Regional Workforce Development (Professional Training Courses at CPCC)

A wide range of courses were offered to business professionals and to the general community during 2007 that had a focus on specific sustainable topics. Even courses that have been in existence for several years are being modified to incorporate modern sustainability concepts. Below is a sample listing of these courses. Additional courses are under review and/or development through Engineering Technologies, Applied Technologies, Science and Horticulture.

• Energy Management

• Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution

• Wastewater Treatment Certification Level 1

• Wastewater Treatment Certification Level 2

• GIS/GPS Primer for Environmental Use

• Creating and Integrating Data for Natural Resource Applications

• Subdivision Planning

• Landscape Design

• Plant Materials 1, Plant Materials 11

• Applied Plant Science

• Horticultural Pest Management

• Soils & Fertilizers

• Plant Propagation

• Interiorscapes

• Advanced Turf grass Management

• Native Flora

• Green Building & Remodeling

• Principles of Interior Design – includes green concepts.

• Textiles – includes sustainable design

• Contract/Commercial Design I & II – green projects

Environmental Education (Non-Professional CPCC Courses)

These and other courses helped the Charlotte region go green during 2007, educating the consumer to make sound environmentally friendly decisions.

• What’s your Carbon Footprint (developed in ’07)

• Environmental BioDiesel (developed in ’07)

• How to Grow, Harvest and Store Culinary Herbs

• Organic Gardening for the Fall & Winter

• Planning your own Home Landscape Design, GDN 7150 – Level 2

• Managing and Maintaining a Tall Fescue Lawn

• Organic Gardening for the Spring Season

• Organic Gardening for the Summer Season

• Utilizing Native Plants in Your Home Landscape

• Common Pests in the Charlotte Landscape

• Designing a Backyard Pond

• Multiply your Favorite Plants through Plant Propagation 

Community Events (Public Awareness –Seminars-Speakers-College Events at CPCC)

One of the primary goals of the Center for Sustainability is to create awareness of the many environmental challenges that our community faces. Further, it is our desire to equip with information, strategies and skills those who have a commitment to address these environmental challenges so that they can act upon their concerns. Those actions might include changes in lifestyle like using public transportation, growing an organic food, or building a green home to live in. It is our belief that making the community aware of the many tactics they can use to make a difference in our environment will result in significant efforts being made to do just that. The Center for Sustainability (CFS) has worked very hard with a wide range of internal college organizations and committed community partners to bring the following events and programs to the Charlotte region during 2007.

• Partnership programs with organizations such as North Carolina Conservation Network, Carolinas Clean Air Coalition, etc. During 2007, these included presentations listed in this section.

• The Documentary; Kilowatt Ours by Jeff Barrie was shown on all six campus locations and open to the public during April, 2007. This film showcased the source of our electricity, the concerns of coal on the environment and alternative, renewable energy sources readily available.

  • Arrangements were made in 2007 to host the new national version of Kilowatt Ours which will include a visit and presentation by the film producer/director; Jeff Barrie. This will take place during CPCC’s Earth Day program in April 2008 as part of Charlotte: Clean & Green.

• Little Sugar Creek Greenway - partnership with Meck Park & Rec. CFS met several times with greenway planners, led by Don Morgan, Branch Manager for Greenway Services and submitted a list of educational recommendations which are under review for implementation into the construction of the Little Sugar Creek Greenway along CPCC Central Campus. The new Culinary Arts Center will reside within the Greenway with surrounding landscape matching Park & Rec’s Master Plan.

• Carolina Raptor Center work day, September 29^th, 2007. CPCC Student Life community support for wildlife management and rehabilitation. This event supported another non-profit partner and exposed students to various elements regarding the effects of urban development on wildlife as they worked side by side with staff caring for injured raptors, feeding and facility maintenance.

• The CPCC Cato campus established a Nature Trail for walking which is open and available to students as well as the public. This educational project is designed to increase awareness to the natural world and encourages the use of native plants in the landscape.

• The Geekfest – October 31^st 2007. Several components of this event targeted new technologies with environmental applications including GIS programs and the North Carolina BioNetwork.

Guest speakers: Dr. John Wear from Catawba College Center for the Environment and Dr. Brian Raichle from ASU’s Appropriate Technology spoke of the growing need for workforce training in renewable energies industries. Dale Loberger, with ESRI a global geographic information services company, gave an informative presentation on the increase in use of GIS technology for environmental studies in land development, design and conservation.

• “Take Action Tour” December 2007, was a community awareness program through a partnership between CPCC, the North Carolina Conservation Network, Carolinas Clean Air Coalition, and River Keepers. Presentations and community discussion centered around urban development, traffic, land use, and water conservation.

• CPCC hosted a global webcast event: Climate Change & Higher Education: Leadership to Achieve Climate Neutrality on December 12, 2007, open to students, faculty and staff and the public.

• Planning began in 2007 for the first annual “Charlotte: Clean & Green” event which will take place on CPCC’s Central Campus in April ‘08. This is an exciting collaborative project between CPCC, Sierra Club and the Charlotte Chapter of the US Green Building Council that will raise environmental awareness in the Charlotte region.

• CHAPS (CPCC Horticulture Alumni Professional Society) program: “Promising Cultivars from Native Plants” with guest speaker Richard Bir on Feb.15, 2007, on native plant introductions and their use in the southern landscapes. This event was open to the public.

• CPCC Horticulture Plant Sales takes place in the spring and fall of each year, including 2007, to promote the use of native plants in the landscape, and sustainable landscaping practices.

• An inspirational video was developed in 2007 and placed on the CFS website as a message of hope regarding new, clean technologies in wind and solar. These and other developments allow us to move forward with our clean energy needs through innovative environmentally friendly initiatives.

• CPCC joined the NC Office of Environmental Education and is a featured resource on their “College and University” web page.