The Appalachian Voice
Ghostly Legends Rooted in History
By Molly Moore As fall creeps into Appalachia, a smoky fog drifts through the hollows and wraps trees and church steeples in a ghostly haze. At this time of year, it’s wise to pay attention to the human stories buried in the region’s historical towns and landmarks. Elizabethton, Tenn., one of the earliest permanent settlements…
Read MoreShooting Our Ecological Footprint: Appalachian Mountain Photo Competition Taking Submissions
By Molly Moore Beauty isn’t limited to blue skies. Sometimes a photograph captures the resilience of a besieged hemlock or the bleak gray of a mountaintop removal site and reveals beauty in the midst of ecological turmoil. With that in mind, Appalachian Voices is again sponsoring the Our Ecological Footprint category of the ninth annual…
Read MoreEnergizing the Clean Economy
Political speeches, the nightly news and newspaper headlines are filled with reminders of the battered economy and the millions unemployed or underpaid. But as energy efficiency and renewable technologies advance, more domestic jobs are created that foster a sustainable economy, save money at home, and benefit human health and the environment. It’s an ambitious goal,…
Read MoreElk Knob Summit Now Accessible
Story and photos by Molly Moore The Elk Knob Summit Trail begins with a casual amble through canopied woods. The 1.8 mile trail is all uphill, and after rising gently for the first quarter mile, carves a series of switchbacks up the mountainside, eventually meeting an old dirt road at the summit. At the top,…
Read MorePutting the Able in Sustainable: One Homeowner’s Foray into Green Retrofits
Story and photo by Jamie Goodman After years of dreaming about building or buying a home I finally took the plunge into mortgage ownership this summer. We decided on a favorable compromise of our lofty fantasies, aspirations and budget; a home originally built in 1979 within easy walking distance of our work, grocery shopping and…
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These Green Houses:
Green Building 101
By Jeff Deal Green building might just be the world’s oldest construction style. Caves, lean-tos, waddle and daub, mud brick, stone pyramids and temples, wooden post and beam, Devonshire Cob; all are green building styles, some dating back more than 5,000 years. While there’s not much new under the sun, the resurgent appreciation of these…
Read MoreYour Goode Deed of the Day
This fall, Appalachian Voices is excited to collaborate with a regional artist and a socially conscious website for an online art sale and fundraiser. GoodeDeeds.com promotes art for charity by holding online gallery events. The site provides the opportunity for artists from around the world to display their artwork, and all of the profits are…
Read MoreIt’s Sad to Say, Fracking’s Here to Stay
A new series of proposed natural gas pipelines will give many states better access to natural gas reserves of the Marcellus Shale, a formation of sedimentary rock that covers much of the Appalachian Basin. The pipelines will connect to larger interstate lines to reach more customers in the northeastern United States and possibly Canada. The…
Read MoreWhere is our National Media? — Editorial
I know rants about this particular point have appeared widespread in independent publications, but The Appalachian Voice has avoided weighing in. Now it’s time to go there. IS mainstream media on vacation? The most well-known story of late conspicuous in its absence from big news conglomerates is certainly the weeks-long Occupy Wall Street protest still…
Read MoreMercury Proposal Receives Support, Opposition
This spring, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule that would reduce mercury, particulate matter and sulfur dioxide emissions from coal plants. According to the agency, the proposed rule would save an estimated 17,000 American lives a year beginning in 2015 and prevent 120,000 cases of childhood asthma. A campaign motivated by environmental organizations…
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