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FEATURES
environmental education center in
Alabama and one of the only one of its
kind located on a college campus.
It has been featured on PBS’ nationally
aired Dragonfly TV and in University
Business magazine as an example of
sustainable redevelopment.
That’s not all that has changed.
Colleges around the country are touting
their commitment to sustainability; BSC
is renowned for its beautiful, tree-lined
campus and Urban Environmental
Studies Program; and Birmingham itself
has made green space—from downtown
to the crest of the nearby mountains—a
priority.
Meanwhile, Hazelhoff sees the SEC’s
partnership with BSC as a way to create
a new generation that will improve the
world around them.
“We need to engage our students;
they need to be leaders in terms of
community involvement,” he said. “We
are ambassadors for the school.”
And in the midst of it all, the SEC
continues to grow, sharing eco-concepts
and resources with the local community
and acting as a partner for pulling it all
together. It recently landed a coveted
grant from the Institute of Museum
and Library Services to hire an outside
consultant to help the SEC plan for
future expansion, which Hazelhoff hopes
will go hand-in-hand with Birmingham’s
emergence as an eco-tourism destination.
“We still have a long ways to go,”
Hazelhoff said.