The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia

Displaying items by tag: knoxville

KnoxFill’ Michaela BarnettKnoxFill founder Dr. Michaela Barnett was recently featured on WUOT to address trash and sustainability.  KnoxFill

This article was originally published on WUOT in a collaboration with students from the University of Tennessee's Department of Journalism and Media

Two Knoxville-based startups are tackling the challenges of waste and sustainability, one household at a time

KnoxFill, founded by Dr. Michaela Barnett, is the city’s only refillery, and provides household and food products, ranging from shampoo and laundry detergent to coffee and tea.

Vitriform3D, a 3D printer technology focused on using glass waste and converting it into architectural building products, was founded by Alex Stiles, PhD and Dustin Gilmer, PhD.

Both businesses are filling a void left by a lack of state and local policies to address sustainability issues, and by the logistics challenges of recycling. “We know from the science that recycling can be part of a sustainable waste management program, but it really comes after trying to reduce source waste,” Barnett said. “Recycling really should be a last resort.”

Vitriform3D offers consumers the chance to recycle, and know that their recyclables are also being re-used. Knoxville has long lacked easy glass recycling capabilities; currently, residents have to transport their own glass to one of five repositories around the city. “We’re launching a service we call Fourth & Glass, Stiles said. “That is Knoxville’s first dedicated glass only recycling program. We do have the equipment to handle glass and turn it into new products.”

Published in News

Amber ParkerIjams Nature Center Executive Director Amber Parker poses with opossum Opal. She was an Ijams animal ambassador for more than three years. “She came to us after her mother was hit by a car and Opal would fit in the palm of your hand. Sadly, Opal passed away earlier this year. Opossums live short lives, usually about three years, so Opal had a nice long one by opossum standards. She was beloved by all and we miss her.” Courtesy Ijams Nature Center

Each year more than 600,000 people visit Ijams Nature Center

This is the second installment of an occasional series, Hellbent, profiling citizens who work to preserve and improve the Southern Appalachian environment.

KNOXVILLE — On any given day, the parking lot at Ijams Nature Center in South Knoxville is packed with cars, trucks, and buses as folks of all ages flock to hike, climb, swim and paddle its 300-plus acres of protected wildlands.

Making sure the center’s 620,000 or so annual visitors have a positive experience interacting with Mother Nature requires dozens of full-time employees plus a generous contingent of volunteers. Ensuring the complex operation stays on course and within its $1.8 million operating budget is a tough job, but Ijams Executive Director Amber Parker has been doing it for six years now and has no desire to be doing anything else.

When Amber talks about Ijams she fairly bursts with giddy, infectious energy. This is a woman who has clearly found her place in the world, and even a brief walk along any of the center’s 21 trails makes one wonder if the land itself hasn’t responded in like fashion to her devotion.

Published in News
Tuesday, 13 December 2022 13:18

Seeing the city for the trees

IMG 2632This mighty oak is but one of many growing for decades in South Knoxville.  Thomas Fraser/Hellbender Press

Contribute to the master plan to grow tree canopy in Knoxville

KNOXVILLE — No matter where you are in the city, you’re not far from a patch or two of trees.

These copses range from small groupings of oaks or dogwoods that are commonly used to mark property boundaries to lush belts of temperate mixed-hardwood forest that sprawl across hundreds of acres. 

While Knoxville may be blessed with an abundance of these urban forests, many local residents and leaders believe it’s nowhere near enough.

Published in News

KNOXVILLE — People assembled at 6 p.m. Aug. 19 to speak for the trees threatened by development of an art installment at the half-acre Cradle of Country Music Park at the corner of Gay Street and Summit Hill Drive downtown.

The Harvey Broome Chapter of the Sierra Club organized the protest against the removal of five mature oak trees to make way for the sculpture and its base, which was originally commissioned to a New York City artist in 2018 and will cost the city $600,000, according to reporting from Compass. The online news outlet also reported Friday that Councilwoman Seema Singh has requested a pause in the project to determine whether there are alternatives to removing the trees.

Published in Earth

IMG 3189The city of Knoxville has started a pilot composting project for residents and restaurants. Come meet cool people and learn more about limiting food waste and sip some beers April 9 at Crafty Bastard Brewery. City of Knoxville 

Learn how to reduce food waste Saturday at Crafty Bastard Brewery 

Paige Travis is a public information specialist for the city of Knoxville.

KNOXVILLE — The Waste and Resources Management Office invites the public to learn how to reduce food waste and drink a special brew Saturday, April 9 at the culmination of Tennessee Food Waste Awareness Week.

“The city of Knoxville is committed to reducing the amount of food waste that we put into our landfill,” said Waste and Resources Manager Patience Melnik, whose department recently launched the Knoxville Compost Pilot Project.

Hellbender Press previously reported on efforts to reduce food waste at the University of Tennessee.

Published in Earth
Knoxville Community Media (KCM)

KCM’s Community Engagement Calendar provides information about both, date-specific events and the regular programs & services provided by nonprofit organizations.

Many people still think it is necessary to have a TV cable connection to watch community TV programs. But that’s old history.

One does not even need to be in the City of Knoxville or anywhere near it, nor have a TV set anymore.

Published in Events

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Well-known Knoxville white supremacist and ‘cultured thug’ dies of apparent accidental gunshot wound to head 

Originally published by Hard Knox Wire

A Knoxville man who earned widespread notoriety as a leader in the violent white nationalist movement died last week after he was shot in the head in South Knox County.

Craig Spaulding, age 33, was transported to the hospital from a residence near Maryville Pike about 8:14 p.m. Thursday, according to a report from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
 
Spaulding was suffering from what appeared to be an accidental gunshot wound to the head fired from a Beretta 950 handgun, the report indicates. He later died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and the investigation continues.
 
