In the last six months, dozens of Asheville travelers have visited Cuba, creating growing connections between the local area and the island nation. And on April 22 members of those local delegations are hosting an event that aims to help bridge the divide between our different cultures and communities. Featuring live Cuban music and art […]
“In North Carolina, sustainability plans are pretty rare,” reports Scott Mouw, recycling director at the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “Not many communities have taken on the task of comprehensively looking at their environmental footprint and worked through ways to reduce that footprint.” In fact, Buncombe County is one of only a handful […]
Early voting for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners primary starts April 24 — just two days after Earth Day. The juxtaposition underscores the fundamental link between sustainability and politics.
Asheville Earth Day celebrates sustainability and optimism “I think what’s really cool about Earth Day is that it can provide this umbrella for all the nonprofits in Asheville to come together,” says Ben Colvin, development director for Wild South, the nonprofit host of Asheville Earth Day. That daylong outdoor festival returns to Lexington Avenue on […]
Earth Week events around Western North Carolina Save the shrews, celebrate the trees, take in a film and clean up a stream or two. For more ideas, visit Calendar and mountainx.com. Climate change talk at Warren Wilson College — Everyone knows what planktonic foraminifera is, right? Still, a little refresher from a Smithsonian scientist never […]
The first group of students in Lenoir-Rhyne University’s new sustainability studies program may be small, but the fruits of their research might eventually have a big local impact. Based at the Asheville campus, the new master’s degree program requires students to complete a “capstone” project combining graduate-level research with real-world conditions and needs. This spring, […]
Buncombe Commissioners acted April 15 to build a new bus shelter, restructure the county’s fire districts and prevent the FDA from implementing new rules that could hamper local brewers’ ability to sell spent grains to farmers for animal feed.
The mission of Xpress’ first annual Get It! Guide is to provide locals and visitors with an introduction to the many ways we can engage and have a stake in creating a vibrant, sustainable community.
It’s a waiting game now for supporters and opponents of North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act (RJA). On Monday, the state Supreme Court heard arguments in the cases of four defendants who were the only inmates removed from death row under the RJA.
Hundreds of locals perused the booths at Mother Earth News Fair this weekend, purchasing local seeds, soaps, gardening supplies and other wares on the grounds of the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center.
Reporting and photo by Josh O’Connor. The Mother Earth News Fair kicked off with a bang this morning, April 12, at the WNC Agricultural Center. Attendance at the fair appeared to be overwhelming, causing traffic back-ups in both directions on Interstate 26 as people rushed to get into the gates. A wide range of individuals both […]
Reporting and photos by Susan Hutchinson. Asheville got the message: “Our goal is to deliver practical, hands-on training and experience [in] renewable energy, organic gardening, sustainable agriculture, green home building and more! So expect to get down and dirty,” organizers declared on the the Mother Earth News Fair website. The first day’s attendance seemed to […]
YMCA of Western North Carolina is holding their annual Healthy Kids Day today, April 12, in Pack Square until 3 p.m. The YMCA designed the annual event to “inspire more kids to keep their minds and bodies active.” This year’s event also marks the launch of the organization’s new mobile food kitchen and pantry.
In front of a crowded, chandeliered courtroom on the fifth floor of the Buncombe County Courthouse, incumbent District Attorney Ron Moore fought for the continuation of his elected position in a debate with challenger Todd Williams on Friday, April 11. Three debates were held during the evening: a debate between Moore and Williams for District […]
It’s the perfect weekend for animal lovers! With this lovely weather your could take your dog for a walk, visit the WNC Nature Center or you could go to a benefit for Brother Wolf Animal Rescue on Saturday, Sunday or both. Brother Wolf Animal Rescue is offering a full lineup of activities for animal lovers this whole weekend.
By Stephanie Carroll Carson Courtesy of North Carolina News Service DANBURY, N.C. – It took about two months for more than 39,000 tons of coal ash to leak into the Dan River from Duke Energy’s retired coal-fired power plant, but cleanup is expected to take much longer than that. The hold-up goes beyond the large […]
After nearly eight hours of witness testimony, evidence and cross-examinations, the Buncombe County Board of Adjustment voted 6-1 to approve the proposed development of Coggins Farm in Riceville. During the hearing, the board had the opportunity to hear from neighbors concerned with the possibility of development affecting their own property values, flooding from Bull Creek and the increased traffic the project would create on roads that residents say are already dangerous.
n a special April 3 election, Buncombe County Democratic leaders picked longtime community activist Terry Van Duyn to serve as the area’s new North Carolina senator.
Mother Earth News will make a return to Western North Carolina with the Mother Earth News Fair, an event that will feature 200 hands-on workshops focused on self-sufficiency and sustainability. The fair began in 2010 at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania as a means to provide hands-on demonstrations of the concepts discussed in […]
Buncombe County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in North Carolina’s 100 counties. But other parts of Western North Carolina aren’t faring as well. On April 3, Carolina Public Press reported this news about one of WNC’s poorest counties — Graham. For the full story, go to carolinapublicpress.org. Story by Gwen Albers Billy Davis […]
