March 5, 2001
New environmental
website makes debut |
Tim Bryson
is South Asian studies librarian
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On Jan. 15, the Ad Hoc Committee on Environmental Stewardship launched its website at www.environment.emory.edu, reflecting the committees mission to foster stewardship of University resources and to improve the environmental quality of life at Emory. Visitors to the site will immediately note the animated aerial photo
montage that slowly alternates between views of the predominantly forested
campus of 1930 and the predominantly urban Emory of 2001. This technological
feat of web programming subtly frames the concern around which the entire
site is oriented: the past, present and future of Emorys natural
environment. In its comparatively short life since the fall of 1999, the committees
volunteer membership of faculty, staff and students boasts an impressive
number of accomplishments: They have organized nature walks, started a
forest restoration project in Baker Woodlands, attended conferences, drafted
a Campus Environmental Policy, and, as part of the Reconcilia-tion Symposium,
organized a panel and designed a walking tour brochure. (Furthering its
reconciliation-themed activities, the committee will sponsor a workshop,
Nurturing a Green University, March 2223.) Volunteers stay in touch via the Envirostew listserv. The
website adds a new dimension by providing a stable and accessible locus
for information; in addition, it offers visual and textual enhancements
in order to reach out to all members of the campus community. From the home page, visitors can link to other environmental units on
campus such as the Committee on the Environment, the student organization
ECOSEAC, Emory Recycles and the Friends of Emory Forest. All these groups
have distinctive missions but share a common concern for the natural environment
on and off campus. Ecology of Emory, one of the major sections on the Ad Hoc Committees site, presents a history of the local ecosystem as well as the campus policies that have alternately preserved or destroyed it. If visitors want more photos, they can link to the slide show page in this section and select from several series documenting plant and animal life on campus, as well as construction and restoration projects. Of special interest to many is the Spring Watch series, in
which photos of plants appear as they bloom over the course of the season.
Green Facts offers data on our environmental impact as individuals
and as citizens of the campus, nation and planet. In this section, users
can interact with animated calculators to figure out how much they individually
contribute to pollution or consumption of our natural resources. Other sections give suggestions for practicing environmental stewardship
both on campus and individually at home, and connect the user to environmental
programs on campus, in the community and in the world at large. Also available
are a summary of environmental laws, local and international environmental
news updates, and reading lists. Back at the home page, viewers can click on the animated news ticker
for a complete list of upcoming events. A search box allows users to locate
any information in the site. The comprehensiveness of the sites content reflects the enthusiasm
of committee volunteers (especially Peggy Barlett, Ron Foust and Karen
Mumford), and the sophistication of its design reflects the skill of the
Information Technology Divisions Teaching and Research Interactive
Team (Lee Clontz, Norman Hulme, Julia Leon, Shannon ODaniel and
Marianne Schneider), who designed the site as a group project. Suggestions
and comments may be sent to environment@emory.edu.
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