Front Porch Blog
Updates from Appalachia
Virginians face threat from toxic gold mining
The gold mining industry is eyeing central Virginia for a major expansion that could bring one of the most toxic industries to our state. Buckingham County is potentially ground zero.
Protecting our democracy in the face of violence means holding elected officials accountable
Every American and believer in democracy should be repulsed by the violent and seditious acts that occurred in the nation’s capital this week as the people’s elected representatives worked to finalize the lawful outcome of the presidential election.
The new face of solar energy in Southwest Virginia
Southwest Virginia native Matthew McFadden is the new Project Coordinator for an initiative to help advance solar energy in the region.
Fight like hell for the living: Honoring Kingston coal ash workers
Twelve years after the Kingston coal ash spill, hundreds of cleanup workers are sick with lung diseases, blood and brain cancers and other ailments, and families report that as many as 53 workers have died from their exposure to the toxic Kingston coal ash.
Fighting for equitable land access in Southwest Virginia
Large, out-of-state companies often hold huge tracts of land in Southwest Virginia and across the region for its perceived coal or timber potential — making it difficult for nearby communities to use the land themselves.