2011 — Issue 4 (Aug/Sept)
Trading the City for the Farm
Morel Bliss and August Stringer of Mascot, Tenn., have bid vacations good-bye since their honeymoon last October. Days start at 6 a.m. and are wrapped up at about 9 p.m. seven days a week. Important daily tasks, almost all done by hand, include caring for a huge garden, more than 100 chickens (some egg layers…
Read MoreForward Thinkers Move Back to the Land
by Rachael Goss When we think about the 1960s, certain iconic images pop up. From flower children and festivals to fierce protests and racial unrest, the decade was marked by a turbulent change in the social and political fabrics of our nation. In the late 1960s, many idealistic young Americans turned away from the mainstream…
Read MoreThe Coal Report
Cross-State Air Pollution Rule Will Save Lives By Meg Holden The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR), the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) newest regulations to limit air pollution from coal-fired power plants, will take into account the problem of air currents whisking pollutants far away from their original sources. “Pollution that crosses state lines places a…
Read MoreEditorial and Viewpoint
A Politician A Day Keeps The EPA At Bay What is it about politicians that calls them to be so obedient to the worst of the bad apples in big business? The mantra of the 112th Congress seems to be that we should use the pain of an economic recession to justify more unsustainable and…
Read MoreAcross Appalachia
Rays of Solar Progress Peeking Out in Appalachia By Jeff Deal While Appalachia has not yet realized the progress made in solar electricity generation in the United States’ West Coast or Northeast regions, solar energy development within our region is slowly moving forward. The town of Newland, N.C., will host a 900kW solar electric facility…
Read MoreHiking, Biking, Running, and Skiing on West Virginia’s Greenbrier Trail
By Joe Tennis Near a quiet place called Renick, W.Va., though the railroad is long since gone, a crossing sign remains. And so does the former path of the Greenbrier Division of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, now the Greenbrier River Trail. Stops called Horrock, Beard, Thorny Creek and Stony Bottom line this railroad path,…
Read MoreThree Weeds to Feed Your Needs
By Meg Holden Interested in going “back to the land”? What about “back to the lawn”? Build a self-sufficient salad out of greens available in your own back yard. Here are three plants that grow as weeds in our region, but are edible both raw and cooked. Lamb’s Quarters Chenopodium belandieri Lamb’s quarters, also known…
Read MoreSkip the Lawn Mower This Season, Eco-Goats is On The Way
If you are looking for a new twist on farm life, here is one: using goats to clear brush, mow lawns and remove invasive species. Brian Knox, founder of Eco-Goats, one of the East Coast’s leading goat clearing companies, became interested in goats when he bumped into a friend who had gotten to know his…
Read MoreBison: The Healthier, More Sustainable Meat
By Jillian Randel With large agriculture squeezing the market on more traditional farming methods, small agriculturalists are finding newer and more creative ways to make a living from the barnyard. Pink is the new black, tempeh is the new tofu and bison meat is the new cow beef. While modern farming techniques pose many environmental…
Read MoreBathroom Suds With a Touch of Sass
When a long-time customer sent an email from Afghanistan asking about a remedy for raw and bleeding feet—the result of wearing combat boots for 14 hours a day—Sassy Goat Milk Soap owner Jill Wyse set to work on a batch of lotion to help. Wyse created Sassy Goats in 2005 after she added three goats…
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