Jackson County Board of Commissioners acknowledge litter issue and aim for change

Jackson County Board of Commissioners are concerned about the level of litter on the county roads and are pleading the public to keep it clean. Brian McMahan, The Jackson County Board Chair said during the Feb 2. meeting, “the trash along our highways is at a horrible level right now. I don’t know that I […]

WCU might add composting to its sustainability efforts

Story is co-written with Cami Couch Western Carolina University’s (WCU) Sustainability Energy Initiative (SEI) is trying to establish composting as a permanent installment on campus. Composting is the natural process of breaking down organic waste into rich soil. It helps reduce methane emissions, lower one’s carbon footprint, reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and encourages the production […]

WCU increased its recycling 70% since 2016

Jeff White, recycling coordinator at WCU tells the story of a single water bottle that’s washed away in roadside ditch and it ends up in the Tuckasegee river. From the Tuckasegee river, it floats through the Fontana Dam and into the Tennessee river. The water bottle makes its way to the Mississippi river and is […]

As Western grows so does sustainability efforts

 Co-written with Hallie West Much has changed at Western Carolina University since its inception in 1889, such as the number of students, curriculum, class sizes and more. Not surprisingly, the growth in the student body over the many years has called for an increase in construction, vehicles on campus, and most importantly, people. Inevitably, as […]

WCU students help clean up the Tuck

Co-written/produced with Mary McCay The 35th annual Tuck River Cleanup kicked off at WCU on Saturday, April 13. Hundreds of students and people from around Jackson County joined together to clean up the Tuckasegee River in one of the largest single-day river cleanups in the nation. About 600 participants were bused over to Lena Davis Landing […]

Is WCU diverse??

Co-written with Allyson Wainright The answer to our headline question depends on your definition of diversity. Diversity stems deeper than ethnicity and race, but as far as the eye can tell WCU is not diverse enough. There are a lot of changes taking place to instill more equity and an inclusive mindset for the students […]