Local colleges and universities are offering an increasing number of sustainability focused degree and certificate programs to allow students to prepare for the jobs of the future and make a positive impact on the planet.
Tag: sustainability
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Alyssa Sacora cans food from her garden to carry on a tradition
Alyssa Sacora grows and cans much of her own food to increase the year-round quality of her diet and as an environmentally friendly strategy for long-term storage. She also does it as a way of carrying on a long-standing tradition in her family.
Woodson Branch School offers a nature-based education to youths
Nature-based schools are catching on around the country. The Woodson Branch Nature School, located in Hot Springs and Marshall, is a local manifestation of the trend, which emphasizes outdoor learning and unstructured outdoor play.
Making the grade: WNC’s college dining programs get high scores for sustainability
Increasingly, U.S. colleges and universities are working to make their institutions as environmentally sustainable as possible. These efforts cover a broad spectrum, from a recycling initiative at Stanford University that diverts 65 percent of the school’s solid waste away from landfills to Cornell’s plan to be carbon-neutral by 2035, as noted in The Princeton Review’s annual ranking […]
DeWayne Barton feeds both mouth and spirit at the Burton Street Peace Garden
The Burton Street Peace Garden started out as a community experiment, says founder DeWayne Barton. Today, the space serves a variety of needs and purposes, nourishing bodies and souls on what was once a trash-strewn vacant lot.
Boone Guyton’s car is powered by the sun
When Boone Guyton and Claudia Cady take to the road, they are driving on energy gathered from the sun by their home solar panel system. The couple made the switch to an electric vehicle as a personal step to fight climate change.
2017 year in review
Looking back on 2017, Xpress highlights some of the hundreds of stories we covered in our print editions and online over the year.
Shops across WNC mend items big and small
Some fix saddles, while others service slot machines. Shoes, shirts and cameras are also on the table at several esoteric repair shops scattered throughout Asheville and Western North Carolina.
Is hydro the way to grow? Locals say yes
Hydroponics is taking off around the globe, the country and in Western North Carolina. But it’s not just backyard gardeners who want to reap hydroponics’ impressive list of benefits, which range from a rapid growth rate to less labor to water conservation to crop consistency.
Asheville textile entrepreneurs promote sustainable living
When Sarah Easterling was pregnant with her first child 11 years ago, she was determined to find the purest products available to clothe and care for her son. “Infants, their bodies are are so small and they’re so vulnerable,” she says. “They are already subjected to so much. I felt like as much as I […]
Conscious threads: Echoview Farm introduces recycled yarn
“Microfibers come off polyester clothes in the washing machine, and those particles pollute waterways,” says Grace Gouin, strategist at Echoview Fiber Mill in Weaverville. Streams are so loaded with the synthetic stuff that, in theory, fish are a certain percent yoga pant.
More than a dozen ways to celebrate Asheville Earth Week
This year, the city of Asheville and its partners got serious about the environment, scheduling not just a mere Earth Day celebration, but a full roster of activities for Asheville Earth Week.
Learning to save gives lower-income workers peace of mind
Having $1,000 in savings can help people ride out most financial emergencies, says Celeste Collins, executive director of OnTrack Financial Education. A pilot program run by the nonprofit helps people learn to save and matches their contributions as an incentive to develop the habit.
Sustainable craft
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 […]
Letter writer: Asheville, let’s get better if we’re going to get bigger
“But we’ll become just another city gone too far if we don’t balance short-term investment with the investments that will make us outstanding for generations.”
Local leaders weigh in on sustainable living
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 […]
Environmental initiatives enhance WNC residents’ well-being
Today, slogans like “Save the Whales,” “No Nukes” and “Save the Planet” are commonplace. But while such global environmental rallying cries may help spread awareness and further a broad green agenda, they’re not typically seen as means to improved physical and mental well-being. In fact, however, the links between human health and environmental balance are […]
Salmon and sustainability: Chef William Dissen journeys to Alaska’s fisheries
Not only did Dissen amass tales of glacier hikes, bear sightings and filleting salmon minutes after the catch, but the chef also returned to the Market Place with a renewed dedication to inspire his team on the subject of product sourcing.
Cash cows: How national and state parks boost N.C. communities
To many Western North Carolina residents, the region’s parks and recreational areas represent a chance to experience our state’s natural beauty and preserve its rich history. But what’s often overlooked is these attractions’ key role in bolstering local economies.
Mountain medley: Reflections on the 2015 Appalachian Studies Conference
In an ongoing effort to connect those dispersed communities, the Appalachian Studies Association held its 38th annual conference last month in Johnson City, Tenn. The one-of-a-kind event unites scholars and musicians, activists and academics, to celebrate the often misunderstood region’s distinctive heritage, culture and physical landscape.
Letter writer: Downtown businesses: Please share motivations for waste-management practices
“In collaboration with the city of Asheville’s Office of Sustainability and Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville, I am conducting a survey of commercial waste-management practices in downtown Asheville.”