Nature-based schools are catching on around the country. The Woodson Branch Nature School, located in Hot Springs and Marshall, is a local manifestation of the trend, which emphasizes outdoor learning and unstructured outdoor play.
Making the grade: WNC’s college dining programs get high scores for sustainability
Increasingly, U.S. colleges and universities are working to make their institutions as environmentally sustainable as possible. These efforts cover a broad spectrum, from a recycling initiative at Stanford University that diverts 65 percent of the school’s solid waste away from landfills to Cornell’s plan to be carbon-neutral by 2035, as noted in The Princeton Review’s annual ranking […]
Wildly prolific: Cooking with WNC’s native spring perennials
Some of Western North Carolina’s freshest spring ingredients are found outside the garden.
School lunch goes local: WNC districts, farmers connect to freshen up cafeteria offerings
Despite tight budgets and bureaucratic hurdles, school nutrition directors are accessing more locally grown foods for area students.
Asheville City Council, Buncombe Commissioners discuss racial equity, development in joint meeting
2018’s annual joint meeting of Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners highlighted issues of racial equity, police use-of-force and zoning conflicts affecting Buncombe residents.
Mountain roots: Asheville digs into the culinary uses of kudzu
Although originally lauded for its ability to stop erosion, kudzu fell from grace when its vigorous vines started to take over the landscape of the South. But a group of Asheville permaculture enthusiasts choose to view the plant in a more favorable light.
Future transit efforts, concerns mirror Asheville’s past
Asheville as we know it today was built upon the back of its electric streetcar system, one of the largest networks of its time. As the city finds itself in a growth spurt once again, could its defunct trolley system provide some clues to Asheville’s transit future?
Nuts in the kitchen: Acornucopia Project envisions an edible future for WNC
A network of local chefs, bakers and food artisans is working with the regional collective to develop innovative culinary uses for WNC’s native tree nuts.
Totally wasted: Asheville chefs offer tips for keeping food out of the trash
Food waste is a costly problem that is particularly painful in Western North Carolina with its high rate of food insecurity. Thrifty local chefs say there are many ways to start ending food waste in the home kitchen.
The post-wonderful time of the year
ASHEVILLE
Greens in the bank: New Year’s in WNC calls for collards
Southern tradition brings winter greens to Asheville’s New Year’s tables, but other cultures also embrace this abundant cold-weather food source.
Quick Dish: Q+A with Brooks Casteel of UNC Asheville Dining Services
Casteel talks about UNC Asheville’s sustainability and food waste prevention efforts.
Local agencies wrestle with livestock impacts on water quality
Advocates for clean water in North Carolina often focus on the eastern part of the state, which hosts one of the world’s highest concentration of hogs. But French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson emphasizes that Western North Carolina and its smaller farms are not immune from the water quality issues related to animal agriculture.
A clucking shame: WNC’s small poultry producers face uncertain future
The sudden closure of the area’s only poultry processing plant in October not only caused a pre-Thanksgiving scramble for local turkey producers, but continues to impact Western North Carolina’s small farms.
Front lines: Animal Liberation Front vs. Wild Abundance permaculture school
This fall, an international animal rights organization spearheaded a campaign to stop a small Western North Carolina permaculture school from hosting its annual home-butchering workshop.
Native Thanksgiving: History, distance from culture influence Cherokee foodways
Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians talk about Thanksgiving and indigenous food culture.
Protection just the first step for conservation nonprofits
As local land trusts bring thousands of acres under protection, the challenges of maintaining the health of those lands grow. And raising money for ongoing efforts to control invasive plant species, deter pests and protect water quality can be a much tougher sell than the initial push to save a beloved tract from the threat of development.
Across the table: Asheville volunteers turn donated food into Thanksgiving feasts
WNC organizations need donations and volunteers to make Thanksgiving dinner a reality for locals experiencing hunger and homelessness.
Local real estate agents, architects build awareness of climate change implications
Area Realtors and architects are paying close attention to the effects of climate change on the built environment — and gaining new skills to help clients consider climate-related issues as they make real estate decisions. The Asheville chapter of the American Institute of Architects is hosting a conference, titled “Where Building Science Meets Climate Science,” at The Collider on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 2-3.
Road to recovery: WNC addresses food waste with a regional summit
The recent Regional Food Waste Summit at Warren Wilson College provided a forum for Western North Carolina nonprofits, businesses, educational institutions and individuals to hash out the realities of the local food waste conundrum.
Wildlife officials and advocates talk trash — and bears
Municipal officials, wildlife experts and WNC residents talk bear-resistant trash cans, bird feeders and educational initiatives designed to protect citizens and wildlife living in close proximity to each other.