RECLAIMing Central Appalachia

From The Appalachian Voice: A rare bipartisan proposal aims to tackle two pressing issues related to the flailing coal industry — the need for new economic opportunities in central Appalachia and repairing environmental damage from decades of mining.

Read More

RECLAIMing Central Appalachia

A rare bipartisan proposal aims to tackle two pressing issues related to the flailing coal industry — the need for new economic opportunities in central Appalachia and repairing environmental damage from decades of mining.

Read More

Southwest Virginia’s New Economy Forums

In October, Appalachian Voices partnered with Virginia Organizing to host eight community forums in the coalfield counties of southwest Virginia. More than 130 residents participated in the forums, sharing their ideas about how to move the economy of their communities forward. We are excited to continue this conversation. In the coming months, we will publish…

Read More

Takin’ 5 with Tony Flaccavento

tonyTony Flaccavento has been a leading voice for sustainable economic development in southwest Virginia for more than two decades. An organic farmer, small businessman and author, Tony has been making a series of short videos exploring the positive forces of localized, sustainable economies.

Read More

Crowdsourcing Southwest Virginia’s New Economy

Adam-Wise-CountyAppalachian Voices is on the ground in southwest Virginia, holding community forums and engaging with citizens from all walks of life to gather their hopes and visions for creating a new economy in the region. You might think of it as old-fashioned crowdsourcing. Soon, we’ll have an online, modern-day crowdsourcing platform to gather more ideas and details to help make these visions become reality.

Read More

Appalachians Look to Branch Out from Coal-Based Economy

Contact: Adam Wells, Appalachian Voices, (276) 679-1691, adam@appvoices.org Gabby Gillespie, The Alliance for Appalachia, (276) 220-5048, gabby.gillespie@sierraclub.org Eric Dixon, Appalachian Citizens Law Center, (865) 202-8688, eric@appalachianlawcenter.org Two dozen local government entities in the heart of Central Appalachia’s coalfields have passed resolutions calling for major federal investment to revive the region’s economy, which is struggling in…

Read More

Regional Report Details Victories, Challenges Over Poverty

A report released in February by the Appalachian Regional Commission, Appalachia Then and Now: Examining Changes to the Appalachian Region Since 1965, examines the impact of improved infrastructure, education and job opportunities across the region. According to the report, Appalachia’s poverty rate dropped from 31 percent to 16.6 percent over the last five decades.

Read More