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Weaving Our Message
Connecting people and nature is how we define the Tremont experience. As our mission states, “Great Smoky Mountains Institute provides in-depth experiences through educational programs designed to nurture appreciation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, celebrate diversity, and foster stewardship.”
How do we translate this into our lessons?
There are three strands we believe are at the heart of our mission: sense of place, diversity, and stewardship. These strands weave the thread that flows through each of the activities we offer. They are what we desire people to experience and contemplate from the time they arrive here until long after they return home. These strands are the basis upon which we evaluate our progress and improve our work.
Sense of Place
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a unique and inspiring place.
- Getting to know a place helps us appreciate it, and leads us to want to care for it.
- Wild places like the Smokies are important to the health of our planet.
- People are part of the web of life, affecting and being affected by other living things.
- Each of us is part of a “home ecosystem,” so these ideas should be transferred home.
Diversity
- There is tremendous biodiversity within Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- The Smokies are and have been affected by people of diverse interests and perspectives.
- We can learn much about ourselves from people of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
- Diversity within plant, animal, and human communities makes them strong.
Stewardship
- We have a responsibility to preserve and care for the Smokies and places like it.
- Living in an earth-friendly way can be transferred to our lives at home.
- Preserving places means learning about their problems and working to help.
- Our lifestyle and daily habits can be adjusted to have less impact upon the environment.