Out-of-towners who flock to Asheville for mountain views, world-class dining and a taste of Appalachian culture probably don’t often make a point of including a drive to northwest Buncombe County on their travel itineraries. Sparsely populated rural communities like Sandy Mush, Leicester, Newfound and Alexander tend to be pretty far off the radar for tourists — and even for […]
IFBA’s recycling program, begun in 2011, has been limiting its impact on the environment. Last year, the program kept roughly 536,000 pounds of reusable materials out of the landfill and created two full-time positions at its plant in the process.
Greenbrier shoots, or Smilax rotundifolia, get an early start on spring, but they’re still out and plentiful, ready to be snapped off and enjoyed raw or cooked.
What does a catchphrase like “sustainable tourism” mean here in Western North Carolina? How do you make it work at the ground level? Local businesses, organizations and public officials weigh in on what such a model might look like in the region.
“These efforts really are about protecting places for all Americans and for future generations,” notes Brent Martin of The Wilderness Society. The leaders of the national parks movement, he maintains, “all saw a much bigger picture, not only for all human beings, but for all living things.”
The Mother Earth News Fair returned April 9-10 to the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher, bringing to the area a host of workshops, demonstrations, vendors and exhibits related to homesteading, natural health, small-scale livestock production, renewable energy, gardening, green building and more.
For more than 20 years, the WNC Rail Corridor Committee has worked tirelessly to prove the economic viability of restoring the historic rail link between Salisbury and Asheville. With changes in the rail industry looming and younger travelers showing increased interest in train travel, the committee is partnering with towns and municipalities and freight rail companies to pursue a new, three-pronged strategy.
A recent Forbes magazine article asked whether Asheville could be “an emerging Silicon Valley.” And while some locals might wonder where the jobs that one might expect to come with such a claim are to be found, there’s little debate about the importance of getting young students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics — […]
Decades after the furor over a Swannanoa weapons plant introduced many residents to the term “Superfund site,” the focus is shifting toward potential future uses for a portion of the Chemtronics property.
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “sustainable living”? Sorting your recyclables? Maintaining a backyard compost pile? Taking steps to reduce pollution? Maybe the phrase elicits a more expansive image: a self-reliant community living off the grid, with solar panels glinting on residents’ roofs; and carrots, kale and arugula growing in neat rows […]
Amber Weaver, the city of Asheville’s chief sustainability officer, is working ahead of time. She’s working with the year 2035 in mind, when the Buncombe County landfill will be at capacity, and toward 2050, when the city has promised to reduce its carbon footprint by 80 percent. However, with new hotels on the horizon and […]
A group of local farmers, gardeners, educators and food enthusiasts recently joined forces to participate in Slow Food Asheville’s first Heritage Food Project, honoring and promoting the Nancy Hall sweet potato.
Few crops have been as central to North Carolina’s economy and culture — or as controversial — as tobacco. Historically, its high market value and the relative ease of growing it made tobacco a staple for many Western North Carolina farmers. As late as 2002, 1,995 mountain farms grew tobacco. The crop’s prevalence, however, was […]
Food Connection’s largest fundraiser of the year is a music sampling of Western North Carolina; Catawba Brewing Co., serves up a beer-filled brunch to take the edge off winter; The French Broad Vignerons seeks potential wine judges; and Bee School is nearly in session at The Center for Honeybee Research.
Walk any downtown Asheville street and you’re likely to encounter some quirky storefronts offering unusual products. Together, these “specialty shops” or boutiques, most of them locally owned businesses, are a key component of the city’s distinctive flavor, attracting thousands of tourists each year and helping fuel the economy.
Although Asheville City Council approved a 14-point Food Action Plan three years ago that included a goal of implementing underutilized city-owned land for agricultural purposes, to date little headway has been made in that area.
Whether advocating for change or dishing about microgreens, Asheville is filled with chefs who hold community close to heart.
Six local breweries were awarded the Solar Energy Industries Association Solar Champion Award Monday afternoon for their leadership in bringing solar energy to Western North Carolina and the brewing industry.
This month, Vortex Doughnuts and 1000 Faces Coffee are raising awareness and encouraging conversation about coffee farming and sustainability through a partnership with nonprofit organization The Chain Collaborative. A special pour-over bar at Vortex’s South Slope shop is part of the plan.
Now in its second year, Bountiful Cities’ Put Your Hoe Down fundraising event on Saturday, Dec. 5, will feature food by celebrated local chefs, cocktails, live music and dancing.
Robin Reeves is the sixth generation to grow up on her family’s Madison County farm — a lineage that dates back to before the Civil War. Reeves spent much of her youth helping her parents raise cattle, burley tobacco and tomatoes as well as her extended family in Sandy Mush. As an adolescent, she sold […]
