The Appalachian Voice
Supporting Their Farming “Habit”
“Know how to make a small fortune farming?” “Start out with a large fortune and pretty soon you’ll have a small one.” This sort of wry humor is standard among farmers when talking about their declining profession. It’s no secret that the family farm is in financial trouble – the nation’s small farms have been…
Read MoreLooking Out for Our Feathered Friends
images/voice_uploads/BirdCircle.gif They come here with names as rich as the velvety colors of their wings—scarlet tanager, rose-breasted grosbeak, belted kingfisher, golden-winged warbler, and yellow-bellied sapsucker. The year-round residents, the seasonal migrants, the sparsely spotted interlopers that have been driven here by odd weather and confusion make up a diverse and beautiful range of color and…
Read MoreHarlan County Goes to Hollywood….Again
Late last year, I was invited to Lincoln Center in New York City to attend the premiere of a restored edition of the 1976 film “Harlan County, USA.” The original film print had begun to deteriorate, and an organization called the Women’s Film Preservation Fund had taken on the job of saving this American classic.…
Read MorePowerline Paths
images/voice_uploads/PowerlineCutCircle.gif From the ground, they are long, barren alleys into the forest, sometimes narrow, sometimes as wide as an interstate, and always ugly. From the sky, they are strands of thread traversing the fabric of the land, stitches that both render and join. And in our towns and cities, these lines parallel streets and are…
Read MoreToo Hot to Handle?
images/voice_uploads/MtRogers.gif We’ve heard about the threat of global warming for decades, but for those of us who live in the Appalachian Mountains, the danger may seem far away. Amidst all the talk of melting ice caps and flooded coastal cities, of droughts on the Great Plains and melting glaciers in Rockies, you don’t hear much…
Read MoreHow to Help Stop Global Warming
There are many groups both national and regional that are working to educate people and encourage political leaders to take global warming seriously. One of the most interesting of these is the Climate Connection, a program of the North Carolina Council of Churches (NCCC). According to Alice Loyd, Chair of the program, “Climate Connection works…
Read MoreSmall Farms Get Creative to Survive
images/voice_uploads/MaverickCircle.gif They’re all mavericks of a sort – unmarked and unbranded, apart from the crowd and outside of the mainstream, and just outside of Boone, NC. They believe the traditional family farm is in danger, yet they are not all family in terms of blood relation. Family is important, however, to the farmers of Maverick…
Read MoreStudent Volunteers Take Appalachian Voices by Storm
Editors note: Students from Appalachian State University have been flooding the offices of Appalachian Voices for nights we call “Pizzas and Vistas,” where they mobilize dozens of volunteers to advance Appalachian Voices’ clean air campaign. We thought one night per week would suffice, but so many students converged on the office that they now work…
Read MoreAction Alert! Help Stop Rollbacks of Clean Air Laws
As the 109th Congress launches its session, the administration in Washington is clearly determined to advance new air pollution laws that will undermine the existing Clean Air Act. Their first attempt comes in the form of the Clear Skies Act, a bill with a misleading name that would actually allow more air pollution and delay…
Read MoreToxic Lakes of Goo and You
Members of Coal River Mountain Watch, concerned coalfield residents and the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition are working together on a “Sludge Safety Project,” www.sludgesafety.org. The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation is funding the initiative. Focusing on West Virginia, the project’s goals are to push for state policy changes that will better protect coalfield residents and people…
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