University College
- Sustainable Development is a unit within Appalachian’s University College. University College consists of the university’s integrated general education curriculum, academic support services, residential learning communities, interdisciplinary degree programs and co-curricular programming – all designed to support the work of students both inside and outside of the classroom.
Community Outreach
Learning beyond the classroom
Outreach is a core element of the Sustainable Development Program. We encourage students and faculty to combine theory and practice by collaborating with other organizations and communities to support and promote sustainable activities in the High Country.
Outreach activities utilize expertise from ASU, other organizations and community members to enable communities to identify key concerns and address them. The diverse array of Sustainable Development Outreach efforts include recycling initiatives, watershed and farmland protection planning, and sustainable micro-enterprise development. We are also well-integrated into regional sustainable agriculture projects. A sampling of our efforts include:
CURRENT OUTREACH EFFORTS for 2009-2010:
The FARM Cafe- Feed All Regardless of Means
Sustainable Development Outreach was instrumental in forming the Planning Committee for a Community Kitchen for the area. This restaurant will provide a free space where people of all social and economic groups can gather to eat a healthy meal, and since there are no set prices, customers will pay what they can. This endeavor has potential to provide internships, service-learning and potential employment for many ASU students.
High Country Meat Processing Center
The Sustainable Development Program is currently conducting a Feasibility Field Study to determine the aggregate interest and opportunity for a USDA certified meat processing facility in the High Country. Over 100 farmers and husbandmen will be surveyed in the region. The results of this survey will help guide the future development of such a facility, and support the Sustainable Development Outreach Program and other partnering agencies to apply for future funding.
Chamber of Commerce's Committee on Sustainable Development
The Sustainable Development Program Director, Chuck Smith, currently sits on the Chamber's "everGreen" committee, providing council on buying local and issues regarding ASU OUtreach and Greening the business community in the area.
High Country Local Food Summit 
Building Diverse Community Networks to Grow the Local Food Economy
The 2009 High Country Local Food Summit was coordinated by the Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program at ASU. Strategic outreach efforts such as this demonstrate the Sustainable Development Program's commitment to collaborating with and supporting local community efforts. The Summit would not have been possible without the generous financial support of the Harold and Mazie J. Levenson Fund for the Environment.
Participants shared their knowledge in order to develop a visual model of the High Country local food system. This model highlighted the strongest parts of the system; illustrated the linkages between the arenas of production, consumption, distribution, and recycling; and created an opportunity to strategically identify three action-oriented initiatives.
Read more about the High Country Local Food Summit 2009
Elk Knob State park
Sustaining Communities through Partnerships in Preservation
The Sustainable Development Program, New River Headwaters residents, regional land preservation organizations and the state created a partnership to protect the environmentally & culturally rich region surrounding Elk Knob. This area is home to rare southern red spruce stand, is a headwaters region, and offers one of the highest peaks in North Carolina.
The establishment of the Elk Knob State Park has been defining achievement of Sustainable Development Outreach. The program continues to foster and engage students and community through internships, class work days, and by maintaining relationships for future efforts within the area. The Nature Conservancy and the North Carolina Department of Environment & Natural Resources are valuable partners in continuing these efforts.
Elk Knob Community Heritage Organization (EKCHO)
Community Based Non-Profit
In addition to being a place of natural beauty and rarity, the Elk Knob community boasts a vibrant cultural heritage. As these communities are faced with change in a dynamic economy, the Sustainable Development Outreach sought and received funding from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation to establish a community non-profit dedicated to ensuring a sustainable future. Established in 2007, Elk Knob Community Heritage Outreach (EKCHO) applies sustainable development principles to assist communities in preserving their heritage.
Appalachian native plants (ANP)
Native Plants, Relocalizing Food Systems, & Agricultural/Economic Support
Established in 2006, this non-profit is a community development organization committed to growing and distributing local, native plants, the relocalization of food systems in the High Country, and assisting local farmers. The Sustainable Development Program is an academic partner of this robust non-profit which includes two large passive solar greenhouses and is located in Johnson County, TN on a closed landfill. Since 2008, ANP has hired and/or provided internships for five SD/ASU students. The current executive director received her Masters in Appalachian Studies/Sustainable Development.
Read more about Appalachian Native Plants, Inc.
Cove Creek
Preserving Heritage through Community Development
Sustainable Development Outreach was instrumental in revitalizing the historic WPA-built Cove Creek School to promote sustainable and economic development in this area. The refurbished school generated 40 jobs and now houses several business and non-profits.
Music Fest 'n Sugar Grove
The school is also the site for the annual Music Fest n’ Sugar Grove, a combined effort between Sustainable Development and the Cove Creek Preservation and Development, a non-profict dedicted to preserving the school. The Music Fest continues to raise community awareness as well as funds for the community of Cove Creek, the Micro Business Incubation Center at the Old Cove Creek School, and the Doc and Rosa Lee Scholarship fund for students majoring in Sustainable Developmet at ASU.
The Parkway School
A Research and Educational Greenhouse
In 2002, a research and educational greenhouse was constructed at Parkway Elementary School. This greenhouse utilizes a unique absorption/collection configuration designed by faculty in the Sustainable Development Program. The focus is to enable year-round growing, even in cold climates and the performance data has been very promising. The greenhouse has been a successful project to connect University researchers with K-12 educators.
