Living Green: A special section on sustainabi­lity

Passive aggressive Ken Huck pushes the virtues of a well-sealed house Margaret Williams A guide to green organizations Scores of local eco groups push for sustainability Compiled by Mannie Dalton Looking for greener goods? Local companies and products with an eco emphasis Alli Marshall Copenhagen or bust Asheville travels to the climate talks Margaret Williams […]

A guide to green organizati­ons

Appalachian Voices Bringing people together to solve the environmental problems that have the greatest impact on the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. Info: 262-1500 or www.appvoices.org. Asheville Green Drinks Community members who are interested in environmental issues and topics meet for drinks at BoBo Gallery, 22 Lexington Ave. A guest speaker usually makes a short […]

Looking for greener goods?

There's more to green products than just an official-looking emblem on the packaging. Ingredients get top consideration — and buzzwords include organic, sustainable, renewable and recycled. Yet not everything that's dubbed "eco-chic" by advertisers is automatically earth-friendly. For example, wood is a renewable resource, but exotic species are not always harvested sustainably. Corn-based products are […]

Copenhagen or bust

This December, world leaders will convene in Copenhagen, Denmark, to continue what they started with the Kyoto Protocol in 1997: fleshing out the framework for an international agreement aimed at combating climate change. Several Asheville residents will be there, reporting what happens, providing technical expertise and trying to convince world leaders to make strong commitments […]

"We’re not stopping"

It's been an eventful year at AB-Tech. Not long after Betty Young ended her brief and controversial tenure as president by announcing her resignation in March. Russ Yelton, who had founded the college's Global Institute for Sustainable Technology, left for unrelated reasons. GIST has been a key player in AB-Tech's efforts at encouraging sustainability both […]

The write-in rundown (aka "Who voted for Squirt the Wonder Clam?")

In the Nov. 3 municipal election, Asheville City Council member Robin Cape received 4,478 write-in votes, according to figures from Buncombe County Election Services. While Cape's bid for a second term was serious, many write-in voters were not. (Squirt the Wonder Clam, really?) Cape, who changed her mind and decided to run for a second […]

New roof starts on Civic Center

The leak stops here: It was a day many feared might never come. A new Asheville Civic Center roof is under construction, replacing an old roof notorious for dripping water during performances. The new roof will be white, intended to reflect heat from sunlight and reduce cooling costs. Added insulation is expected to further reduce […]

Arson cited as cause of devastatin­g apartment fire

Fire investigators last week continued to probe a Monday, Nov. 9, explosion and ensuing blaze that gutted a Hillcrest Apartments building of six units. They believe it was intentionally set. Watching your home burn: Shelby Edwards (left) and her mother, Sharon Fox, dab tears from their eyes as they watch a fire destroy the Hillcrest […]