During the first two weeks of my internship with Biltmore Farms, I have been amazed, inspired, and humbled by the legacy of sustainable community development that began generations ago with George Vanderbilt and continues today through his descendants. The company truly integrates its Five Tenants in all aspects of the business and it is evident that community development has vastly different focus than real estate development. Each executive that I have met is an expert in his or her respective field and has been extremely gracious in sharing time and knowledge with me. I am excited to pass on what I am learning to my students. Carol, my mentor, scheduled meaningful conversations and field experiences for me which has set me up for a successful internship and project.
My mind is filled with many ideas about how I can translate my experiences into impactful lessons for my students. I have seen more connections to my Environmental Science content than I can count. I have been exposed to numerous career opportunities for my students, seen multiple real-world examples of sustainable design principles in both buildings and communities, observed conservation practices in commercial and industrial projects, and learned about economic and environmental trade-offs in making land development decisions. I can literally refer to a real-world example from Biltmore Farms’ work in every unit of my AP Environmental Science course. Now, my greatest challenge is in deciding exactly how to do just that.