The Appalachian Voice
Inside Appalachian Voices
Big Coal Can’t Be Trusted: Another 12,000 Violations of the Clean Water Act By Sandra Diaz Our ongoing legal action against the two largest mountaintop removal coal companies in Kentucky, totaling over 20,000 violations of the Clean Water Act, continues. We also initiated legal action against another coal company with a startling amount of Clean…
Read MoreNaturalist’s Notebook: Scarlet Tanager
Relocation May Be Only A “Chirp” Away By Kerri C. Weatherly When I first noticed a Scarlet tanager, I was instantly enchanted. Its rich, red feathers caught my eye — a burst of color in a sea of green. I glanced up, and observed the bird as it sat, perched high in the limbs of…
Read MoreArctic Gardens: Voices from An Abundant Land
Arctic Gardens: Voices from an Abundant Land Review by Jeff Deal Few places on Earth have galvanized the hearts and minds of those seeking to safeguard and strengthen Earth’s precious cultural heritage and natural wonders like the Arctic. Dr. Harvard Ayers, Landon Pennington and David Harmon’s book, “Arctic Gardens: Voices from an Abundant Land,” is…
Read MoreTop Ten Books on Climate Change
Top Ten Books on Climate Change By Kaley Bellanti Climate change has become one of the most controversial and widely disputed topics facing today’s citizen, often dominating political and economic discussions. Below is a list of some of the most recognized books on climate change, ready to equip you with the knowledge to tackle the…
Read MoreViewpoint: Seeing God’s Face in the Dirt
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…
Read MoreEditorial: Fossil Fuels and Nuclear…
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…
Read MoreSequestering Your Carbon Footprint
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…
Read MoreTransition Initiatives Provide Solutions
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…
Read MoreBartering for the Economy
By Jillian Randel Consider the effects that a warming earth will have on the global economy. Ecological and environmental systems provide enormous benefits to the goods and services sector, reminding leaders that we live in a multi-layered, interconnected world. The Appalachian region presents a diverse array of economies susceptible to the impacts of climate change.…
Read MoreAgriculture: An Atmosphere of Uncertainty
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…
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