The Appalachian Voice
Powerline 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 MoreBlue Ridge Echo
images/voice_uploads/BrushyMtnsCircle.gif Stop at almost any east-facing overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway in northwestern North Carolina and you will see layers of mountains retreating into the distance. Most people assume that they are looking at the Blue Ridge Mountains. While spurs of the Blue Ridge range do taper to the east, the most prominent peaks…
Read MoreThe Healthy Air Industry
images/voice_uploads/MarshallSmokestackCircle.gif When Person County Manager Steve Carpenter talks about the North Carolina Clean Smokestacks Act (CSA), the enthusiasm in his voice is unmistakable. But the enthusiasm is not because of the much cleaner air that he and his constituents will soon be breathing as a direct result of the CSA. No, when Steve Carpenter thinks…
Read MoreAppalachian Voices Sets Course for Future at Strategic Planning Retreat
On a beautiful November weekend in Boone, members of Appalachian Voices staff and board of directors met to set the course for the organization for the next three years. We discussed our conservation programs, as well the organizational nuts and bolts necessary to meet our goals of ending mountaintop removal, eliminating air pollution, and restoring…
Read MoreSue Daniel Memorial Fund Announced
Appalachian Voices is honored to be chosen as a recipient of donations in memory of Sue Daniels, a leading mountaintop removal activist from Blacksburg, Virginia, who passed away in November. As a leader of the Blacksburg-based organization Mountain Justice, Sue’s dedication to ending mountaintop removal was extraordinary. Sue took dozens of people to West Virginia…
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