Faculty spotlight: Dr. Lee F. Ball Jr.

Monday, June 20, 2016

Dr. Lee F. Ball Jr. assumed the position of Interim Director of the Office of Sustainability little over one year ago. Working with his team, Ball has checked off a number of items on his bucket list and added a few:

  • Rescued 70,000 discarded library books and is offering them for sale at a penny each in the Office of Sustainability
  • Expanded campus Zero Waste efforts by refining the purchasing stream and increasing on-campus composting
  • Initiated a green office certification program
  • Launched a cigarette butt clean up campaign
  • Embedded eco representatives in every residence hall
  • Worked with faculty on integrating social justice in the classroom

“Last spring, we did a gap analysis and a needs assessment of what we are not doing that our peers are,” Ball said. “We are leaders in many ways but there is room for improvement in waste reduction, reuse and recycling, mindful economics and social justice issues. To that end, we have sustainability representatives in every college. We hope to increase communication, alleviate disconnect, identify common goals and break down ivory towers. The representatives are charged with identifying and organizing sustainability efforts within their college. I’m not in the business of defining sustainability. I like to help people find their personal and professional connections with sustainability.”

Related links

  • Walking the Walk with Dr. Lee Ball - Dr. Lee Ball, the interim director of sustainability for Appalachian State University, has all the credentials: a doctorate in Sustainability Education, a master’s in Environmental Education, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Science.
  • FYI: Dr. Lee Ball on Sustainability Initiatives at Appalachian - Dr. Lee Ball, Interim Director of Sustainability at Appalachian, discusses Appalachian's current sustainability initiatives.
  • Find Your Sustain Ability - What the heck does sustainability mean, anyway? Turns out, it means more than you might think. Lee Ball has insightful conversations with faculty experts, and in doing so, helps each of us find our Sustain Ability.
  • Office of Sustainability