News (808)
Children categories
ES! Initiatives (74)
EarthSolidarity!™ Initiatives are endeavors to which anyone can contribute in deed as well as in spirit, that
- minimize waste and environmental impacts
- increase community resilience
- respect and protect ecosystem processes and all forms of life
- contribute to good living conditions for everyone around the globe
- affirm and celebrate our interdependence and interrelatedness in the Web of Life!
Long a darling of sustainability, Warren Wilson College considers property sales to address budget shortfalls
Written by Jason Sandford
A birds-eye view of Warren Wilson College in the Swannanoa River Valley near Asheville. Warren Wilson College
Warren Wilson College considers selling or leasing parts of its Swannanoa Valley campus as it addresses budget deficit; conservation easements also in play
This story was orginally published by Jason Sandford at Ashevegas.
Eds. note: The headline has been adjusted to reflect that Warren Wilson College is considering the sales, but has not yet put property on the market.
SWANNANOA — Warren Wilson College officials are considering selling or leasing chunks of the bucolic 1,100-acre campus as the college continues to seek ways to offset a $5.5 million budget deficit.
School officials are simultaneously considering adopting conservation easements that would protect, in perpetuity, some 600 acres for educational, research and recreational purposes.
Knox County is trying to fix what we broke at Plumb Creek
KNOXVILLE — Knox County government announced the kickoff of the Plumb Creek Park Stream Enhancement Project, a strategic effort aimed at revitalizing the water quality and ecosystem of Plumb Creek, a tributary of Beaver Creek, supported by federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act.
(Eds. note: Every Republican representing Tennessee in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House voted against the act that provided the money.)
Plumb Creek Park, located at 1517 Hickey Road, features a disc golf course, playground, shelter, walking trails and an 8-acre dog park.
The project, which began this month, is expected to wrap up in December and include a comprehensive set of restoration activities. Work includes removing obstructions such as culverts and debris; controlling invasive species; stabilizing stream banks; and installing stream structures to improve habitat quality, erosion, and sediment control measures.
Some sections of the park will close temporarily during construction. The dog park will remain open.
This project is funded in part by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a federal initiative to aid state and local governments in mitigating the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
— Knox County
This 90-year-old theater is on a mission to provide a space for Black artists
— Barter Theatre
Experts and citizens plan and commiserate over TVA’s lack of public process
Written by Élan Young
Tennessee state Rep. Justin J. Pearson speaks to community members assembled for the evening discussion during the People’s Voice on TVA’s Energy Plan. John Waterman/Appalachian Voices
A lack of public process brought together a coalition of environmental organizations
NASHVILLE — In every state except Tennessee, for-profit utilities and their regulators are required to get public input about energy-resource planning.
These Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) provide an opportunity for a utility to demonstrate that the ratepayer money the utility spends is on the best mix of energy investments that meet this objective.
In Tennessee, however, TVA, which is the nation’s largest public power provider, has no process for engaging the public on its IRPs.
It is this lack of public process that brought a coalition of environmental organizations together to host a mock public hearing in a Nashville church last month presided by Ted Thomas, former chair of Georgia Center for Energy Solutions. Their goal was to call attention to the fact that TVA acts more like a corporation or a self-regulated monopoly than as a public utility. The groups say that lack of public involvement in the process harms Tennesseeans across the board.
Come talk words with writers at Tremont conference in Smokies
Writers discuss their craft during the 2023 Tremont Writers Conference, which returns in October. GSMIT
TOWNSEND — Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont this fall will host the second annual Tremont Writers Conference, an intensive five-day retreat for writers of fiction, nonfiction and poetry coordinated in partnership with Smokies Life, formerly Great Smoky Mountains Association.
Applications to participate in the event may be submitted online through April 30.
From Wednesday, Oct. 23, through Sunday, Oct. 27, a small group of selected writers will join renowned authors and professional park educators on Tremont’s campus in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Participants will enjoy brainstorming and fine-tuning their work with award-winning author workshop leaders while also learning and writing throughout the day.
SELC Celebrates the 2024 Reed Environmental Writing Award winners
Written by Southern Environmental Law Center
The Southern Environmental Law Center congratulates this year’s Reed Environmental Writing Award winners — Emily Strasser, David Folkenflik, Mario Ariza, and Miranda Green — who all demonstrate the power of writing to capture some of the most important environmental issues facing Southern communities.
