Go Green!

The Tennessee Educators of Aquatic and Marine Science (TEAMS) is making every effort to make NMEA 2010: From the Mountains to the Sea a green conference.

What we are doing:

• The conference location is a green city. Gatlinburg is pledged to pursue every opportunity to stay in touch with our environment and maintain the aesthetics which allow this gateway city to blend into our mountains, supporting not only the goals of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park but the wishes of our clean and green community. Many local businesses participate in the Gatlinburg Goes Green program (www.gatlinburggoesgreen.com). All solid waste in the city is collected by Sevier County Solid Waste Inc., and is processed by their composting facility. There are only 10 other similar facilities that utilize the same type of composting technology. The process involves the waste being dumped onto the tipping floor where larger items are manually removed. The remaining material is pushed into four loading hoppers, and a compactor pushes the material into a rotary composting digester. Each digester processes 285 tons per day of solid waste and bio-solids which are mixed and the compostable materials (paper, food waste, and bio-solids) are broken down over a three day period. After this three day period, the digested material is discharged and sent through a screen. Retained materials are moved to the aeration floor where the material continues composting for four additional weeks. The current recycling rate at this facility is 70%.
• Conference participants will receive a reusable cup to use at the water stations throughout the Convention Center. Disposable cups will not be available.
• Conference participants will receive a condensed printed program in addition to a flash drive with the full program at registration. The full program will also be available on the conference website prior to the conference.
• Rather than providing tote bags for conference participants we will have a tote swap for those that would like to bring an old tote bag to trade.
• Meals will be served on dishes whenever possible. When disposables are used, they will be made from eco-friendly materials.
• Transportation to off-site evening events will be by bus to lower carbon emissions.

What you can do:

• If you are driving to Gatlinburg, you should carpool with other educators in your area. Use the scuttlebutt listserv to locate others in your area.
• If you are flying to Gatlinburg, be sure to use the shuttle service from the airport to the hotel.
• Once in Gatlinburg, take the trolley to get around town.
• Bring an old tote bag to trade at the tote swap.
• Offset your travel carbon emissions with www.wildcarbon.com. Wild Carbon is a project founded and run by NMEA members. By participating, teachers and instructors will have real-life stories to bring back into their classroom/programs about the on-the-ground projects working to reconnect habitat for the benefit of wildlife.