The Appalachian Voice

By Rev. Pat Watkins Culpepper UMC – 15 Nov 2009 Cain was a farmer, rooted in the soil. Farming was his life, his existence, his very being was connected to the earth. And that is precisely why Cain’s punishment was so hard for him to bear. Because he killed his brother, God said, “You are…

How Costly is Too Costly? Before the flood waters had fully receded from Japanese towns shattered by a 9.0 earthquake and 30-foot tsunami, and while firefighters were racing to cool down a category 5 nuclear disaster (still smoldering as we go to press), some in the energy industry were stumbling over themselves to tout the…

By Jesse Wood & Jillian Randel As consumers, all humans produce a carbon footprint — a measure of our impact on the earth’s resources. Home energy use, transportation, food and goods and services are part of everyday life, but each of these needs leaves their mark on the world’s forests, oceans and air. There are…

Building Resilience at the Community Level Story by Jillian Randel Imagine a community where people can respond to economic downturns and fluctuations and availability of food with confidence. This community would be independent and self-sufficient. Members would cultivate, sell and store all their food needs, leaving little to be bartered with the outside world. Imagine…

By Jillian Randel Among growing concerns about the warming of the earth and the buildup of greenhouse gases is the impact that climate change has on our food supply. Irregular precipitation patterns, rising temperatures and higher levels of carbon dioxide could govern how and what food is grown and sold in Appalachia and worldwide in…

A Game of Knowns, Unknowns, and Unknown Unknowns By Sarah Vig When it comes to climate change, “we have the knowns, the unknowns, and the unknown unknowns,” said Steve McNulty, an ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service. According to McNulty, the “knowns” are scenarios scientists can expect to develop with climate change and managers have…

By Bill Kovarik Appalachia has always been a refuge for biodiversity. During the last ice age 20,000 years ago, the Appalachian mountains were a Noah’s Ark for thousands of species until the glaciers receded. In the 19th and 20th centuries, many of our own species trooped off to spend their summers in the mountains, flocking…