The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia

ES! Initiatives (69)

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!

 

 

Wednesday, 18 December 2024 14:21

Learn about using your forest as a carbon sink

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KNOXVILLE — The next installment of Conservation on Tap is set for 7 p.m. Jan. 8 at Albright Grove Brewing Company, 2924 Sutherland Ave., Knoxville.

Join forester Sean Bowers to learn about the Family Forest Carbon Program, a partnership between the American Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy. The program allows owners of small tracts of forest access to carbon markets, empowering them to improve the health and wellbeing of their forests and help tackle climate change.

All proceeds from Conservation on Tap benefit Discover Life in America.

Last modified on Monday, 13 January 2025 00:00
Monday, 09 December 2024 23:42

Edible Abundance Foodscapes @ Green Drinks Knoxville

Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, 5:30 p.m. at Albright Grove Brewing Company (2924 Sutherland Ave, Knoxville TN). RSVP on Facebook

To round out this year of great guest speakers we are thrilled to bring on Daniel Aisenbrey, the founder of Edible Abundance Foodscapes. Come hear why every landscape can and should be a foodscape! 

Edible Abundance LandscapesGet inspired by the story and experience of this great local initiative.  Edible Abundance Foodscapes

For Daniel, it all started back in 2012 with a hatchback full of lumber, some borrowed tools and a passion for helping people grow food. In the decade since, Daniel has built on that passion by establishing farms and community gardens, fighting for food access in local government and even managing Knoxville’s top farmers’ market. In 2023, the culmination of that passion and experience burst from the soil as Edible Abundance Foodscapes! When he’s not building your new garden, Daniel (and partner, Beth) run Hey Moon Farm, a family farmstead for sheep, chickens, heirloom produce and two feral children. His favorite weird fruit are kiwiberries.

Green Drinks Knoxville is a social and professional organization that convenes open-minded folks to encourage education and conversation about the environment, green technologies, sustainable lifestyles and more.

Our events are free and open to the public. We welcome all and support racial diversity, gender equality and LGBTQ inclusivity.

Last modified on Monday, 06 January 2025 15:30
Tuesday, 10 September 2024 01:04

Growing a Food Forest

Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, 5:30 p.m. at Barrelhouse by Gypsy Circus (621 Lamar Street). RSVP on Facebook

Green Drinks Knoxville will host an in-depth discussion with Dave Maasberg on how he maintains his food forest including some rare heirloom apple varieties, figs, pears, blackberries and more. He will bring samples to try and fruits for purchase to savor at home.

Raised around agriculture and the vanishing small-scale, midwestern family farm, Dave has always held a special place for fruit trees and perennial plants. After a Foraging and Wild Edible Plants class at Indiana University, his desire to create a food forest and sustainable homestead quickly turned into a reality. After over 20 years of planting and maintaining various fruiting plants on a reclaimed hillside, he is excited to share his journey with us. He currently helps others with plantings, from small scale to larger projects.

Green Drinks Knoxville is a social and professional organization that convenes open-minded folks to encourage education and conversation about the environment, green technologies, sustainable lifestyles and more.

Our events are free and open to the public. We welcome all and support racial diversity, gender equality, and LGBTQ inclusivity.

Last modified on Thursday, 12 September 2024 00:17

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The IRA’s clean-energy progress is clearest in our communities

Stephen Smith is executive director of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. He was a founder of the Foundation for Global Sustainability (FGS) and serves on the FGS board of directors. Hellbender Press is published by FGS.

KNOXVILLE — The largest climate investment legislation in U.S. history, the Inflation Reduction Act, celebrated its two-year anniversary in August: two years of reducing harmful pollution, of creating thousands of good-paying clean energy jobs, of welcoming billions of dollars in clean energy investments to the Southeast. The ways the IRA has and will continue to benefit our region and beyond are innumerable — and the numbers don’t lie. 

The IRA’s progress is clearest here in our communities: between Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, 559,820 households received more than $1.3 billion in residential clean energy and energy-efficiency tax credits in tax year 2023. Real people are saving money and benefiting from the historic climate law every day — take it from seven SACE members, their IRA stories and the encouraging statistics mentioned here. 

The reach of the IRA stretches beyond our homes — over 70,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations now dot the U.S., and federal tax credits on both new and used EVs have saved consumers over $1 billion so far this year alone. Last month, SACE released its updated 2024 Electrify the South Electric Transportation Toolkit to help guide decision-makers through this time of enormous opportunity.

