A growing number of teens and young adults are experiencing mental health issues related to the impacts of climate change. They suffer from a condition called “eco-anxiety.”

Sustainability leader Heather White notes that Generation Z face the cascading issues of economic recession, a global pandemic, systemic racism and climate change.

“That means the future they are inheriting is uncertain and scary,” White said.

White will outline how older generations can help the most anxious generation create a better future in a Center for the Environment online discussion. She will be joined by Maggie Dees, a senior at Salem Academy in Winston-Salem; Taylor Marshall, a senior at Catawba College; and Nina MacKinnon, a junior at Catawba.

White is CEO of Heather White Strategies, a consulting firm for businesses, foundations and non-profit organizations based in Bozeman, Montana.

Formerly, she served as president and CEO of Yellowstone Forever, the official non-profit partner of Yellowstone National Park; executive director of Environmental Working Group, a non-profit, non- partisan organization dedicated to protecting human health and the environment; and director of
education advocacy for the National Wildlife Federation, the nation’s largest conservation organization.

Dees has been involved in activities during her years at Salem Academy, including the Salem Academy Honor Cabinet, Athletic Council and Ecology Club.

She has acted in theater productions and served on the yearbook staff. Dees has worked as an intern with the Natural Resource Defense Council and One Green Thing. She plans to major in environmental studies in college and to research public health and the environment in low-income areas around the world after college.

Taylor Marshall is pursuing a double major in business administration and environment and sustainability with concentrations in entrepreneurship and environmental policy and advocacy.

She serves on the Student Government Association. Her interests include farming, regenerative practices, natural medicine and self-development.

Nina MacKinnon, an environment and eustainability major and is in the honors program at Catawba. She is interested in environmental advocacy, sustainable urban design and agriculture. She is also active on the regional level in addressing climate change.

The event will be held at 7 p.m. on Feb. 25. To register for the online presentation, call 704-637-4727 or go to CenterForTheEnvironment.org.

Third Annual Rhylee Fielding Scholarship Award applications open

The annual Girls on the Run of the Greater Piedmont Rhylee Fielding Scholarship will be awarded to two girls in the amount of $2,000 each.

The application deadline is April 2. Recipients will be notified by the
week of May 3 and will be invited to our Girls on the Run 5K the week of May 17.

Eligibility Criteria: Any girl who participated in Girls on the Run (grades 3-5) or Girls on Track (now Heart and Sole grades 6-8) in Iredell or Rowan counties and will enter college in the fall of 2021 is eligible to apply.

For more information and to apply or contact amy.spear@girlsontherun.org or call 704-363-5406.

Hood to hold annual doctor of ministry service of candidacy

The Hood Theological Seminary Doctor of Ministry Service of Candidacy will be held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on March 20. This step in the doctor of ministry program comes when the student has completed the required class work and they are ready to begin work on their professional project.

This will be a virtual event via Zoom. Music will be provided by Arthette Walker of First Missionary Baptist Church of Concord. The speaker will be Hood President Vergel Lattimore.

The topic for this event will be spiritual competence and substance for service, and the scripture is Micah 6: 1 – 8.

16 NC colleges to explore ethics in a pandemic

RALEIGH – In an unusual year, students from 16 private colleges in North Carolina will participate in North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities’ Annual Ethics Bowl.

The event, exploring ethical issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be held event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday via Zoom.

NCICU is the statewide office for North Carolina’s 36 private, non-profit colleges and universities.

“The Ethics Bowl is both an academically challenging and a personally rewarding
experience that our students look forward to each year,” said NCICU president Hope Williams. “Our Campus Coordinators were committed to holding the event this year even though it will be a very different format than in the past.”

Each team consists of four-to-six students. A campus coordinator works with the students to help them prepare for the competition which typically consists of four rounds over the two-days, plus semi-final and final rounds – all judged by a panel of corporate, community and government leaders. This year, in the virtual setting, each team will make presentations on two selected cases. While the presentations will not be judged, guests who have previously served as judges will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the teams.

The NCICU Ethics Bowl is made possible by sponsorships that allow students to
participate at no cost to themselves or their institutions.

“Students consistently cite the NCICU Ethics Bowl as a highlight of their college
experience,” Williams said. “We deeply appreciate the corporate and civic leaders who make this event possible.”