Description

Pender County Tourism is hosting a Green Practices Environment Awareness Seminar on April 12th from 10am-2pm. This workshop is designed to promote the adoption of sustainable practices to safeguard our ecosystems and educate visitors.  This workshop is for all Topsail Island Businesses and Stakeholders and will be held at the beautiful Town of Surf City Welcome Center. The seminar will feature guest speakers from Coastal Federation, Plastic Ocean Project, NC Green Travel Initiative, Ocean Friendly Establishments, UNCW's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Topsail Island Shoreline Protection Committee. Topics will be organizational updates, new and innovated ideas, incentive and recognition programs along with open discussion with attendees. The speakers will present strategies and initiatives to reduce plastic usage and maintain cleanliness in our environment and oceans benefiting both residents and visitors.  We encourage you to join us for lunch and learn more about sustainability practices and programs. Special thanks to Surf City Parks, Recreation and Tourism and the Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce. Register by clicking the black button on the right side of your screen.  For more information or for assistance registering email skey@pendercountync.gov or call 910-259-1278.

About the Speakers:

The North Carolina Coastal Federation empowers coastal residents and visitors from all walks of life to protect and restore the water quality and critically important natural habitats of the NC coast. Their Vision: A natural, beautiful, and productive coast that is a great place to live, work and visit.

The Plastic Ocean Project is dedicated to ending the plastic pollution crisis through research, outreach and collaborative solutions. Their mission is to attain science-based solutions to the plastic pollution crisis that inspire all to make informed choices to improve human and environmental health.

Together these groups work with the Ocean Friendly Establishment program. An Ocean Friendly Establishment is a business that voluntarily adopts environmentally friendly business practices, primarily reducing the use of single-use plastics. In coastal NC, many establishments take pride in protecting the environment recognizing that a healthy coast. Participating businesses get special recognition.

NC Green Travel Initiative Program aims to foster sustainable travel practices across NC. The program recognizes accommodations, eateries, parks, attractions, venues, Festivals and Events, Farms and Community Gardens and other travel-oriented businesses that demonstrate excellent environmental stewardship. Through NC GreenTravel recognition, tourism businesses showcase their best practices and contribute to the creation of a more eco-friendly and prosperous travel industry in NC.

Topsail Island Shoreline Protection Commission is a collaborative effort for beach preservation activities by the five government entities that have authority for governing the island. These are the Board of Commissioners for Pender County and Onslow County and the governing boards for the Towns of North Topsail Beach, Topsail Beach, and Surf City. They strive to educate the public of beach nourishment and the NC Beach & Inlet Management Plan while supporting and promoting funding at the Federal, State, County, and local levels for beach nourishment and storm protection of our shoreline. They encourage maintenance of dunes through sound vegetation management and support the routine maintenance of historical and federal navigation channels, including the Atlantic Intracoastal Water Way, and the placement of appropriate corresponding dredge spoils on our beaches. They encourage the maintenance and restoration of nesting habitats for birds and endangered sea turtles and believe in making Topsail Island a better place for all forms of life.

UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship explores technology and sustainability innovations in the blue economy. Their scientist-in-residence is Troy Alphin who is the Senior Research Associate for the Benthic Ecology Lab in UNCW’s Center for Marine Science. He helps the CIE through project research that measures the economic activities in oceans and waterways with a tilt towards their environmental impact.