In a Sept. 13 letter to CTS Corporation and Mills Gap Road Associates, the Environmental Protection Agency demands that the companies pay about $6.5 million “for costs incurred to date.”
Tag: environment
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Local Matters: Sustainable Shelter at NC Arboretum
In this edition of the Mountain Xpress’ local news podcast, Green Scene reporter Susan Andrew discusses the Sustainable Shelter program at the NC Arboretum.
Sustainable dwellings: Living in sync with the forces of nature
You thought your house was hot this summer — and now you’re bracing for another frigid winter? Consider the poor termite’s plight: On the tropical savannas of Africa and Australia, temperatures outside their earthen mounds soar to 115 degrees Fahrenheit by day, then drop near freezing at night.
CTS property owner appeals condemnation
In an Oct. 6 letter to the Buncombe County Clerk, CTS property owner Mills Gap Road Associates appealed the county’s recent order that the building be demolished, saying that it would continue to cooperate with EPA. That agency is moving to place the property on the National Priorities List, a.k.a. Superfund, which would rank the Mills Gap site among the most contaminated properties in the nation.
Collaboration turns Green Energy Park into molten-metal-flowing foundry
FROM FRIENDS OF THE GREEN ENERGY PARK Dillsboro, N.C., Oct. 5 — Molten aluminum and bronze ‘flew’ through the air at Jackson County’s Green Energy Park in a collaborative effort between Marya Roland’s sculpture/metals class and Timm Muth. “Pour Director” Matt West of UNCA, was also present to insure the operation was safe and effective. […]
New owners of Gerber Village lean green and organic
Environmental, green building and even organic initiatives are likely to get a boost in Buncombe, given the proclivities of Florida-based couple Mike and Lizzie Thrasher who purchased Gerber Village on Hendersonville Road last week.
MSD gives itself high marks in its 2011 performance report
Every day, the Municipal Sewerage District collects and treats — and discharges into the French Broad — an average of 18 million gallons of wastewater, relying on millions of microbes to do what they’ve been doing since the Earth was young: consume organic waste. And every year, the Clean Water Act requires the utility to provide an assessment of how well they’re doing. That report was submitted to DENR August 30; let’s take a look.
Star party: The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute offers Oct. 28-30 event
PARI is hosting a public Star Party Oct. 28-30. Registered visitors will have the opportunity to spend the entire weekend on campus and will be treated to celestial observations using PARI telescopes, workshops, campus tours, nature hikes and other activities.
Get ready for the Global Transformation: Bill McKibben to provide event keynote Oct. 15 **UPDATED**
If recent environmental news has gotten you down — if you can’t believe the Obama Administration backed away from the chance to establish stronger smog regulations, or if you watch with a sense of helplessness as the N.C. legislature moves to weaken the permitting process for polluting industries — here comes an event that might help you recover your inner enviro-warrior. Bill McKibben will deliver a keynote address via Skype at the Global Transformation Festival in Gerton, Saturday, Oct. 15.
Gone solar: ASU decathletes install their solar homestead on the National Mall
Xpress hit the road last week to bring you an opening-day look at Appalachian State University’s entry in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon — the biannual competition that pits collegiate teams against each other as they develop new innovations in solar building technology and install their creations in a “solar village” exhibit on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The students, including Asheville High grad Janelle Wienke, survived two elimination rounds and, along with the remaining 18 competitors, have their eyes on the grand prize of $100,000 (and a selection of job prospects) when the competition wraps up Oct. 2.
County issues requirements for former CTS facility to escape demolition
The case of the contaminated former CTS facility in Mills Gap has taken a new twist, as Buncombe County last week responded to the property owner’s appeal of its move to demolish the derelict plant building. The county provided property owner Mills Gap Road Associates with a list of measures needed to prevent demolition as scheduled.
CTS owners appeal county decision to condemn derelict plant building in Mills Gap
As Mills Gap residents looked on, an attorney representing the current owner of the former CTS of Asheville plant appealed to local government officials, asking them not to move forward with their plan to demolish the derelict plant building. Attorney Billy Clarke, representing Mills Gap Road Associates, told the presiding officials — County attorneys Kurt Euler and Michael Frue, and County Building Inspector Matt Stone — that the owners want to stabilize the building instead.
Stink bug alert
Western North Carolina has its share of native stink bugs. But according to researchers at N.C. State, the brown marmorated stink bug isn’t from around here, and that’s a problem.
City works to save maple
Keith Whitting, Asheville Park Ranger, and employees of the city’s Public Works and Parks and Recreation Department, inspect a maple tree.
Photos by Jerry Nelson, JourneyAmerica.org
When there’s a Superfund site next door: Neighbors anticipate demolition of CTS plant
Larry Rice stands at the fence surrounding the spring that once provided his family’s drinking water. Contamination of the spring by hazardous chemicals, presumably from the former CTS of Asheville property immediately uphill, led to the area being fenced off by the state. EPA staff are hosting a “public availability session” regarding the site this evening at the Skyland Fire Department.
Green Scene: The past is prologue
Who says there’s nothing new under the sun? Inspired by the days when isolated homesteads dotted Western North Carolina, a team of Appalachian State University students has designed a self-sufficient, “zero-energy” homestead that embraces the future. And this month, their creation goes head-to-head with 18 other entries in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. […]
Buncombe Commissioners preview: Green initiatives and ROAP funds
During their Sept. 13 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will be presented with several reports on its environmental initiatives. The Commissioners will also hold a public hearing on a Rural Operating Assistance Program application.
RiverLink and Americorps team up for French Broad River cleanup *Video*
RiverLink and Americorps teamed up for a Sept. 9 cleanup of the French Broad River. The group hauled a plethora of trash and unusual items out of a stretch of the river near downtown Asheville, including huge tires, a rocking horse, a news bin and more.
Still grounded in the earth: New documentary tells Warren Wilson College’s history
This 30-minute documentary shows how determination and innovation helped Warren Wilson rise from a hard-scrabble boys school in the late 1800s, to become a nationally recognized four-year college (with MFA program in creative writing) today with a reputation as one of the most earth-friendly schools on the planet.
WNC at the crossroads
For 10 years, I organized the annual Southern Energy & Environment Expo, educating thousands about sustainability while generating an economic impact estimated at more than $5 million. Recently, however, I decided to pull the plug on the event. The decision wasn’t easy, but I did it because I’m convinced that, like the nation as a […]
Hidden wonders
Each year, some 40,000 visitors walk the loop trail that ambles beneath Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest’s majestic canopy. Trees up to 400 years old tower over a rich carpet of ferns and wildflowers. A recent rededication ceremony marked the memorial’s 75th anniversary
