Local Matters: The business of being a doctor, County Commission updates and UNCA environmen­talism

In this edition of Local Matters—the Xpress weekly news podcast—news intern Caitlin Byrd talks about her story on the business of being a doctor, reporter Jake Frankel gives details on the most-recent Buncombe County Commission meeting, and environmental reporter Susan Andrew talks about the ongoing efforts of a UNCA student environmental group.

A plant is a plant is a plant

I loved the speak-truth-to-power tone of Susan Andrew's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" article [Green Scene, June 29 Xpress]. It's embarrassing how every government agency attempts to synthesize some asinine-though-remotely plausible argument against marijuana. Thank you for subtly exposing the huge flaws in the ecological criticism of hand-cultivating a hearty, healthy plant in the forest. […]

There’s a glow in the Smokies tonight: Nuclear waste and WNC **UPDATED*­*

Our research on the past and present of nuclear waste in WNC dug up two interesting campaign items from a 1980s citizen-based effort to keep radioactive waste out of the community. The campaign, which resulted in Madison County commissioners adopting a resolution against nuclear waste transit on county roadways, featured a photo of local music producer Steven Heller wearing a hazmat suit and seated on a tractor, as if plowing a field of contaminated soil. The photo was part of a campaign that appeared on billboards with the catch-phrase, “Don’t think it can’t happen here.” Heller produced a piece of music written to support the campaign (listen to it within); go ahead and sing along as “…the bears in the park/Are glowing in the dark/There’s a glow in the Smokies tonight.”
Look for a full report on nuclear-waste facts, fiction and fears in the July 13 Mountain Xpress.

The Green Scene

At Warren Wilson College, sustainability is more than just a buzzword: It’s the guiding principle behind the annual Mountain Green Sustainability Conference, slated for Wednesday, June 24. “It’s an attempt by the college to be a catalyst for change in the region,” says Phillip Gibson, director of research and community outreach at the school’s Environmental […]