Dr. John Wear, director of the Catawba College Center for the Environment, will speak July 21 to a five-person delegation from the International Visitor Leadership Program. The participants will travel to Salisbury to learn about environmental education and community participation.

The group will be in the Charlotte area July 19-24 for a program on "Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection," which will focus specifically on urban revitalization, transportation systems, solid waste management and water resource management.

The program, under the auspices of the U.S. State Department and International House in Charlotte, is designed to introduce the participants to U.S. approaches to sustainable economic development and the responsible use of natural resources. The project examines local sustainable communities and smart growth initiatives. It allows the international visitors to meet with their U.S. professional counterparts.

Lara Printz, program manager for Citizen Diplomacy Programs at International House, asked Wear to speak to the group.  He was recommended by several environmental organizations in the state for his knowledge of environmental education and work with the community on environmental initiatives, according to Printz.  His involvement with the North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance and the center's affiliation with the North Carolina Conservation Network also influenced the decision to bring the group to the Catawba Center for the Environment for the meeting.

The delegation includes Tuula Anneli Varis, a counselor with the International Affairs Unit of Finland’s Ministry of the Environment; Wasim Fatima, a reporter and feature writer with the Associated Press of Pakistan; Saleh Kombo Khiari, private secretary to the Chief Minister of Zanzibar; Dr. Luis Alberto LaCalle, Blanco Party congressman from Uruguay; and Mogos Wolde-Yohannes Bairu, Ministry of Land, Water and Environment in Eritrea.

"We are honored that International House is sending this international delegation to Catawba," says Wear. "It's a tribute to the center's involvement in the community and the region. We look forward to sharing our experiences with them."

Dr. John Wear, director of the Catawba College Center for the Environment, will speak July 21 to a five-person delegation from the International Visitor Leadership Program. The participants will travel to Salisbury to learn about environmental education and community participation.

The group will be in the Charlotte area July 19-24 for a program on "Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection," which will focus specifically on urban revitalization, transportation systems, solid waste management and water resource management.

The program, under the auspices of the U.S. State Department and International House in Charlotte, is designed to introduce the participants to U.S. approaches to sustainable economic development and the responsible use of natural resources. The project examines local sustainable communities and smart growth initiatives. It allows the international visitors to meet with their U.S. professional counterparts.

Lara Printz, program manager for Citizen Diplomacy Programs at International House, asked Wear to speak to the group.  He was recommended by several environmental organizations in the state for his knowledge of environmental education and work with the community on environmental initiatives, according to Printz.  His involvement with the North Carolina Smart Growth Alliance and the center's affiliation with the North Carolina Conservation Network also influenced the decision to bring the group to the Catawba Center for the Environment for the meeting.

The delegation includes Tuula Anneli Varis, a counselor with the International Affairs Unit of Finland’s Ministry of the Environment; Wasim Fatima, a reporter and feature writer with the Associated Press of Pakistan; Saleh Kombo Khiari, private secretary to the Chief Minister of Zanzibar; Dr. Luis Alberto LaCalle, Blanco Party congressman from Uruguay; and Mogos Wolde-Yohannes Bairu, Ministry of Land, Water and Environment in Eritrea.

"We are honored that International House is sending this international delegation to Catawba," says Wear. "It's a tribute to the center's involvement in the community and the region. We look forward to sharing our experiences with them."