Ujamaa Freedom market is a worker-owned, cooperative mobile market that sells fresh local produce, healthy prepared foods and other household necessities in communities throughout Asheville on a weekly basis, particularly focusing on communities experiencing poverty and food deserts. The mission of Ujamaa Freedom Market is to feed and nourish the whole community through access to […]
Transition Asheville is part of a growing international transition movement that provides a model for communities to engage in a co-creative process for building local resilience. We’re joining cities and towns from around the world to face the challenges of economic instability, climate change and fossil fuel dependency. There are hundreds of transition initiatives worldwide […]
Western North Carolina Alliance is the only grassroots environmental advocacy group focused solely on conserving Western North Carolina’s natural heritage. We were founded in 1982 by citizens in Macon County who organized to successfully protect their local national forests from oil and gas leasing. Utilizing a combination of policy advocacy, scientific research and community collaboration, […]
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s mission is to help local farms thrive, link farmers to markets and supporters and build healthy communities through connections to local food. Our vision is of strong farms, thriving local food economies and healthy communities where farming is valued as central to our heritage and our future. As an organization, we […]
The Green Restaurant Association is a national nonprofit that provides the only official Certified Green Restaurants mark in the country. For 23 years, the GRA has pioneered the Green Restaurant movement and has been the leading voice within the industry encouraging restaurants to listen to consumer demand to “green” their operations using transparent, science-based certification […]
RiverLink is a regional nonprofit spearheading the economic and environmental revitalization of the French Broad River and its watershed as a destination for everyone to work, live and play. We accomplish our mission by providing permanent public access to the river through conservation and recreation easements and reclaiming contaminated lands for public use and enjoyment. […]
Did you know you can source hops locally? Using locally grown hops to brew your beer means that you can enjoy the freshest hops available without the energy waste of transporting them across the country. Blue Ridge Hops is a small family farm, located in Marshall, North Carolina, where spectacular long-range views surround the hops […]
At Biltmore, sustainable thinking has been the centerpiece of our efforts to serve as a model in our community regarding environmental stewardship. Our emphasis on sustainability has been inspired by George Vanderbilt’s vision of Biltmore as a working estate. Our current projects include solar panels to generate our own renewable energy source. We now have […]
Downtown Asheville boasts one of the oldest public fruit forests in the world. For this reason, the Buncombe Fruit and Nut Club started in 2008 to care for The George Washington Carver Park, an edible park about an acre in size that contains 40 different varieties of edible fruits and nuts. BFNC is a place […]
The asheville-Buncombe Food policy Council (ABFPC) is a community-based advisory group that identifies and proposes innovative policy solutions to improve local food systems, spur local economic development and make food systems environmentally sustainable and socially just. ABFPC members include nonprofit organizations, local government representatives, community advocates, farmers, local businesses, students and others. The organization formed […]
School of Integrated Living’s (SOIL) mission is to inspire and empower people to live responsible and creative lives by providing experiential education in integrated living and regenerative systems. We are based out of Western North Carolina at Earthaven Ecovillage, a 20-year-old intentional community devoted to sustainable education. This village and farming community has the unique […]
Quietly, day after day, the dedicated staff at CMLC works to protect special open space lands for the public to enjoy. In 2013, the nonprofit had its biggest year ever, conserving about 4,000 acres, including Bearwallow Mountain (pictured above).
Asheville-Buncombe Community Relations Council Program Director Lucia Daugherty and Fair Housing Outreach Coordinator Cassidy Moore talk about the issues and how you can get help.
By Ami Worthen It might not surprise Vernon White II’s former teachers and classmates at T.C. Roberson High that this two-time MVP, who was awarded a full basketball scholarship to N.C. A&T State University, is once again tackling a challenge with his trademark persistence, energy and enthusiasm. With a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine and […]
From the Western North Carolina Aids Project Dining Out for Life®, presented by Prestige Subaru, returns to Western North Carolina April 24, with participating restaurants in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell and Transylvania Counties donating 20% of sales to support Western North Carolina AIDS Project. Dining Out For Life® volunteers, called Ambassadors, attend […]
In our March 20 For Kids, By Kids issue, the youth speak for themselves. Here, The Learning Community students share what they did on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.a
For our March 20 “For Kids, By Kids” issue, the Delta House Life Development of Asheville submitted a collection of youth art. Through a federal grant, the organization provides free after-school programming to approximately 200 students at seven sites around the city. (Pictured: “Hummingbird,” by Danielle O’Neil)
This movie is a well-crafted slice of life that is too painfully realistic to be enjoyable and concerns people who are so pathetically stuck that all you want to do is scream at them to get off the pity pot and go see a good action flick. If the characters in The Secret Lives of […]
Matchstick Men has it all — a flawless script (by talented first-timer Nicholas Griffin, and based on Eric Garcia’s novel), energetic and enigmatic direction (Ridley Scott), and unforgettable performances by both tempered pros and a young tyro. Without fireworks or train wrecks or a cast of thousand costumed extras, Matchstick Men works its magic with […]