What’s the best local band nobody’s heard of? Best locally made brew? Best blog? Best reason to live in Asheville? It’s your turn to tell us in the annual Mountain Xpress Best of WNC voting.
Author: Rebecca Bowe
Showing 190-210 of 322 results
SEE Expo report back
What did you learn at the Southern Energy and Environment Expo?
Into the jaws of the alligator
photos by Jonathan Welch The scene would have brought a gun fanatic to tears. A vanload of firearms—469 assorted handguns and long guns weighing more than 700 pounds—was fed piece by piece into the alligator shears at Biltmore Iron and Metal Co. on Aug. 24 at the behest of the Asheville Police Department. APD officers […]
The Green Scene
For Debi Athos, the path to promoting healthy foods began with a rude awakening. A red flag went up more than seven years ago, when she first learned about genetically engineered foods lurking on the shelves of conventional grocery stores. “I was quite concerned that there was no notice to the public,” says Athos, an […]
For the record: Mayor Bellamy on protesting in Asheville
Maybe you’ve heard the rumors. But what exactly did Mayor Bellamy say about that Bank of America protest and similar demonstrations?
Don’t burn, baby, burn
Think twice before roasting those s’mores round the campfire, or you could get crisped for violating the burn ban.
S.E.E.ing is believing
Like ripe, red tomatoes or the Perseid meteor shower, the Southern Energy & Environment Expo is an annual August event. But year by year, both the projects and technologies it highlights and the audience it draws have shifted markedly. Not surprising, perhaps, for an event whose slogan is “S.E.E. the Future.” In a sense, the […]
The Green Scene
According to Asheville’s federal storm-water permit, the city was supposed to adopt a revised Stormwater and Erosion Control Ordinance by July 1. Seven weeks later, the revamped set of rules was still making its way through the legislative process; at press time, it was scheduled to come before City Council on Aug. 21. Meanwhile, property […]
Sticking their necks out
The day before the demonstration at Bank of America, the activists gathered at the Southeast Convergence for Climate Action were feeling stressed out. Despite the tranquil wooded surroundings at their camp near Brevard, the solar-powered van providing their electricity and the spicy rice and vegetables being served up for lunch, the air crackled with tension. […]
This migratory bird is a “priority” for statewide conservation effort
After a summer of feasting on spiders, insects and other morsels from the mountains, the chestnut-sided warbler will return to the tropics. Unfortunately, a population decline has caused conservation groups to turn a watchful eye on this colorful little bird.
Bele Chere recycling push successful
Today Asheville’s Sanitation Division got kudos for efforts to encourage recycling during the Bele Chere festival, which led to a vast improvement over last year’s recycling rate.
The Green Scene
Alex Kovalchuk‘s 14th-floor office in the BB&T Building provides a striking view of downtown Asheville and the mountains beyond. But on this particularly hot and hazy August afternoon, smog obscures the scenery. Exhausting work: TransEco Energy technicians Nikolay Degtyarev, at left, and Oleg Andronov work on a van that has been converted to run on […]
You say you saw what?!
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s … a fake flying saucer. A party that’s out of this world: Visitors to last year’s UFO Experience and a couple of extraterrestrial friends. courtesy Speaking of Strange Consider yourself warned: The night sky in Barnardsville will be full of faux-paranormal paraphernalia on Friday, Aug. 17. Is it […]
Looks like it’s gonna pour: Storm-water meetings coming up
Asheville is opening the floodgates for public comments on the Stormwater and Erosion Control Ordinance.
Leicester’s eco-saboteurs
According to the sales literature, residents of Rose Hill Plantation—a gated community slated for a 58-acre tract of land just off the Leicester Highway—will enjoy a one-of-a-kind, resort-style amenities package including a fitness center, library, clubhouse, fishing lake, tennis court and community gardens. In addition, the 103 clustered homes will be surrounded by some 40 […]
The Green Scene
Greener than a yellow taxi and a blue cab put together Cutting emissions: Mayor Bellamy rode to work with Green Transit, a new transportation system started by Robert Eidus (at right). photo by Jonathan Welch To promote his new business, Robert Eidus offered to give Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy a ride to work in a […]
Apocalypse not yet
Predictions: • Extensive loss of open space • Hotter summers, harsher storms • Biodiversity declines Speculating about Asheville’s environmental future entails at least as many questions as answers. Will carbon-dioxide emissions continue rising? Will privately owned open space and forestland continue to be cleared for development at the current rate? Will fossil fuels remain our […]
The Green Scene
Don’t expect “Kumbaya” around this campfire About 100 environmental activists from throughout the region are expected to flock to a “secluded location” near Asheville Aug. 8-14 to take part in the Southeast Convergence for Climate Action. Across generations and geographical boundaries, the weeklong event will bring together activists who’ve campaigned against coal and nuclear power, […]
Hotly debated energy bill takes center stage
For all the chatter about clean energy, the amount of electricity generated by renewable resources in North Carolina boils down to just about 5 percent, and most of that is hydro. Senate Bill 3, proposed energy legislation that won overwhelming support in the state Senate last week and was under review by the House at […]
Lindsey Simerly and other independent Council candidates await final word on elections
“Campaign spending is one of the most wasteful uses of money there is,” says Lindsey Simerly, an independent candidate who plans to run for Asheville City Council. If the city’s election system reverts back to nonpartisan, Simerly and other unaffiliated candidates could be spared the task of having to gather more than 2,000 signatures to earn a spot on the ballot.
Stay bright: Recycle your CFL — and get one for free
The mercury inside your energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulb is an environmental hazard. Fortunately, Buncombe County has a few bright ideas for preventing CFLs from making it to the landfill.