2011 — Issue 2 Apr/May
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…
Read MoreClimate 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…
Read MoreInside 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…
Read MoreNaturalist’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…
Read MoreArctic 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…
Read MoreTop 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…
Read MoreViewpoint: 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…
Read MoreEditorial: Fossil Fuels and Nuclear…
How Costly is Too Costly? Before the flood waters had fully receded from Japanese towns shattered by a 9.0 earthquake and 30-foot tsunami, and while firefighters were racing to cool down a category 5 nuclear disaster (still smoldering as we go to press), some in the energy industry were stumbling over themselves to tout the…
Read MoreSequestering Your Carbon Footprint
By Jesse Wood & Jillian Randel As consumers, all humans produce a carbon footprint — a measure of our impact on the earth’s resources. Home energy use, transportation, food and goods and services are part of everyday life, but each of these needs leaves their mark on the world’s forests, oceans and air. There are…
Read MoreTransition Initiatives Provide Solutions
Building Resilience at the Community Level Story by Jillian Randel Imagine a community where people can respond to economic downturns and fluctuations and availability of food with confidence. This community would be independent and self-sufficient. Members would cultivate, sell and store all their food needs, leaving little to be bartered with the outside world. Imagine…
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