IFEA Category #45 Best Green Program

IFEA Category #45 Best Green Program Submitted by: Office of Special Events Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 1. Overview Information A) Introduction and background of main event Nationally-recognized nature photographer Ken Jenkins approached the City of Pigeon Forge in 1990 with the idea of developing a special event designed to increase awareness of nature conservation. Originally, the event consisted of a luncheon and one afternoon of lectures, along with a nature photography exhibit. Within a few short years, this half-day event grew to a five-day gathering. Today, Wilderness Wildlife Week encompasses eight days of more than 400 free lectures and workshops featuring a multitude of leaders in the environmental and educational fields of study; 64 free guided hikes throughout Great Smoky Mountains National Park; and various other exciting educational event components. The purpose, objective and mission of Wilderness Wildlife Week is to raise awareness within the general public to the issues concerning the natural environment and, in particular, the threats facing Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Programs are designed to impart the practice of good environmental stewardship to the general public while increasing public knowledge of the varied ways to protect the environment through the many educational lectures and materials available onsite. Additionally, it is Wilderness Wildlife Week’s goal to promote an active interest in Appalachian artistic and cultural programs such as painting, basket making, music and other forms of modern art such as photography; to help affect the way people view environmental responsibilities and to increase overnight visitation to Pigeon Forge during a traditionally slow tourism period. From its inception, Wilderness Wildlife Week was intended to be an event dedicated to the education and enjoyment of the public to the wonders of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It has been the commitment of the Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events to create an enjoyable and enriching series of walks, talks and workshops, as well as informative exhibits to not only entertain, but also encourage participants to want to know more and involve themselves further in the abundant opportunities this beautifully diverse area offers. In combining efforts from well-qualified authorities, it has benefitted the overall program to include presentations and information from other regions of the country as Wilderness Wildlife Week endeavors to illustrate how all elements of the outdoors are truly connected. The balance of presentations is a further attempt to include a substance of material for every interest and age level. The natural history of the region will forever combine with the rich history and folklore of this mountain region through a wealth of descendants of the area of what is now America’s most visited national park, which was once their family home. As these people share their knowledge, expertise and humor with those who desire a deeper insight as to the significance and the struggle resulting in such a resilient people who settled the area, the Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events believes a deeper attachment to Great Smoky Mountains National Park can be had by all who participate. The theme of Wilderness Wildlife Week involves a continuous thread of wholesome, family oriented, professional programming beginning with the originators and continuing throughout every presentation and excursion associated with the event. Event organizers are constantly committed for each Wilderness Wildlife Week to succeed as an event of the highest standards and principles in a safe, encouraging and giving environment. B) Description and Purpose of Green Program The purpose of green programs and activities for Wilderness Wildlife Week is to promote environmentalism and education while encouraging attendees how protecting the environment is something they can do themselves. With Wilderness Wildlife Week’s move in 2014 to the new green-certified LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, event organizers had plenty of space for new programming, as well as available space for recycling containers. Keep Sevier Beautiful, a local non-profit, motivates and educates Sevier County residents and guests to take greater responsibility for improving our community’s environment through litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, beautification and community greening, was onsite doing green programs and green outdoor activities, such as litter pickups and a tour of Sevier County Solid Waste, Inc. Keep Sevier Beautiful provided five programs to educate children and youth on ways to keep our mountains and environment green and clean. Sessions presented to youth included “Garbage Pizza,” “Fred and Ted the Fish,” “Compost Stew” and “Blindfold Surprise.” These sessions, as well as the onsite recycling containers, outdoor litter pickups and field trip to Sevier Solid Waste were great avenues for Keep Sevier Beautiful to educate youth and adults about the importance of protecting our natural resources and environment. Another example of green programming at Wilderness Wildlife Week included “Green Power Switch,” which is a simple way to support regional renewable energy. Each $4 block of Green Power Switch a consumer purchases is added to his or her monthly electric bill and ensures 150 kilowatt-hours of electricity is generated by a renewable resource such as wind, solar or biomass. Thousands of corporate and institutional customers are buying Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to help reduce their environmental impact. TVA will be working with select power companies to test a high-volume Green Power Switch option—Southeastern RECs. C) Target Audience / Attendance / Number of Participants The target audience for Wilderness Wildlife Week is out-of-town outdoor and nature enthusiasts, ages 50 and older. The Pigeon Forge Office of Special Events has discovered this group is the main segment of Wilderness Wildlife Week’s overall attendee makeup. A smaller segment of the target audience is home school students as event organizers offer an entire track of educational, environmental and hands-on programming for children. Up from 2014, the 2015 incarnation of Wilderness Wildlife Week featured nearly 50 more classes and an additional 15 more hikes and field trips. Thanks to the new programming additions, the cumulative attendance for this year’s Wilderness Wildlife Week was 39,624. This is the highest attendance ever for the event and organizers attribute much of this success not only to the breadth of programming but also to this being the 25th Annual Wilderness Wildlife Week, which was also the second to take place at the new LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, the city’s state-of-the-art 240,000 square foot event center. D) What “Green” Initiatives Were Used at Event (i.e. Recycling; Alternative Methods of Transportation, Renewable Energy, etc.) With Wilderness Wildlife Week relocating to the new green-certified LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, there have been numerous ways the Office of Special Events has been able to introduce more green and environmentally-friendly initiatives. Thanks to a partnership with Keep Sevier Beautiful, recycling and litter reduction could be easily handled. With more space, Keep Sevier Beautiful was able to bring in recycling bins and strategically placed them throughout the entire 240,000 square foot facility. Keep Sevier Beautiful employees and their volunteers emptied the canisters as needed on a daily basis and sorted any non-recyclable debris at their facility. For our participants, Wilderness Wildlife Week has provided free mandatory busing for all 64 hikes and field trips in an effort to not only have safe drivers and transportation, but also to reduce the event’s carbon footprint. Additionally, the Pigeon Forge Trolley Department was a key component to reducing the carbon footprint as well. With the new LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge and its 1600 parking spots, shuttles were continuously running bringing people from the distances near and far to the entrance and returning them to their vehicles as needed. Lastly, there was more focus on green and environmental programming. With presentations from Keep Sevier Beautiful, Tennessee Valley Authority, Sevier County Electric Company, as well as onsite litter pickups and field trips to the internationally-recognized Sevier Solid Waste, Inc. facility, attendees faced no shortage of efforts or education promoting green education and outreach. E) How Were Initiatives Promoted to the Public? (Include Marketing Materials) Green initiatives were promoted in the official Wilderness Wildlife Week program guide, as well as on local news affiliate interviews. F) Education Programs Pertaining to Green Program (for Public, Sponsors, Volunteers, etc.) Keep Sevier Beautiful provided five programs to educate children and youth on ways to keep our mountains and environment green and clean. Sessions presented to youth included “Garbage Pizza,” “Fred and Ted the Fish,” “Compost Stew” and “Blindfold Surprise.” These sessions, as well as the onsite recycling containers, outdoor litter pickups and field trip to Sevier Solid Waste were great avenues for Keep Sevier Beautiful to educate youth and adults about the importance of protecting our natural resources and environment. Another example of green programming at Wilderness Wildlife Week included “Green Power Switch,” which is a simple way to support regional renewable energy. Each $4 block of Green Power Switch a consumer purchases is added to his or

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