The Green Scene

These are names that only a congressional bill sponsor could love: the Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act, the Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act, the Food Safety and Tracking Improvement Act, and the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, a Democrat, has sponsored the latter bill, which has […]

Xpress is Flickrin’ and Twitterin’ now

News flash: Mountain Xpress adds Twitter feed, and Flickr isn’t far behind. Or, in Twitter-speak—News: Mtn X adds Twitr & Flikr. See http://bit.ly/HTFVR. #mxnow. Bitly what? Flickr who? OK. Here’s the deal (with apologies to the English language): Social networking and news gathering have mingled. Twitter is a micro-blogging program that lets users exchange brief […]

The Green Scene

Perhaps you can’t quite picture a farmers’ market hosted by the local hospital, but to Molly Nicholie, it’s a perfectly green combination. Such a partnership is just one possibility raised by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s Farm to Hospital program. The pilot project seeks to play matchmaker, linking local farmers looking to build their customer […]

Ready, set, go!

Register now for the April 11 AllStar 5K and Kids Bike Challenge, says local sports organizer Randy Bassham. The race event will benefit the Multi Purpose Athletic & Community Complex (MPAC), a nonprofit multi-sport project Bassham is spearheading. Break out the Lycra and run wild through North Asheville as that All Star you are, he […]

Headwaters Gathering shines spotlight on local climate change

Now’s the time to consider how climate change might affect our region, say the organizers of the first Headwaters Gathering. Dubbed “Southern Appalachia at the Crossroads,” the conference, slated for the weekend of March 27-29 at Warren Wilson College, will bring together a diverse mix of experts, environmentalists, activists, writers and community leaders, says Margo […]

The Green Scene

Rick Borchelt is one of those rare scientists who’s also a good communicator. So says Pamela McCown, a former TV meteorologist who’s now involved in educational and job-creation initiatives in Western North Carolina. She describes Borchelt as a biologist who “was bit by the science-communication bug.” Communications director for the Genetics and Public Policy Center […]

Flash dance

The well-traveled Kitty Boniske hasn’t been to Africa yet, but she acknowledges the cultural challenges facing the partnership between Asheville and Osogbo, Nigeria. “One of the things we tend to do is project our assumptions on other cultures,” notes the woman who helped launch Asheville’s sister cities program about 20 years ago. Dancing queens: Osogbo […]