Emily Strasser receives the Reed Award for “Half-Life of a Secret: Reckoning with a Hidden History.” In the book, Strasser examines the toxic legacy of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one of three secret cities constructed by the Manhattan Project for developing the first atomic bomb. She exposes a suppressed history that forever impacted her family, a community, the nation, and the world.
David Folkenflik with NPR, and Mario Ariza and Miranda Green with Floodlight, receive the Reed Award for their story, “In the Southeast, power company money flows to news sites that attack their critics.” Their investigation digs into a consulting firm working on behalf of electric utility giants in Alabama and Florida. The team uncovers how money flows from the firm to influence local news sites to push the utilities’ agendas and attack their critics.
Everyone is invited to join for a celebration honoring the winners and the 30th anniversary of the Reed Award in person or virtually on March 22 at 5:00 p.m. The in-person event will take place at the CODE Building, located at 225 West Water Street on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, VA.
- southern environmental law center
- emily strasser
- david folkenflik
- mario ariza
- miranda green
- manhattan project
- halflife of a secret: reckoning with a hidden history
- floodlight: the environmental news collaborative
- southeast power companies
- reed award
- national public radio
- npr
- virginia festival of the book
You’re invited to the annual Big South Fork and Obed science meeting
ONEIDA — On March 13, 2024 the National Park Service will host its annual public science meeting at Historic Rugby Visitor Center at 1331 Rugby Parkway, Rugby, Tennessee.
The public is invited to spend the day with scientists who have been conducting research at Obed Wild and Scenic River, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, and other areas on the Cumberland Plateau.
A wide range of topics specific to the Upper Cumberland Plateau will be covered during the day, including talks on wild hogs, restoration efforts at cultural landscapes, impacts from hemlock wooly adelgid on native hemlock trees, and other topics.
Obed Wild and Scenic River annual photo contest deadline is July 15
WARTBURG — Do you have beautiful photos of the Obed Wild & Scenic River? Enter your images in the 2024 Obed photography contest. Images may show wildlife, plant life, natural landscapes, historic areas, weather, or people interacting with nature within the boundaries of the Obed Wild and Scenic River. All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared.
Photographs may be submitted into one of five categories:
• Dark Skies — Photographs that show a view of the night sky.
• Flora & Fauna — Animals in their natural habitat, including close-ups of invertebrates, or plants in
their natural habitat, including close-ups of flowers, fungi, lichen, and algae.
• Youth — Entries in any category by photographers 17 years of age and under.
• Landscapes — Expansive and dramatic views of the land and its features within the Tennessee park
boundaries.
• Recreation — Photographs of people participating in recreational activities.
Join policy makers, experts and lawyers to discuss Southern Appalachian enviro and legal issues
KNOXVILLE — The 15th Appalachian Public Interest and Environmental Law Conference (APIEL) is set for Oct. 5 at The University of Tennessee College of Law.
APIEL is an annual gathering of lawyers, scientists, students, and members of the general public to discuss environmental issues and happenings in Appalachia, public policy, and grassroots initiatives.
The purpose is to create dialogue between lawyers, activists, and scientists on the local areas of need and foster engagement within the community to be forces of change in the legal realm.
APIEL is a conference of the student-run Environmental Law Organization (ELO) at the University of Tennessee College of Law. ELO is not directly affiliated with the University of Tennesse or any particular non-profit organization. It is dedicated to providing students and attorneys with learning opportunities and leadership experiences.
Rangers probe suspected arson in Great Smokies
GATLINBURG — The National Park Service is investigating a possible arson fire off Laurel Creek Road near Crib Gap Trail. The fire was extinguished, but as part of the investigation, rangers are requesting the public’s help to find anyone who was in the area of Crib Gap Trail, Anthony Creek Trail or Lead Cove Trail Feb. 6 at about 6 p.m.
If you have information about vehicles or suspicious activity in the area around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6, please submit a tip. You don’t have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know. Rangers also ask that the person who originally reported the fire calls the number below as soon as possible.
