Richard Walker of Bridging the Gap in Virginia is working to make sure vulnerable communities are not left behind in the green energy transformation.
Blog Archives
How a Pipeline Battle Led an Advocate for Formerly Incarcerated People Into Solar Workforce Development
TAGS: Atlantic Coast Pipeline Civil Rights clean energy jobs equal opportunity formerly incarcerated Richmond Virginia Solar Energy
Cultivating Communities Through Seed Saving
Seed saving allows gardeners and farmers to explore new varieties of the plants they grow while forming communities around the practice.
The Beast of Bristol: The Landfill Haunting Residents of the Twin Cities
Terrible, persistent smells from the Bristol landfill have put a damper on quality of life for residents of the Twin Cities. Officials acknowledge the problem, but there’s no clear path forward.
TAGS: Air Pollution air quality Bristol community activism East Tennessee EPA grassroots Landfill landfill gas public health southwest virginia Tennessee trash Virginia Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Surviving Winter as a Salamander in Appalachia
What do salamanders do when the air turns frigid? UVA-Wise professor Walter Smith has been observing a particular green salamander for 8 years, and shares some of the species’ survival strategies.
TAGS: amphibians Brumation hibernation Naturalist's Notebook salamander Salamanders The Appalachian Voice
Black Lung Advocate Judith Riffe is Making Change (and Quilts) in West Virginia
Judith Riffe of the Wyoming County Black Lung Association uses her quilt-making talents to fundraise for the chapter and is spearheading the installation of a statue to bring attention to the role of women miners.
Black Appalachian Coalition Aims to Shift Narrative on Energy, Other Issues
The Black Appalachian Coalition is seeking to amplify the voices of Appalachia’s people of color, whose stories are often left out of policy discussions about energy and other issues in the region.
Bishop Marcia Dinkins, the group’s founder and executive director, recently talked with the Energy News Network about the coalition’s work.
Residents Near Proposed Lambert Compressor Station Push Back, Cite Environmental Racism
A Pittsylvania County community is urging the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board to deny a permit for Mountain Valley Pipeline’s proposed Lambert Compressor Station, which would pressurize and pump natural gas, emitting air pollution in the county’s historically Black Banister District.
TAGS: air pollution control board Environmental Justice environmental racism Lambert Compressor Station mountain valley pipeline mvp MVP Southgate Pittsylvania County Virginia DEQ
In a Nutshell: A Native Forage With Potential
Members of the Nutty Buddy Collective are tending orchards and processing locally foraged acorns and black walnuts into food to make the case that native nuts can once again help keep our communities healthy — and foster healthier forests at the same time.
TAGS: acorns Agriculture non-timber forest products nuts Nutty Buddy Collective Permaculture walnuts
Potential Federal Action Would Address Common and Harmful “Forever Chemicals”
Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could soon take steps to protect communities from an incredibly common but little-known family of man-made chemicals that have been accumulating in waterways and in people’s blood for decades.
North Carolina Seeks Public Comment on Regional Haze Plan
As North Carolina develops its 10-year plan to reduce haze in national parks and wilderness areas, conservation and health groups allege that North Carolina and other Southeast states are missing key sources of emissions in their analysis.
TAGS: Air Pollution Clean Air Act Great Smoky Mountains National Park haze NC Division of Air Quality North Carolina Regional Haze Rule
