More Than a Market

By Megan Northcote Shopping for fresh, locally grown foods at farmers markets is always a refreshing way to find healthy foods while supporting the community. But in recent years, some farmers markets have transformed from grocery store alternatives to tourist destinations, featuring cooking and artisan demonstrations, hands-on healthy living activities for children, and food and…

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Progress for Tennessee Wilderness

By Molly Moore Efforts to preserve wild lands in East Tennessee took a step forward this spring when a bill to designate nearly 20,000 acres in the Cherokee National Forest as wilderness passed the Senate Agriculture Committee. First introduced by Tennessee Republican Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker in 2010, the Tennessee Wilderness Act would…

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Streamside Technology in the Clinch River Valley

By Kimber Ray Although visitors are unlikely to stumble upon Saint Paul, Va., by chance, those who do might be surprised to learn that this small, rural town hosts some of the most novel trails in the country. Located along the crystal-clear waters of the Clinch River in Russell and Wise Counties, Saint Paul boasts…

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Preserving the “Heart of Appalachia”

By Kimber Ray Tracking the Trails of a Reinspired History Clinch Water Revival: Ecotourism on the River | River Access: A Community Effort Hiking the Highlands: Streamside Technology in the Clinch River Valley When a developer from New York told Charlie McConnell, the founder of a music venue in Coeburn, Va., that the best asset…

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Virginians demand an impact statement for the Coalfields Expressway

CFX_virginia_sqAppalachian Voices, our allies and supporters are standing up against the Coalfields Expressway proposal. Recent hearings have provided a opportunities to reach decision makers, and meetings in Lynchburg and Roanoke are still ahead. Join the chorus demanding a proper environmental study before the Coalfields Expressway, a mountaintop removal project masquerading as a highway, goes any further.

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What’s green, gold, and good for everyone?

EENPODLast week, the folks at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) put out another of their scintillating reports, this one showing how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can apply energy efficiency as a key way to reduce global warming pollution — with no net cost to the U.S. economy.

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The River City is set to soak up the sun

Solar-Panels-On-HouseSolar energy is no longer a thing of the future — it makes sense right here, right now. That’s the spirit of Virginia’s newest residential renewable energy initiative, SolarizeRVA, which was launched on Tuesday in celebration of Earth Day.

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Virginia Power Shifters intend to organize and win on climate

13696548693_a845c28fac_z (1)Building community and standing up to polluters with grassroots strength: these were among the themes of Virginia Power Shift, which took place in Richmond last weekend. Students worked tirelessly to involve campuses from all over the state, and delegations traveled from across Virginia to join in the hard work that constitutes this amazing young leaders’ summit.

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