Everyone Must Take Part To Build Sustainable Communities, Panel Says

NSU President Dr. Don Betz introduces the guest speakers for the final Inauguration Week forum, Building Sustainable Communities In Eastern Oklahoma, held Wednesday night in the NET Auditorium on the Tahlequah Campus. The speakers included Tom Elkins, administrator of Environmental Programs for the Cherokee Nation, Ed Fite, administrator for the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission, Danny Perry, executive director of the Tahlequah Main Street Association, Dr. Mia Revels, NSU Professor of Biology, and Ken Purdy, mayor of Tahlequah.

TAHLEQUAH The effort to ensure the viability of the planet for future generations will take active involvement from everyone.

This might not be our problem, it might not even be our childrens problem, but somewhere down the line, its going to be someones problem, said Dr. Mia Revels, professor of biology at Northeastern State University. We need to work together to come up with some solutions.

Revels was among the panelists for Building Sustainable Communities In Eastern Oklahoma, a forum held in conjunction with Inauguration Week events for NSUs 17th President, Dr. Don Betz.

Panelists for the forum included Revels, Ken Purdy, Tahlequah mayor, Ed Fite, administrator for the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission, Tom Elkins, administrator of Environmental Programs for the Cherokee Nation, and Danny Perry, executive director of the Tahlequah Main Street Association.

Its really about a recognition of responsibility to future generations, said Betz. Our avarice and our sense of self service has to be tempered by a broader civic perspective. We want to leave this country and this part of the state so that future generations may have a place to live, work and play.

Part of Elkins job at the Cherokee Nation is to oversee the implementation of environmentally friendly programs in all aspects of the tribes social and business projects. From building environmentally friendly houses to implementing programs within the Nations government offices to encourage recycling, the Cherokee Nation has pushed to become a better friend to the environment, Elkins said.

We are looking at developing an overall energy policy that is more comprehensive than what is in place now, said Elkins. We are looking at all aspects of energy usage and how we might conserve.

For Perry, recycling is an important part of his job that might start with picking up a piece of trash off the street before heading into the bank, and end with the complete re-design of a building in downtown Tahlequah.

I guess you can say I recycle buildings, said Perry. Building sustainable communities starts with us, each and every single one of us in this building. Its creating a sense of being, a sense of place, and a feeling of community.

Volunteering is an excellent way to help in the process, utilizing your skills for the betterment of the entire community, Perry said.

Recycling begins with our downtown, he said. We have to maintain our historic relevance downtown. Downtown is our greatest asset in sustainability. Without it, we wont go anywhere.

Thirty years ago, the topic of sustainable communities was in the American lexicon, but today, a Google search will yield over 26 million search results on the Internet, Purdy said.

Although Tahlequah doesn't have a department set up for this specifically, it is something we deal with on a daily basis, said Purdy, citing flood plain management and storm water drainage as areas where the city is working to prevent the pollution of local waterways.

Purdy also said the city has implemented programs to cut down on the carbon footprint it produces, utilizing fuel efficient vehicles and solid waste management to reduce the citys pollutants.

Tahlequahs recycling program has been in place for the past 10 years, and Purdy hopes to link it together with the universitys fledgling recycling program.

Typically, recycling programs are grassroots efforts that receive little state or federal support, said Purdy. Our program has been in place for the past 10 years and has been very successful. We hope to tie in with the university to make it ever more successful.

In a field that stresses conservation, Revels is not different. While teaching students in her biology classes at NSU, she is also leading the campaign to change practices at the university as head of the Campus Environment and Sustainability Task Force.

Environmental sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, said Revels. NSU has an opportunity to contribute in this area by educating our faculty, staff and students on how they can contribute.

Some small steps the university is already starting to implement include the pilot recycling program on campus, the introduction of hybrid vehicles into the institutions motor pool, the incorporation of green utensils in food service programs, and the push for more paper-free transactions.

We live in an incredibly beautiful part of the state and have many valuable resources we need to preserve, said Revels. I look forward to incorporating more of these types of programs into the university in the future.

One of the most valuable resources in the area is the Illinois River and Lake Tenkiller, which provides drinking water for the Tahlequah community. For over 25 years, Fite has worked to preserve this natural resource for future generations.

We have been fortunate that we have lived through the wettest part of our states history the past 25 years, said Fite. This area of the country can turn very dry.

While most of the emphasis lately has been on oil, Fite said that soon one of the most precious commodities in the world will be water.

Water resources are becoming more and more stretched each and every day. The next 20 years will be shaped by oil and water, he said. Today it is evident that we are chasing oil, but soon water is going to be the next oil. Today the fight is over water quality, tomorrow its going to be over water quantity.

Each of the panelists stressed that conservation programs will be successful only when everyone works together for the common good of the planet.

The greatest thing we have to offer is our partnerships, said Perry. All of us working together will keep us going as we work toward building a sustainable community.

4/30/2009

Published: 2009-04-30 00:00:00