Communicat­ion breakdown: city staff called to account for edible park miscues

City staff were called to account for a communication failure that led to the removal of mature fruit trees at George Washington Carver Edible Park last month. City Council approved a land use incentive grant for affordable housing on Simpson Street, amended the process for requesting a variance from the city’s signage ordinance and approved modest changes to the rules that govern downtown street performances.

Beyond stalemate: New decision-making models foster better solutions

Can new ways of structuring the rules that govern how organizations gather information and make decisions help our community move beyond entrenched positions and polarizing rhetoric? Some local consultants say yes, and point to local organizations that are already using new tools to increase participation in developing and implementing solutions to challenging issues.

New coordinato­r takes the helm at Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council

The Asheville-Buncombe Food Policy Council, a volunteer-driven organization since it began in 2011, recently hired Mary Ellen Lough as its first paid employee. In her new position as coordinator of the council’s various clusters, Lough hopes to increase the organization’s effectiveness at easing Buncombe County’s food-security issues.

Taking a hard look: WNC’s sustainabi­lity report card

As we celebrate Earth Day 2015, we take a look at the status of the sustainability movement in WNC. How far have we come, and how far do we have to go? We asked local nonprofits and regulatory agencies to take us to school by examining our environmental efforts — from our air to our water, from our successes to our failures — and giving us an honest assessment of how we’re doing.