2007 – Issue 5 (November)
Across Appalachia: News Briefs
Clean Water Network Gives Wilma Dykeman River Hero Award KNOXVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Clean Water Network gave its Bill Russell River Hero Award to writer Wilma Dykeman this fall. The award honors “those who strive to protect, restore and enhance the watersheds of Tennessee and the communities that depend on them.” Dykeman, one of…
Read MoreWest Virginia’s Vulnerable Isolated Wetlands
/images/AppalachianVoice/AVNov07/Michele-Sabatier_circ.gif West Virginia, for those that have never been there, is deserving of its famous description. Indeed, the Mountain State is wild and wonderful, with varied terrain, unique habitats and pristine streams. A particularly remarkable area is the high elevation plateau located in the northern part of the Monongahela National Forest, just under three hours…
Read MoreThe Roots of Appalachian Christmas Traditions
/images/AppalachianVoice/AVNov07/helga_kvam_circ.gif The first European settlers in Appalachia brought their Christmas traditions to the new world, right along with their hammer dulcimers and their scotch whiskey, from the highlands of Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales. Some of these traditions have gone mainstream, modified and absorbed into generic go-to-the-mall holiday festivities. Some have vanished over the centuries.…
Read MoreChristians for the Mountains: Spreading the Gospel of Stewardship
In the past, Christians and environmentalists often seemed to be in separate camps. Sometimes they were separated by stereotypes, even though most Christians believe in environmental stewardship and most environmentalists are devoutly spiritual. Allen Johnson, founder of Christians For The Mountains, has been working to overcome the problem. Part of it, he feels, is that…
Read MoreCabinet Manufacturer Bets on Formaldehyde-Free Wood
Having grown up downwind of several major paper and chemical plants, I approached Columbia Forest Products’ Old Fort NC plant with nothing short of a crinkled-nose expectation of breaking the record for how long a journalist could hold her breath during an interview. CFP used to glue its plywood layers with urea-formaldehyde resins — stinky…
Read MoreWV Council of Churches Statement on Mountaintop Removal
/images/AppalachianVoice/AVNov07/Dr.-Benedict-M.-Anover.gif September 11, 2007 As people of faith, called upon by our covenant with God and each other to safeguard and care deeply for what God has created, we cannot stand by while our mountains are being devastated. The destruction caused by mountain top removal mining, as presently practiced, is unprecedented and permanent. We believe…
Read MoreWorlds Moral Compass Points to the South Again
Worlds Moral Compass Points to the South Again American Southerners are independent people — independent enough to stand for the truth, even if it means standing alone. A few weeks ago, Al Gore joined five other Southerners who have also been awarded the world’s most distinguished honor, the Nobel Peace Prize. We conservatives and liberals…
Read MoreRobert F. Kennedy Joins Appalachian Voices to Celebrate 10th Anniversary and Launch Watauga Riverkee
At a gala event in Blowing Rock, NC, on October 7, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., joined Appalachian Voices to celebrate the organization’s 10th anniversary and announce a new RIVERKEEPER® program to protect the upper Watauga River. Kennedy is a leading environmental advocate who serves as Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson RIVERKEEPER® and Chairman of…
Read MoreCoalition Organizing to Fight Dominion Power Plant
CAMPAIGN AGAINST PROPOSED POWER PLANT AND HOW YOU CAN HELP Dominion Power, Virginia’s largest utility, wants to build a new 585 megawatt, $1.6 billion coal-fired power plant in Southwest Virginia’s Wise County. The new plant would be a major step backwards for Virginia, increasing the state’s dependence on dirty coal and devastating mining practices at…
Read MoreAbout Broccoli Batiks: Artist Statement by Berkely Brown
Dreams! Everyone has dreams about how they want their life to be. When we follow our passions and work towards those dreams, our world is rich with enthusiasm, creativity, and drive My dream to become a batik artist began in the fall of 2000. I had been visiting my parents in Oregon and attended the…
Read More