CALL: 888-653-0009 or 865-436-1230
— National Park Service
Sequoyah Hills is now officially the arboretum we always shared
Written by Ben Pounds
Many such new identifying tags highlight trees such as this red cedar in the newly designated Sequoyah Hills Arboretum near Bearden in Knoxville. Ben Pounds/Hellbender Press
The arboretum designation will allow for more extensive tree walks, scout projects, school outings, and other educational programs on the value and beauty of native trees
KNOXVILLE — A small crowd of volunteers with tags and tools descended on Sequoyah Park on a February afternoon, preparing to affix identifying labels to the bark of old trees in one of the city’s most storied neighborhoods.
Sequoyah Park sits along the Tennessee River at 1400 Cherokee Boulevard, tucked behind the Sequoyah Hills neighborhood but open to all who want to run, walk, cycle, or enjoy its open fields and other features. It’s Tennessee Valley Authority land, maintained by the city. The many species of native trees that tower over the park’s long field got recognition this year. The park and other Sequoyah Hills neighborhood areas are now part of the Sequoyah Hills Arboretum, an accredited level one ArbNet arboretum.
Celebrate Black Appalachian roots at spring fish fry
WHITESBURG — Join Black in Appalachia supporters and friends for a fish fry, live music and fellowship at its field office in Whitesburg, Tenn.
The homecoming is set for 1-8 p.m. April 20 at 8004 Andrew Johnson Highway.
The first Black in Appalachia Homecoming is meant to celebrate friends, families and coworkers near and far on the commemoration of setting roots in East Tennessee.
Black in Appalachia is a nonprofit that works with media, residents, universities, libraries, archives and community organizations to highlight the history and contributions of African-Americans to the development of the Mountain South and its culture.
TVA plans for Bull Run Fossil Plant site remain hazy
Written by Ben Pounds
A public playground near the site of the since-decommissioned Bull Run coal plant in Claxton, Tenn. Tennessee Valley Authority is weighing options for the site’s future. Abigail Baxter/Hellbender Press
Solar production and public green space remain options; coal ash questions remain
CLAXTON — Tennessee Valley Authority will demolish most structures at Bull Run Fossil Plant but has not yet shared plans for the ultimate disposition or reuse of the property.
Bull Run Fossil Plant was a coal-fired plant in the Claxton community, located just outside of Oak Ridge in Anderson County, Tenn. The plant opened in 1967. TVA closed it in 2023, and plans to phase out all its coal fired plants by 203.
The utility and its spokesman Scott Brooks have listed the scrubbers, coal handling structures and the large chimney, nicknamed the “lighthouse” by locals, as structures that will likely come down.
TVA has listed some possibilities for the site, including battery storage, park areas, “economic development” and a synchronous condenser, which is a device meant to keep the overall grid's power supply stable without generating any power of its own. This last option would involve keeping and repurposing the turbine building. TVA has not committed to any of these ideas.
Learn how to leverage the feds for community improvement
KNOXVILLE — Representatives from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Community and Economic Development Program, a Community Affairs Officer from the U.S. Treasury Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and members of the African American Equity Restoration Task Force will participate in a financial workshop.
The workshop is set for 11 a.m. Wednesday, January 31, at the Knoxville Public Works building at 3131 Morris Ave., and will last about two hours.
Topics are expected to include ways to potentially utilize the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) for bank partnerships and other channels, improving homeownership, workforce equity, small business development, entrepreneurship and more.
John Nolt still examines the incomparable value of nature
Written by JJ Stambaugh
Former University of Tennessee Professor John Nolt strolls through his garden during a recent conversation about his career as a philosopher and one of the Southern Appalachian region’s most respected environmental activists. J.J. Stambaugh/Hellbender Press
Former UTK prof defends the environment, logically
KNOXVILLE — It’s hard to think of many figures in the local environmental movement who command the respect that former University of Tennessee Professor John Nolt has earned over the past four decades.
He has served as a leader, a teacher, and a repository of wisdom for thousands of students and activists. He’s authored eight books on environmental ethics and logic, and he was one of the main players in the struggle to force a cleanup of the notorious David Witherspoon Inc. site in South Knoxville.
While the 73-year-old philosopher’s formal academic career came to an end a couple of years ago, I feel privileged to report that he’s continued to add to his legacy. You see, it’s come to my attention that quite a few people are curious to know what he’s up to these days, and Hellbender Press agreed that I should chat him up.
More...
