Great Smoky, or Great Smoggy Mountains?

Declining Air Quality in the Great Smoky Mountains By Kerri C. Weatherly Burning fossil fuels in the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi valleys convert into harmful secondary pollutants that are carried by wind into southern Appalachia. Research and observation of air quality in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park over the past few decades shows that…

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Citizens and Policy Riders Converge On Capitol Hill

Residents Impacted by Mountaintop Removal Visit Congress, Obama Administration FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 5, 2011 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – CONTACT Sandra Diaz …. (407)739-6465 …. sandra@appvoices.org Dustin White….(304)541-3144….mountain.patriot@gmail.com –…

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Appalachian Summer Music Festivals

Is the arrival of summer like music to your ears? There’s no better way to celebrate warmer days, longer nights and fantastic food than Appalachian summer music and arts festivals. Festivals are held all throughout southern Appalachia as a way of celebrating music, art, food, summer, community and history. From cultural bluegrass festivals to award-winning…

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Climate Change: A Fossil Fuel Free Future by 2030?

New Study Proposes The Possibility By Jesse Wood Is it really feasible to power the entire world with renewable energy by 2030? According to Mark Jacobson, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University, and Mark Delucchi, research scientist at the Institute of Transportation Studies at University of California–Davis, it is. “Based on our…

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Inside Appalachian Voices

Big Coal Can’t Be Trusted: Another 12,000 Violations of the Clean Water Act By Sandra Diaz Our ongoing legal action against the two largest mountaintop removal coal companies in Kentucky, totaling over 20,000 violations of the Clean Water Act, continues. We also initiated legal action against another coal company with a startling amount of Clean…

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Naturalist’s Notebook: Scarlet Tanager

Relocation May Be Only A “Chirp” Away By Kerri C. Weatherly When I first noticed a Scarlet tanager, I was instantly enchanted. Its rich, red feathers caught my eye — a burst of color in a sea of green. I glanced up, and observed the bird as it sat, perched high in the limbs of…

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Arctic Gardens: Voices from An Abundant Land

Arctic Gardens: Voices from an Abundant Land Review by Jeff Deal Few places on Earth have galvanized the hearts and minds of those seeking to safeguard and strengthen Earth’s precious cultural heritage and natural wonders like the Arctic. Dr. Harvard Ayers, Landon Pennington and David Harmon’s book, “Arctic Gardens: Voices from an Abundant Land,” is…

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Top Ten Books on Climate Change

Top Ten Books on Climate Change By Kaley Bellanti Climate change has become one of the most controversial and widely disputed topics facing today’s citizen, often dominating political and economic discussions. Below is a list of some of the most recognized books on climate change, ready to equip you with the knowledge to tackle the…

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Viewpoint: Seeing God’s Face in the Dirt

By Rev. Pat Watkins Culpepper UMC – 15 Nov 2009 Cain was a farmer, rooted in the soil. Farming was his life, his existence, his very being was connected to the earth. And that is precisely why Cain’s punishment was so hard for him to bear. Because he killed his brother, God said, “You are…

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