Community
The Catawba Sustainability Center has several outreach projects that share the expertise of Virginia Tech with the surrounding community and beyond. The center is the result of a community partnership with Roanoke County.
The Catawba Greenway is a hiking loop connecting the Appalachian Trail to the Catawba community. A parking lot at the Catawba Sustainability Center provides additional parking for hikers headed to McAfee Knob.
The Virginia Tech Catawba Sustainability Center’s Forest Herb Network was established in 2021 to help prospective and new growers in the Roanoke and New River valleys and beyond to cultivate, process, and sell woodland medicinal herbs. Virtual and in-person training sessions are held throughout the year.
Access to land is a huge obstacle to young and beginning farmers. The Small-Farm Incubator project provides not only the space to get started, but participants also get crucial support to help their projects succeed.
From classrooms at the Catawba Community Center to hands-on learning in the fields, the Catawba Sustainability Center hosts educational programming through Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech faculty, and other experts.