Foothills Land Conservancy commits more land to memory
Written by Shelby Lyn Sanders
Foothills Land Conservancy recently completed a conservation easement on 100 acres near Cane Creek in Anderson County, Tenn. Shelby Lyn Sanders/ Foothills Land Conservancy
Generations have crisscrossed the expansive pastures near Cane Creek in Anderson County
Fighting our own worst enemy along the way to better seeds and systems
Written by Élan Young
Tennessee Local Food Summit participants were encouraged to bring their favorite heirloom seeds for a seed swap and social. Courtesy Matt Matheson
Tennessee Local Food Summit is a hive for food justice in the Southeast
NASHVILLE — About 70 miles north of Nashville in the town of Red Boiling Springs in Macon County, farmer and educator Jeff Poppen, better known as the Barefoot Farmer, runs one of the oldest and largest organic farms in Tennessee. For nearly 40 years, he built rich soil for his bountiful farm before the second-largest meat producer in the world forced him to move from the 250 acres he’d been farming since 1974.
When his neighboring property owner partnered with Cobb Vantress, a subsidiary of the multinational mega-giant Tyson Foods, to place a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) — aka a factory farm — 450 feet from his homestead and garden, Poppen’s first instinct was to organize.
This self-described “dirty hippie” found unlikely allies in his neighbors — a Baptist preacher, a state trooper, a politician, and what he calls a “chemical farmer” — all opposed to an industrial chicken house moving in.
- tennessee local food
- jeff poppen
- barefoot farmer
- cobb vantress
- industrial farming tennessee
- tyson foods
- olivia cleveland
- southeast sustainable farmers
- long hungry creek
- cumberland university
- cafo
- industrial chicken farm
- native american indian association of tennessee
- feather smith
- seed commons
- tennessee local food summitt
- jim embry
- exceptional water of the state
- foodways
- natalie ashker seevers
- chris battle
- community garden
- food apartheid
- farmland loss
- heirloom seed
- seed bank
- ancestral crop
- cherokee nation
- cumberland seed commons
- food justice
- chris smith
- agrobiodiversity
- sustainable agriculture
- food system
- resilient community
- food mile
- regenerative farming
- local food movement
- battlefield farms
UPDATED: In much of Tennessee Valley, focus now turns to possible flooding as record snowpack rapidly recedes
Written by Thomas Fraser
A child enjoys a snow day on the Norris Commons in the aftermath of the most potent snowstorm to affect the area since 1996. Abigail Baxter/Hellbender Press
UPDATED 1/24: Focus turns to flooding as snow melts and heavy rains approach
30-year winter storm hits Tennessee Valley ahead of a vicious cold front
KNOXVILLE — A widespread and potent winter storm hit the central Tennessee Valley on Jan. 15-16, disrupting travel and commerce as residents grappled with the most significant snowstorm to hit the area in 30 years. Arctic air subsequently flooded the region Jan. 18-19 with lows in Knoxville hitting 0º.
As of Jan. 24, most snow had melted across the Knoxville area, washed away in part by moderate rain and temperatures in the 50s. A flood watch is in effect for most of East Tennessee through the evening of Jan. 25. Two to 3 inches rain could fall across the area, compounding runoff from melting snow, according to the National Weather Service.
At least 36 people died as a result of the winter storm in Tennessee.
Advance Knox plan gets policy committee approval; heads to other governing boards next
WATE: Knox County approves controversial Advance Knox plan in policy committee
KNOXVILLE — A Knox County growth plan advanced by Mayor Glenn Jacob’s administration was approved by the guiding committee behind Advance Knox.
Hellbender Press has reported and opined on the growth plan during its development. The plan was touted as a means of reducing sprawl and accompanying taxpayer-funded infrastructure.
Rural and suburban property owners remain dubious whether the proposed revamp of the original Knox County growth plan will control the countywide development encroaching on their land, according to reporting from WATE:
“Kevin Murphy doubles as an advisory committee member and resident of a rural area. He lives off of Washington Pike and said the area has already started morphing into a suburb.
“‘Today, there’s over 17,000 cars a day that pass by my farm. All this growth will increase that a lot and 17,000 cars a day is a pretty significant amount of noise, litter, light pollution, at all times of the hours, so the character is definitely changing,’ he said.”
The plan still needs to be approved by Knox County Commission, city of Knoxville and the town of Farragut.