Last modified on Friday, 06 September 2024 00:40
Monday, 02 September 2024 14:44

Calling all climbers (and hikers and bikers): Come help clean Obed crags

Volunteers learning trail maintenance.The annual Obed Adopt-a-Crag event is set for Sept. 14 and will include access trail maintenance such as that performed here by volunteers at a previous event.  National Park Service

WARTBURG — The East Tennessee Climbers Coalition and Obed Wild and Scenic River will host the park’s annual Adopt-a-Crag event on Saturday, Sep. 14 2024

Volunteers are needed to help with a variety of projects including general trail maintenance and litter pickup. Please meet at the Lilly Pad Hopyard Brewery, 920 Ridge Road, Lancing, at 10 a.m. to register and receive a project assignment. Due to limited parking, carpooling is suggested.  Please bring your own lunch and water. Volunteers are also encouraged to bring hand tools, gloves, sunscreen, and insect repellant.

After completing their projects, volunteers are invited to spend the day climbing their favorite routes or enjoying other recreational opportunities in the park.  Following the event, the ETCC will be hosting a volunteer appreciation event at the Lilly Pad.

Last modified on Monday, 16 September 2024 22:59

Wanda DeWard with butterly netWanda DeWaard has spent 30 years studying and tagging monarch butterflies. Here she leads a volunteer group of citizen scientists tagging monarchs in Cades Cove.  Photos courtesy of Wanda DeWaard

Successful Smokies monarch tagging project is a product of the people

Every winter, way up in the oyumel firs in Mexico’s high elevation forests, millions of North American monarch butterflies that have traveled from as far north as Canada cluster in colonies to overwinter before flying north again to lay eggs in spring. Tens of thousands of monarchs might adorn a single tree like a papery gown, sometimes weighing it down enough to break off branches.

To get to the oyumel forests several miles above sea level, which provide a perfect microclimate for the weary travelers, they migrate south using different aerial paths, or flyways, that merge together over Central Texas. This migrating generation can live up to nine months and might travel anywhere from 1,000-3,000 miles to the forests they seek, yet have never been to. Mysteriously, they find their way and sometimes even make it to the exact tree where their ancestors four or five generations back once clustered. 

Monarchs are the only butterfly that makes a long two-way migration. Despite much research on the species, science still hasn’t fully unraveled the secrets of their incredibly accurate homing system. This makes them one of the true marvels of the natural world.

Elanmonarch3A tagged monarch feeds on nectar in the Great Smokies before joining the migration to Mexico for the winter.

Last modified on Thursday, 21 November 2024 13:37

MIKES PRODUCEMichael Katrutsa walks through rows of tomatoes on his 20-acre produce farm in Camden, Tennessee. His crops also include sweet corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, peppers, cucumbers, okra and more.  John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout

Specialty crops take root as models emerge of American agriculture dominated by Delta

This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation. It was originally published by Tennessee Lookout.

CAMDEN ­— A smorgasbord of bright red tomatoes and vibrant vegetables line the walls of Michael Katrutsa’s produce shop in rural Camden, Tennessee. What began a decade ago as a roadside farm stand is now an air-conditioned outbuilding packed with crates of watermelon, cantaloupe and his locally renowned sweet corn — all picked fresh by a handful of local employees each morning.

The roughly 20-acre farm west of the Tennessee River sells about half of its produce through his shop, with the rest going to the wholesale market.

Farms like Katrutsa’s make up just a sliver of roughly 10.7 million acres of Tennessee farmland largely dominated by hay, soybeans, corn and cotton. Specialized machines help farmers harvest vast quantities of these commodity “row crops,” but Katrutsa said the startup cost was too steep for him. While specialty crops like produce are more labor-intensive, requiring near-constant attention from early July up until the first frost in October, Katrutsa said he takes pride in feeding his neighbors.

The World Wildlife Fund sees farms in the mid-Mississippi delta as ripe with opportunity to become a new mecca for commercial-scale American produce. California currently grows nearly three-quarters of the nation’s fruits and nuts and more than a third of its vegetables. 

But as climate change compounds the threats of water scarcity, extreme weather and wildfires on California’s resources, WWF’s Markets Institute is exploring what it would take for farmers in West Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas to embrace — and equitably profit from — specialty crop production like strawberries, lettuce or walnuts. 

Last modified on Wednesday, 28 August 2024 23:27

Get plugged in to the facts about electric vehicles during SACE webinar

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KNOXVILLE — You’re invited to join a Southern Alliance for Clean Energy webinar, “Understanding EVs: Real People Share Real Stories of Electrifying Their Ride,” at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. 

