome
back, and best wishes for a successful start to the spring semester! We
ended Winter Session on
a high note last week. On January 25, Professor Bill Gibson and I had
the honor of attending the annual River Stars Recognition
Luncheon, hosted by the Elizabeth River Project. Virginia Wesleyan University was recognized during the program as one of the finest
environmental stewards on the Elizabeth River, receiving the top-tier
Model Level designation (view photos).
Virginia
Wesleyan advanced to Model Level this year based on our pollution
prevention efforts, our wildlife habitat enhancement, and our continued
community outreach, mentoring and education. We began this academic year
with two prominent new additions that have secured a national niche for
Virginia Wesleyan University in these areas. With the completion of the
Greer Environmental Sciences Center and the opening of the Batten
Honors College, we have expanded our teaching, research, and service
toward the vital goals of studying and preserving the natural
environment—including the Elizabeth River.
In the short time
since it opened, the Greer Environmental Sciences Center has received
many accolades. Next month, in recognition of the building, Virginia
Wesleyan will be honored by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation with its
“Conservationist of the Year” award. And our recent LEED Gold certification
by the U.S. Green Building Council—the first LEED certification in
Virginia in 2018—played a primary role in our advancement to the River
Stars’ Model Level. The LEED program is an internationally recognized
certification program that provides third-party verification that a
building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at
improving performance across several metrics. These include energy
savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, improved
indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and
sensitivity to their impacts.
On its exterior, visitors to the
GESC will find just over two acres of vegetated open space and teaching
gardens. This “Living Landscape” is made up of nearly 24,000 native
plants, inspired by the ecosystems of the Eastern Shore. It also has two
upland meadow gardens, three wetland gardens, and nearly 60 different
plant species, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, ferns, perennials,
and aquatic plants. The wetlands and extensive green roof prevent
polluted runoff from harming the Elizabeth River and the Chesapeake Bay.
This area also serves as a habitat for ducks, geese, wading birds,
turtles, amphibians, butterflies, dragonflies, and other invertebrates.
Our
Model Level designation also celebrates the launch and expected
long-term impact of the Batten Honors College, which is designed to
prepare impactful leaders and environmental stewards. The Batten Honors
College curriculum explores diverse disciplines from the natural
sciences, humanities, social sciences, and mathematics, with a goal of
educating and graduating lifelong learners from Virginia Wesleyan who
will shape our future and take action to improve the world.
Virginia
Wesleyan faculty, staff and students have long been engaged in unique
opportunities to explore and support environmental issues, from the
creation of the Student Environmental Awareness League in the 1980s, to
the installation of beehives, bat boxes, and bluebird boxes on campus.
The establishment of the President’s Environmental Issues Council (PEIC) has led to further support for environmental projects, including challenge grants for students and faculty.
Thank
you to our entire campus community and to the PEIC for your continued
efforts, and special thanks in particular to Dr. Bill Gibson for taking
the lead on earning this and many other notable designations for
Virginia Wesleyan University.
We are proud to once again be recognized by the Elizabeth River Project for our environmental commitment.
Congratulations!
