North Carolina chapter seeks sustainability at Annual Conference

With an expected turnout of 1,800-2,000 people, the largest gathering of wildlife professionals in North America will draw attendees from across the continent. In an effort to offset impacts of TWS’ 23^rd Annual Conference in Raleigh, the North Carolina chapter has partnered with NC GreenPower (NCGP) to raise $10,000 for sustainability.

Given that TWS members work to conserve wildlife threatened by global warming, the chapter’s objective with the partnership is to address the environmental impacts of travel to the conference. Though NCGP is a local organization, they work to reduce emissions for a positive global impact.

NCGP offers payment to companies which would otherwise have no financial incentive to capture emissions, such as methane, and uses carbon offset donations to purchase carbon credits from projects like methane capture at a landfill in the Piedmont or hog lagoons on the Coastal Plain. As a nonprofit, dollars donated to NCGP go farther due to their low overhead costs.

More specifically, all proceeds from the conference’s sustainability initiative will go to NCGP’s Solar Schools Pilot Program, which aims to raise awareness and educate students about renewable energy. The program funds the installation of solar energy demonstration projects on school premises (3-5kW photovoltaic systems), supplies monitoring equipment and provides an accompanying curriculum for students. This renewable energy curriculum is now available to all students across the state.

The North Carolina chapter urges all conference attendees to donate $5 – $10 to the program to help reach their $10,000 goal. Register for the conference today and donate on your registration form, or stop by NCGP’s booth in the Members Activity Center during the conference if you’ve already registered. Visit the twsconference.org/sustainability/ for more details.