A panel of electric vehicle (EV) owners and drivers will share stories and insights from their experiences with EVs. Learn more about what it’s like to own, charge, travel and save money with an EV, plus hear advice from real people who have gone electric! Panelists for this webinar will include: 

HP FactoryHiwassee Bruderhof builds vermicomposting equipment at its manufacturing facility on the grounds of what was Hiwassee College in Monroe County, Tennessee.  Hiwassee Products

Intentional Christian community settles into old Hiwassee College campus

HIWASSEE —­ We gathered in the old Hiwassee College theater to see “Common Ground” and hear from one of the farmers featured in the film.

Members of the new Bruderhof (from the German word, a place of brothers) community in Monroe County sat with us for the screening.

A few folks asked me: “Are you a farmer?”

“No, I am a United Methodist pastor,” I replied. The community is on the old Hiwassee College campus. The Holston Conference closed the college in 2019 and then sold the property to the Bruderhof in 2021

One older gentleman said, “I hoped to sit with a farmer.” I understood that. The community, in addition to being a self-supporting Christian Intentional Community, hoped to sell some of its new equipment to local farmers. Hobby gardeners, like me, would not want to invest the money in the new tools being offered. 

Last modified on Thursday, 08 August 2024 00:31

Youth Conservation Corps team tends to Obed trails

thumbnail IMG 0259A Youth Conservation Corps team performs trail maintenance at Obed Wild and Scenic River during a summer YCC program at the park.  National Park Service

WARTBURG  2024’s Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) team at the Obed Wild and Scenic River spent their summer working to maintain and enhance hiking trails. The YCC is a paid summer work program for youth ages 15-18 on federally managed lands. Since its inception in 1970, the YCC has introduced young Americans to conservation opportunities on public lands. 

This year’s YCC team members include Lydia Barnett from Gateway Christian School, Emma Foust from Anderson County High School and Jimmy Hall, Haylee Morgan and Joshua Stedman from Wartburg Central High School.

Youth Conservation Corps members engage in activities that restore, rehabilitate and repair the natural, cultural and historical resources within federally preserved areas. The crew is led by National Park Service staff, who provide transportation, supervision, training and education. Students acquire basic trade skills and learn about cultural and environmental topics, fostering a sense of stewardship toward park resources. The program also includes instructor-led recreational activities, educational field trips and classroom instruction. 

The completion of this year’s YCC project will extend the lifespan of trail assets and  components, enhancing visitor satisfaction and safety. Participating youth will gain new skills, improve teamwork and develop a deeper understanding of environmental impact, contributing to the National Park Service’s mission.

BushslowfoodSlow Food Tennessee Valley co-founder Sarah Bush picks heirloom tomatoes at Vuck Farm in Riceville.  Élan Young/Hellbender Press

Slow Food ramps up regional food resilience efforts

RICEVILLE On a hot summer day in late June, Sarah Bush, co-founder of Slow Food Tennessee Valley, slices some varieties of tender heirloom tomatoes freshly picked from tall rows of plants strung up in a giant, covered hoop-style greenhouse before serving them on a cutting board with a bit of farm-fresh chevre and basil.

The tomatoes span hues of yellow, red, green and purple, some a solid color or slightly striped and bearing intriguing names not found in grocery stores: striped Heart, Cherokee evergreen, chocolate stripe and Valencia. The flavor combinations explode into farm-to-table bliss. 

The tomatoes are especially terrific for a reason: Bush, 46, has practiced regenerative farming since she was 28.

Mentored by other small farmers around the country who taught her how to exist and thrive in an economy that favors Big Ag, she now splits her time between Vuck Farm, a biodynamic farm in Riceville owned by her partner TJ Teets, and managing the produce department at Three Rivers Market in Knoxville — Tennessee’s only cooperative grocery.

She also serves on the planning committee for CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training), which is run by the Southeastern Tennessee chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition 

Not a bougie supper club

Founded in 2008, the Tennessee Valley chapter of Slow Food is the only chapter in the state that has remained active since its founding. 

A little more than two decades earlier in 1986, thousands of Italians gathered at the base of the sprawling Piazza di Spagna in the center of Rome to protest the country’s first McDonald’s restaurant. Slow Food’s founder, Italian journalist Carlo Petrini, was among them. Instead of bringing a sign with a slogan, Petrini brought a big bowl of penne pasta to share with the crowd chanting We don’t want fast food. We want Slow Food! Three years later the movement became an official organization and today spans 160 countries

Last modified on Tuesday, 27 August 2024 21:50
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 13:55

‘Cute little falcons’ fly free in Wildwood

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kestrelKatheryn Albrecht holds a juvenile American kestrel just prior to releasing it into the Wildwood area of Blount County as part of the Farmland Raptor Project.  Thomas Fraseer/Hellbender Press

Farmland Raptor Project takes wing to expand raptor populations on private properties

WILDWOOD — She felt the bird in her hand in her heart as the kestrel strained toward freedom.

