For immediate useNov. 3, 1997 -- No. 813

New UNC-CH Web site source of regional environmental information

CHAPEL HILL -- Would you like to learn more about North Carolina's hog industry or coastal waterways, but don't know where to find information while sitting in the comfort of your home, school or office? A new World Wide Web site called the Carolina Health and Environment Community Center, or CHECC, is now available on the Internet.

Information and communication tools and resources about North Carolina's most pressing environment issues are now available at http://checc.sph.unc.edu. The Web site was developed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Environmental Resource Program, in conjunction with faculty and students in the department of computer science.

The grand opening of the CHECC is Nov. 14 in the main lobby of Rosenau Hall, home of the UNC-CH School of Public Health. Dr. William Roper, dean, will assist with the ribbon-cutting. The ribbon-cutting and CHECC demonstration are free and open to the public.

“We are thrilled with the response we've had to CHECC,” said Dr. Frances Lynn, the director of the Environmental Resource Program. “People are finding it a great resource which is dedicated to information about North Carolina's environmental and health issues.”

The CHECC site consists of four virtual buildings. At the “visitor's center,” new users are oriented to the site and current activities. In the “collaboration building,” people can join listservs -- online discussion groups -- to stay current on pressing environmental issues in the state and add their own ideas. Listservs cover topics about the N.C. General Assembly and its administrative hearings, solid waste, water quality and air quality.

In the “library,” students, teachers and other users can access “special collections” to study key North Carolina topics. The first “special collection” developed was about hogs, where one can find background papers, the News and Observer's award-winning series on the hog industry and the Neuse River, a list of community groups called the Hog Roundtable, technical reports on odor and waste management and a link to the General Assembly and House Bill 515, which includes information about the two-year moratorium on new hog operations.

Users also are linked to the N.C. Department of Agriculture's Web site, where they can tap data about hog activities in state. They can visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture's home page to see how North Carolina compares with other states.

In the planned “education building,” teachers will be able to find resources to help them teach about the environment and involve their students in stewardship projects.

The development of CHECC was funded with grants from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Kathleen Price Bryan Foundation and the UNC-CH School of Public Health.

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Environmental Resource Program contact: Melva Okun, 919-966-3332

News Services print contact: Karen Stinneford