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Film Explores Appalachia’s Environment
Story by Linda Coutant A new film about the Appalachia region underscores a universal truth Western Civilization seems to struggle remembering: humanity is part of the environment, not separate from it. Appalachia: A History of Mountains and People airs on PBS four consecutive Thursdays beginning April 9. Produced by award-winning filmmakers Jamie Ross and Ross…
Read MoreScientists Describe Champion Trees of Virginia
Story by Maureen Halsema As I scrambled down the hill along the Appalachian Trail in Craig County, I could see gargantuan branches protruding in every direction. I realized that I had found the Keffer Oak. The massive branches spiraled around this centuries-old tree trunk covered with moss and snow. I stepped over a section of…
Read MoreHistoric Blair Mountain Battlefield Wins Recognition
Organizers Hope Register Status Will Help Protect The Mountain Story by Peter Slavin The nearly 30-year struggle for federal recognition of the Blair Mountain battlefield in West Virginia, scene of an epic military clash in 1921 between thousands of armed union miners and the coal establishment, climaxed on March 30 with its placement on the…
Read MoreClean Energy Corps
A Benefit for the Economy and the Environment By Linda Brinson The Clean Energy Corps has the potential to be an economic as well as an environmental boon for the Appalachian region. At the national level, the Clean Energy Corps is still a proposal, but many people are working to make sure that it becomes…
Read MorePhotovoltaic Prospects Are Sunny
Story by Bill Kovarik The phones are ringing off the hook at Solar Connexion in Blacksburg, Va., but Brian Walsh is out in the field installing photovoltaic panels. Keeping up with the rising number of inquiries is a dilemma that Brian Walsh faces as he thinks about how to expand his solar photovoltaic business. “We…
Read MoreGreen Entrepreneur Offers Energy Solutions to NC High Country
Story by Sarah Vig Boone, N.C. resident Kent Hively says he considers himself a “green collar worker,” but in truth, he’s also somewhat of a green entrepreneur. Hively started his business High Country Energy Solutions five years ago, before the term “green jobs” was the buzzword it is today. He had learned about alternative energy…
Read MoreThe Green Side of Heavy Industry
Story by Bill Kovarik When most people envision green jobs, they see recycling, ecotourism and solar panels. Luke Staengl, president of Pesco-Beam in Roanoke, Va., sees cellulosic biofuels, methane and hydrogen gasification, wood pellet manufacturing and other large-scale renewable energy production projects. “The prospects are spectacular for green jobs in this region,” Staengl said. For…
Read MoreGreen Collar Jobs
Sustainable Jobs for the Appalachian Future Story by Gregory McNamee A quarter-century ago, a friend of mine moved from Wytheville, Virginia, to southern Arizona to take a job in an emerging, fast-growing field: installing rooftop photovoltaic panels to take advantage of the desert’s one great abundance, solar energy. He flourished—briefly. Then, for reasons that political…
Read MoreGreen forestry redefines the profession
Story by Bill Kovarik They’re not just loggers with horses. When Jason Rutledge and his colleagues walk into the woods, they are thinking about how to protect the forest ecology, not how quickly they can deliver ten thousand board feet to the mill. That’s just one difference between traditional forestry and what Rutledge terms restorative…
Read MoreBlue Skies for Green Education
Story by Bill Kovarik As new green technologies transform the economic landscape, the need for focused education and training has become apparent. While only a few pilot programs specifically designed for green collar jobs are currently in place, community colleges and universities are poised for dramatic expansion. Climate change and federal stimulus dollars are spurring…
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