Elise Eustace, communications director for Foothills Land Conservancy, blessed the bird and let it go, free to make a home somewhere on the 300-acre Andy Harris Farm or elsewhere in the Wildwood area of Blount County. “I’ve never gotten to do something like this,” she said. “So exciting.” 

Two other juvenile kestrels joined their kin on the warm summer afternoon, lighting into nearby oaks and atop a telephone line above the red and yellow pollinator gardens and dry pasture and cornfield and copses that punctuate the property in the shadow of smoky knobs that rise gradually to the Smokies crest beyond the blue-green hollows of the Little River watershed. Resident sparrows, bluebirds and kingbirds voiced displeasure at the new arrivals. 

Last modified on Thursday, 11 July 2024 00:48

Volunteer bridge buildersVolunteers helped build this bridge on Sheltowee Trace in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.  National Park Service

ONEIDA — Two popular trails were greatly improved with the help of volunteers during Big South Fork’s annual National Trails Day event, observed this year on June 22. 

Volunteers helped build a 40-foot-long trail bridge between Yahoo Falls and Alum Ford on the Sheltowee Trace (a designated National Recreation Trail), by assisting park staff in transporting lumber and tools as well as the replacement of decking boards and handrails on the entire bridge. Volunteers also assisted trail crews with vegetation, drainage and tread improvements on the Proctor Ridge Horse Trail. 

Volunteers are an important part of ensuring park trails are clear and well-maintained. If you are interested in learning more on how you can volunteer, contact the volunteer coordinator This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call (423) 569-9778.

Last modified on Saturday, 06 July 2024 23:53
Wednesday, 26 June 2024 12:55

Smokies tourists are coming to see the light

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Smokies Synchronous Firefly Photinus carolinus 20200608 3311 composite credit Abbott Nature PhotographyA recent display of synchronous fireflies (Photinus carolinus) in the Smokies.  Abbott Nature Photography

Thousands of visitors view annual firefly spectacles in Smokies area as natural light show dims elsewhere

ELKMONT — Anyone who has fallen in love knows reading a love poem is no substitute for direct experience. Similarly, no technology, no art form, nor any reportage can come close to the mesmerizing firsthand experience of witnessing hundreds of thousands of synchronous firefly beetles pulsing in the dark during the peak of their mating period in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Over the last 20 years, throngs of eager visitors have trekked by the thousands to catch this rare glimpse of collective insect behavior. The crowds posed problems: Since females and larvae of the species are on and under the ground, visitors can trample them if they stray off trail. Likewise, flashlights and other white lights, including from cell phone screens, can also disrupt courtship. 

The firefly phenomenon caught fire in 1991, when Lynn Faust read an article suggesting that no synchronous fireflies lived in the western hemisphere, yet she knew that’s what she witnessed in the 1960s at the historic Elkmont community when she vacationed there with her in-laws. After she brought Photinus carolinus to the attention of scientists, word spread and new firefly pilgrimages to Elkmont were born. 

Last modified on Thursday, 08 August 2024 11:28

IMG 0772 1 scaled e1718391630730 1024x577A parklet in Washington DC with brightly colored planters filled with local pollinator plants.  Molly McCluskey 

From pocket parks to large-scale projects, cities around the world are working to reverse a troubling trend.

This story was originally published by The Revelator.

Every June, cities around the globe celebrate Pollinator Week (this year, June 16-22) an international event to raise awareness about the important roles that birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles and other small animals serve in pollinating our food systems and landscapes. These crucial species are declining worldwide, with many on the brink of extinction.

Cities have responded to this crisis with a variety of urban initiatives designed to foster pollinator habitats and in the process transform once-stark cement landscapes — as well as pocket parks, curb strips and highway dividers — into lush, welcoming areas for pollinators and humans alike.

In Washington, D.C., ambitious pollinator projects are abundant on rooftops of public, office and private spaces, ranging from the renovated D.C. Public Library’s main branch to National Public Radio’s headquarters, which hosts an apiary. Throughout the District of Columbia, municipal code requires buildings to maintain the tree boxes and curb strips outside their properties. This often leads to creative landscaping on the smallest of scales. 

Last modified on Saturday, 22 June 2024 00:48