Other than the fact that Spaulding left behind a wife and three children, few details of his private life are known. He was something of a celebrity in far-Right political circles and was being monitored by civil rights groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center.
 
Spaulding was a self-described white nationalist, which means he was a member of a group of militant white men and women who espouse white supremacy and advocate enforced racial segregation.
 
Spaulding’s first brush with notoriety came in 2015 when he allegedly shot and killed a neighbor’s dog and then claimed he was protecting his pet rabbits, according to contemporary news reports.
 
Spaulding’s involvement in various hate groups has been extensively documented by the SPLC and Idavox, a website that publishes information about right wing organizations and their members.
 
His last known group affiliation was with NSC-131 (the “NSC” stands for “Nationalist Social Club” while “131” is an alphanumeric code word for “anti-communist action”), a street gang that frequently travels to left-wing rallies both in and out of East Tennessee to cause mayhem in the camps of their political opponents.
 
Spaulding would often show up as a counter protester at gay pride and anti-racist events and demonstrations. He would yell anti-gay and racist insults, sometimes using violent rhetoric that alarmed activists and led to him being escorted away from several events by police.

Spaulding was among eight white supremacists who were arrested in the summer of 2020 during a Black Lives Matter protest in Rogersville.
 
In a statement published on white supremacist Telegram channels, NSC-New England and Radio Free Indiana, Craig was praised in a post attributed to Matt Parrott as a man who “lived a passionate life dedicated to his Christian faith, his beautiful family, and his Appalachian folk.”
 
Parrot went on to say that Spaulding “embodied the ideal of the ‘cultured thug’ more than any man I’ve known; philosophically, metapolitically, and strategically—with heart.”
 
Social media commentators on the opposite side of the political spectrum had different things to say about him.
 
“Craig has been an openly violent neo-Nazi for years and has consistently attempted to terrorize communities around Appalachia and the Mid-west,” said Garfield But Antifascist, a Twitter user with almost 6,600 followers.
 
“We apologize to all Craig’s non-Nazi family members, but for the sake of the wider community, his loss will not be mourned.”
 
Local activists have expressed concerns that Spaulding’s death may prompt an influx of white nationalists into the Knoxville area for his funeral, details of which haven’t been made public.
 
They are concerned NSC-131 members may seek out violent confrontations with minority groups or deface buildings, vehicles and statues in the the downtown area with racist graffiti, stickers and fliers.
 

Follow the latest Knoxville crime and justice news from Hard Knox Wire.

 
Jennifer Stambaugh can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Published in News
WBIR: Knoxville air quality data indicates sustained improvements

The Knox County Health Department reports that fine particles declined by half between 2007 and 2018. Ozone levels also remained below national standards during that period. The combined pollution reductions — achieved through tighter emissions standards on power plants and vehicles — have resulted in the cleanest air in Knox County since 1999, according to the Health Department.

Here’s a link to the full 2019 Knox County Community Health Assessment.

Published in Feedbag
Friday, 19 March 2021 00:05

Knoxville Neighborhood Conference

All the virtual content remains accessible

through Apr 3

The City of Knoxville's virtual 2021 Neighborhood Conference
Yearly neighborhood-focused event to connect neighborhoods & strengthen communities
Brought to you by the City of Knoxville's Office of Neighborhood Empowerment, in collaboration with numerous city and county departments

Engage with our community through the Virtual Convention Center Platform — FREE but registration is required

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s conference will be virtual but will include all of the aspects of our in-person conference from the comfort of your own home. You will be able to attend workshops, hear remarks from Mayor Kincannon, visit information booths and more.

Conference details and registration

Open to everyone—neighborhood leaders, members and participants of neighborhood organizations and any city resident interested in the quality of life in Knoxville’s neighborhoods.

Published in Event Archive

frsunflowersNot all of the Knoxville Urban Wilderness is true wilderness, of course. This monoculture field of sunflowers planted at the Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area does, however, attract lots of wildlife.  Courtesy Visit Knoxville

Spring study to quantify visitation, economic impact

Physically, the Urban Wilderness is 1,000 acres of natural and recreational land in South Knoxville. Visitors can enjoy hiking across Civil War battlefields, running on naturally surfaced trails, swimming in old quarries, and mountain biking on expertly designed tracks. But the Urban Wilderness is much more than a place. 

“It’s something special for Knoxville and defines us as a recreational community,” said city Deputy Chief of Economic and Community Development Rebekah Jane Justice. She was named the city’s first Urban Wilderness Coordinator in July 2017, and is still the city’s go-to expert on this ambitious, ongoing land-preservation and recreational project. “It’s about so many things, including building our local economy in a unique way.” 

The Urban Wilderness is, many will say, a boon to Knoxville’s economy, both in increasing tourism and for the businesses around it, including coffee shops, breweries, and restaurants. But hard numbers about its impact are still being developed. In 2015, University of Tennessee economics professor Charles Sims wrote a white paper projecting that if the Urban Wilderness grew to a national destination, it could have an economic impact of more than $29 million annually. 

Now that the Urban Wilderness is more established, actual numbers about usage are more easily captured than when Sims authored his paper. Matthew Kellogg of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club said that his club received an equipment grant from the International Mountain Bicycling Association for trail-counter devices to quantify how many people use the trails — and where and when. Currently Kellogg’s group is calibrating 11 newly placed trail counters in the Urban Wilderness. By spring, the group hopes to be collecting reliable data. 

Among the things this data will be used for is a multi-year study by University of Tennessee kinesiology and recreation professor Eugene Fitzhugh, a frequent lecturer about urban trails their impact on a community’s physical activity.   

Published in News