UNCW students planted 1,000 longleaf pine trees at the Ev-Henwood Nature Preserve in Brunswick County. It was part of a restoration project taken on by a new upper-level applied environmental science class called Campus Sustainability.

“Every semester there’s easily 400-500 students that go the outdoor campus to participate in the applied learning,” said Roger Shew, who teaches the class.

It took just over two hours for Shew, 15 students and five volunteers to plant the year-old seedlings. It will take 30-60 years for the trees to fully mature.

“I’ve got some that I planted at my home, and in 11 years they are about 20 feet tall,” said Shew.

Longleaf pine trees are historically valuable to the area. During the 18th century, pine trees were essential to the shipping industry, because before metal boats, pine resin was used for waterproofing.

Shew said there are 20-30 trees on campus with V-cuts in them, indicating that they had been tapped for resin hundreds of years ago.

The pine tree is also the state tree of North Carolina and longleaf pine boughs are featured on the UNCW seal.

Students in Shew’s class also grow vegetables in a garden on campus, located between Friday Hall and the greenhouses. Last year, campus-grown veggies were donated to Wagoner Hall and used in student meals.

“I had so many eggplants, I couldn’t give them all away,” said Shew. “We used only organic fertilizers, no sprays or pesticides, but we did pinch a few worms.”

 

“The hope is to yield veggies that can be served in our dining hall and sold to students on campus…Locally grown food has less of an environmental impact because it doesn’t have to be shipped by gas powered vehicles,” said Fay Fowler, one of Shew’s students.

Shew teaches another environmental science course, Topics and Issues in Sustainability, in which students learn the facts about various environmental debates including oil drilling, pipelines, hydrofracking, on/offshore wind energy, batteries, biofuels and organic versus non-organic food. 

The class takes on a different debate each week, and Shew makes sure his students understand the pros and cons to each issue.

“Too many people just give one side of the story and I think that’s really a crime for the students,” said Shew. “I’m trying to get them to think about all sides of the issues. It’s really not an education if you only get one viewpoint.”

“I think you can argue a lot better if you understand where the other side is coming from. Your passion can only get you so far. Facts are what’s going to win the day,” said Shew.

Shew wants to see more students take care of their environment and become better voters once they have an understanding of the issues.

“I’m not looking to tell you what you should vote; I’m looking to get you educated about the facts so you can be an informed voter,” said Shew.

Shew has been teaching at UNCW since 2000, but his relationship with the campus dates back a few decades.

“I went here as an undergrad back in the 70s when we only had 3,000 people on campus. That’s why this campus is really so important to me. I grew up with this campus,” said Shew.