The Appalachian Voice
Volunteering in Kentucky
Seedleaf In the heart of Lexington, Ky., Seedleaf maintains a total of 14 community gardens. Seedleaf helps to cultivate these spaces, participates in city-wide composting, and offers sustainable cooking and preserving classes to children and adults. Service opportunities are offered weekly, and involve mulching, tree and shrub planting and garden maintenance. All ages. Get involved!…
Read MoreAttempts at Legislation, Regulation Follow Water Threats
By Molly Moore Almost as soon as West Virginia American Water Company ordered 300,000 residents to avoid contact with their tap water, the question arose: why was crude MCHM, a chemical now known to be highly toxic, so poorly understood and regulated? The lack of a clear answer brought national attention to the fact that…
Read MoreNorth Carolina to Set Precedent in Superfund Litigation
By Kimber Ray In January, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in a case that will impact victims of toxic Superfund sites across the country. The Superfund program, created in 1980, is a federal initiative designed to address the nation’s most high-priority hazardous waste sites. Long-term exposure to chemicals and heavy metals migrating from…
Read MoreEnvironmental Summer Camps 2014
By Kelsey Boyajian Would you like to splash in a mountain creek and identify tree frogs? Study marine biology and learn about sea turtles in the sandy dunes of North Carolina? Or go on backpacking, horseback riding and tubing adventures in the foothills of eastern Tennessee? Browse our online listing of summer camp programs for…
Read MoreVolunteering in Appalachia: A Community Effort
Volunteering in Appalachia: A Community Effort By Kelsey Boyajian, Meredith Warfield and Emmalee Zupo Appalachia’s rich history of community unites this region. Whether it’s neighbors lending a hand in the yard, or a dedicated group joining together to clean up a local river, the tradition of service and volunteering is a way of life. The…
Read MoreAppalachian Coal Companies Face Major Water Pollution Fines
By Brian Sewell In March, two federal enforcement actions against Appalachian coal companies called attention to the pervasive threat of water pollution from mountaintop removal coal mining. First, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached a $27.5 million settlement with Alpha Natural Resources — the largest mountaintop removal mining operator in the U.S. — for violations…
Read MoreWho Has Priority Over Water?
By Matt Wasson, Ph.D. CHARLESTON, W.Va. — What do January’s Kanawha Valley chemical spill, the Exxon Valdez spill and the Deepwater Horizon incident have in common? All were man-made environmental disasters, disrupting the lives of thousands of people, and all cracked open for public view astonishing examples of corporate and regulatory dereliction. What don’t they…
Read MoreWary and Waiting
By Karen Smith Zornes I didn’t have a problem with the spill at first; I thought, “Accidents happen.” But when it came time for us to flush, I had an asthma attack from the smell. I went outside for fresh air and tried to flush again later — and had another asthma attack. After our…
Read MoreOne Seriously Angry Granny
By Linda Sodaro Sometime last year, my good friend Kim and I had a conversation about the joys of a hot shower. The perfect temperature, with lovely handmade soap and standing there as long as we liked. She said, “I don’t think we’re always going to have that.” Kim’s prophetic words came to pass Jan.…
Read MoreAn Expanded Idea of Leadership
By Jen Osha Buysse The stories that get me the most are the stories of mothers with children who are sick and asking why the state is not considering it an emergency. Why is the government providing less emergency water every day, even though every day we’re learning new, disturbing issues with the water situation?…
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