Please send best wishes to our four Maryville College students, the MC-EPA-EE Fellows, as they travel to Loudon Elementary School on Thursday 14 December, to provide a community environmental education activity titled “Earth Exploration” – showing how to identify woodland creatures and other natural wonders in our region - to grade school students and their families at their Holiday in the Hall event!  

This is the eighth Community Environmental Education (CEE) event, and the fifth one in fall 2023,  that is part of the US Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Education (EPA-EE) grant Maryville College was awarded in 2022.  

Be sure to look outside your window, because East Tennessee and the foothills of the Smoky Mountains is one of the more biodiverse ecosystems in  North America.  The Fellows also remind you to stay off Santa’s Naughty list by reducing your holiday waste (we create 25% more waste during the holiday season).   Use reusable dishes; recycle at holiday events; wrap gifts in reusable paper, cloth, or newspapers; and turn down your thermostat to 60F.  Wishing you all a Happy, and Sustainable Holiday Break!