2015 — Issue 3 (June/July)
Schools Do the Math and Go Green
Regional schools are finding that solar power and energy efficiency can help reduce electric bills, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and provide a valuable learning opportunity.
Read MoreDuke to Close Asheville Coal Plant
Under pressure to address rampant coal ash pollution, Duke Energy announced it will close its aging coal plant located near Asheville, N.C., and replace it with a 650-megawatt natural gas-fired facility, nearly doubling the current plant’s electricity-generating capacity. Of the four facilities deemed “high priority” by North Carolina’s Coal Ash Management Act, the Asheville plant…
Read MoreStudents Use Sustainable Methods to Build New Homes, Teach Others
Virginia Tech students are helping high-schoolers learn about sustainable building materials, all while constructing a home for a family in need.
Read MoreCaught red-handed! Or more accurately, red-beaked
Wood thrushes — and their appetite for bright-red ginseng berries — are helping the plant spread its range further north.
Read MoreAn Appalachian Bookshelf
Featuring reviews of “Phenomenal” by Leigh Ann Henion, “Beautiful Land of the Sky” by Loren M. Wood, and “Real Goods Solar Living Sourcebook” by John Schaeffer
Read MoreDesigning Endurance on the Appalachian Trail
Researchers are seeking to protect the Appalachian Trail from growing hiker use and increasingly erratic weather patterns.
Read MorePermit Renewal Raises Questions for Radford Arsenal
Air pollution concerns at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant spark a controversy in the New River Valley.
Read MoreBreaking Clean Tour 2015
Breaking Clean Tour The Mullins family is hitting the road once more to share their story about life in the Appalachian coalfields. The Breaking Clean Tour, which visited more than 20 cities in the Southeast and Midwest in 2014, will be heading to the Pacific Northwest this summer. Nick, a former fourth-generation underground coal miner,…
Read MoreTurn This Town Around
A project to help re-energize small towns is encouraging community-led projects, like the brand-new West Virginia Mine Wars Museum!
Read MoreMountain Ingenuity
Citizens Advance Solutions to the Pressing Issues of Our Time Appalachia has its scars along with its beauty, its struggles along with its triumphs. But mountain people are resourceful, and across the region citizens are making strides toward a better tomorrow — one that builds on the strength of our past while sustaining healthy environments…
Read More