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The Solar Decathlon
By Jeff Deal Those weren’t spaceships on Washington D.C.’s National Mall in September — they were entries for this year’s U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. Every two years, the competition challenges teams of college students to design, build and operate solar-powered homes that are affordable to build and maintain, energy-efficient and beautiful. The winner…
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Please Don’t Trash the Outdoors Dear Editor, For my school service project, I picked up trash around the forest. I picked up trash at campsites and on the forest roads. I found a lot of things like beer cans, milk containers, soda bottles, food wrappings, and someone even threw away a broken camp chair. I…
Read MoreThe Business of Building Green
What’s good for the earth is good for the bottom line By Molly Moore When dentist Kendalyn Lutz-Craver decided it was time to move out of her leased, musty office and build her own structure, she had three building goals in mind. She didn’t want the building to be square, she wanted all patients to…
Read MoreCongregations Put Faith in Solar Power
By Brian Sewell On a sunny day in April at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville, N.C., the Reverend Joe Hoffman welcomed his congregation with an unusual liturgy. “Today we celebrate a particular act of faith with the dedication of solar panels on our roof,” he announced from the pulpit. The event,…
Read MoreMaking Your Home More Sustainable
Stories by Meg Holden, Molly Moore, David Pferdekamper and Jillian RandelIn sustainable building and remodeling, terms like “conservation” and “efficiency” are thrown around a lot. But how does the difference between efficiency and conservation affect the sustainability of your home? Simply put, conservation is using less of a resource. Efficiency is using the same amount…
Read MoreGhostly Legends Rooted in History
By Molly Moore As fall creeps into Appalachia, a smoky fog drifts through the hollows and wraps trees and church steeples in a ghostly haze. At this time of year, it’s wise to pay attention to the human stories buried in the region’s historical towns and landmarks. Elizabethton, Tenn., one of the earliest permanent settlements…
Read MoreShooting Our Ecological Footprint: Appalachian Mountain Photo Competition Taking Submissions
By Molly Moore Beauty isn’t limited to blue skies. Sometimes a photograph captures the resilience of a besieged hemlock or the bleak gray of a mountaintop removal site and reveals beauty in the midst of ecological turmoil. With that in mind, Appalachian Voices is again sponsoring the Our Ecological Footprint category of the ninth annual…
Read MoreEnergizing the Clean Economy
Political speeches, the nightly news and newspaper headlines are filled with reminders of the battered economy and the millions unemployed or underpaid. But as energy efficiency and renewable technologies advance, more domestic jobs are created that foster a sustainable economy, save money at home, and benefit human health and the environment. It’s an ambitious goal,…
Read MoreElk Knob Summit Now Accessible
Story and photos by Molly Moore The Elk Knob Summit Trail begins with a casual amble through canopied woods. The 1.8 mile trail is all uphill, and after rising gently for the first quarter mile, carves a series of switchbacks up the mountainside, eventually meeting an old dirt road at the summit. At the top,…
Read MorePutting the Able in Sustainable: One Homeowner’s Foray into Green Retrofits
Story and photo by Jamie Goodman After years of dreaming about building or buying a home I finally took the plunge into mortgage ownership this summer. We decided on a favorable compromise of our lofty fantasies, aspirations and budget; a home originally built in 1979 within easy walking distance of our work, grocery shopping and…
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