Craft brewing is a business driven by a strong sense of place, and industry people tend to be passionate about their communities. Environmental sustainability is a high priority for craft breweries of every scale, and as Asheville’s prominence as an East Coast brewing hub continues to grow, regional breweries’ efforts to protect their environment have […]
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ Tuesday, April 3, meeting will feature a presentation on the “Landfill Gas to Energy Project.”
North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry received a low score for his environmental votes by the League of Conservation Voters. The Republican represents the 10th District, which was redrawn last year to encompass most of the city of Asheville.
Less than a year after the annual Southern Energy & Environment Expo (S.E.E.) announced the end of its 10 year-run, organizers are already planning a similar event for this fall: The Southern Green Living Expo.
Here’s a list of highlights from the Jan. 17 meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, which included the passage of a new outdoor lighting ordinance.
(Photos by Bill Rhodes)
The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters scored Buncombe County’s legislators on their environmental votes for 2011. Rep. Patsy Keever ranked among the most “green” members of the Statehouse, and Rep. Tim Moffitt among the least.
In this podcast, Xpress Green Scene reporter Susan Andrew discusses a recent environmental questionnaire answered by all six Asheville City Council candidates.
In this podcast, Xpress Green Scene reporter Susan Andrew talks to News Editor Margaret Williams about the removal of several city-required trees, including an Asheville Greenworks-designated “treasured tree,” from Patton Avenue by Wells Fargo.
In this edition of the Mountain Xpress’ local news podcast, Green Scene reporter Susan Andrew discusses the most recent developments at the former site of the CTS plant, including Buncombe County’s decision to postpone demolishing the existing structure and the EPA’s $6.5 million bill for cost incurred thus far.
In this edition of the Mountain Xpress’ local news podcast, Green Scene reporter Susan Andrew discusses the Sustainable Shelter program at the NC Arboretum.
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.
Superfund status for the CTS site likely won’t be decided in September: EPA officials recently told residents that placing the contaminated Mills Gap Road site on the federal National Priorities List — a key move toward Superfund status and cleanup — may be delayed.
Photo by Jonathan Welch
In this edition of Local Matters—the Xpress weekly news podcast—news intern Caitlin Byrd talks about her story on the business of being a doctor, reporter Jake Frankel gives details on the most-recent Buncombe County Commission meeting, and environmental reporter Susan Andrew talks about the ongoing efforts of a UNCA student environmental group.
I loved the speak-truth-to-power tone of Susan Andrew's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" article [Green Scene, June 29 Xpress]. It's embarrassing how every government agency attempts to synthesize some asinine-though-remotely plausible argument against marijuana. Thank you for subtly exposing the huge flaws in the ecological criticism of hand-cultivating a hearty, healthy plant in the forest. […]
Our research on the past and present of nuclear waste in WNC dug up two interesting campaign items from a 1980s citizen-based effort to keep radioactive waste out of the community. The campaign, which resulted in Madison County commissioners adopting a resolution against nuclear waste transit on county roadways, featured a photo of local music producer Steven Heller wearing a hazmat suit and seated on a tractor, as if plowing a field of contaminated soil. The photo was part of a campaign that appeared on billboards with the catch-phrase, “Don’t think it can’t happen here.” Heller produced a piece of music written to support the campaign (listen to it within); go ahead and sing along as “…the bears in the park/Are glowing in the dark/There’s a glow in the Smokies tonight.”
Look for a full report on nuclear-waste facts, fiction and fears in the July 13 Mountain Xpress.
In this week’s Local Matters podcast, Xpress News Editor Margaret Williams talks to news reporter David Forbes about the recent controversy-packed Asheville City Council meeting, and with environmental reporter Susan Andrew about a sickness that threatens the WNC bat population.
At Warren Wilson College, sustainability is more than just a buzzword: It’s the guiding principle behind the annual Mountain Green Sustainability Conference, slated for Wednesday, June 24. “It’s an attempt by the college to be a catalyst for change in the region,” says Phillip Gibson, director of research and community outreach at the school’s Environmental […]
I was 9 years old when I first saw a cougar up close. The University of South Alabama kept him in a large pen shaded by tall Southern pines beside the science building. I often stopped by to watch him pace his cage, because I lived on campus when my father worked there in the […]
Never underestimate the weather. Sure, the French Broad River crested a tad above flood stage on May 27 at Blantyre, near Brevard. Yes, May has brought us more than 8 inches of rain (that’s nearly a record, twice what’s been typical since 1971, and definitely greater than 2008’s paltry 0.81 inches, according to the National […]
The Chucky madtom is so rare, a mere 15 of the little catfish have been found in the last 70 years. And an attempt to breed two Chuckies caught in 2004 yielded no results, says U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologist Mark Cantrell. Photo courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “It looked like they were […]
Go to Wikipedia’s “civil disobedience” entry and you come face to face with a portrait of Gandhi, who helped India win independence from Great Britain. You’ll also read about Henry David Thoreau, who refused to pay his taxes to protest the Mexican War. There’s mention of Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement as well. […]
