Environmental, economic leaders converge at WCU
More than 100 leaders from across Western North Carolina came together at Western Carolina University this month to talk about how to grow the regional economy without negatively impacting the mountain environment.
The daylong conference, called “Advancing our Economy, Preserving our Environment,” was the latest in a series sponsored by WCU to get regional leaders and thinkers working collaboratively to solve regional issues.
Speakers hailed from both the public and private sectors.
The morning was devoted to transportation, manufacturing, health, creative arts and education topics. Among others, Stan Cross, CEO of Brightfield Transportation Solutions in Asheville, shared data predicting that electric vehicles will cost about the same as traditional vehicles by 2022. Alec Burkle, engineering manager for Eaton Corp. in Arden, described his company’s efforts to decrease its negative impacts and increase its positive ones, and Timm Muth, director of the Jackson County Green Energy Park, talked about the park’s use of landfill gases as fuel for artisans — encouraging economic development while protecting the environment.
Lauren Bishop, WCU’s chief sustainability officer, and Lane Perry, WCU director of service learning, tag-teamed on a presentation about the role of the university in providing graduates who are not just thinkers but also doers, using the university as a laboratory to address issues facing the region.
The afternoon moved on to issues impacting outdoor tourism and the environment.
David Brown, executive director of American Outdoors Association in Knoxville, Tennessee, called for the elimination of bureaucratic barriers to outdoor outfitters seeking permits to operate on public lands, while Nantahala Outdoor Center CEO Sutton Bacon emphasized the changing demographic of first-time users of public lands and the importance of getting youth involved in outdoor activities early.
Mike Wilkins, head ranger in the Nantahala District of the U.S. Forest Service, wrapped up the session by pointing out that two of the top five most-visited national forests in the U.S. are in Western North Carolina — Pisgah and Nantahala.
“If you were to take away the ski areas in Colorado, we’d be talking about No. 1 and No. 2,” Wilkins said.
