The Front Porch Blog, with Updates from AppalachiaThe Front Porch Blog, with Updates from Appalachia

BLOGGER INDEX

Solar and energy efficiency…like peanut butter and jelly

Thursday, October 13th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments

While energy efficiency is just as clean as solar when it comes to emissions, efficiency by itself can’t produce energy for customers looking for a clean energy option, and solar without energy efficiency can’t reach the full extent of its potential. Both are valuable and can, and should, work together as an integrated solution to create cleaner and cheaper energy. [ Read More ]


Citizen action leads to closure of KD#2 mountaintop removal mine

Friday, August 26th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments

After two years of pressure from citizens, West Virginia permanently halted mining at the KD#2 mountaintop removal coal mine. But the mine has already damaged land and water. This guest post features a statement from the Kanawha Forest Coalition. [ Read More ]


Atlantic Coast Pipeline backers head to North Carolina

Monday, August 15th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | 1 Comment

While North Carolina is rightfully focused on the coal ash scandal, another environmental tug-of-war is strengthening in some of the state’s poorest areas. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline would cut 170 miles through eastern N.C. where a quarter to a third of people live in poverty. And this is precisely why these types of projects are placed in low-income communities: to reduce the chance of resistance. [ Read More ]


Daile Boulis: One coalfield resident’s journey to action

Tuesday, July 12th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments

Daile Boulis, a resident of Loudondale, W.Va., lives just a few thousand feet from the KD#2 mountaintop removal mine in Kanawha County, W.Va. At a recent gathering of The Alliance for Appalachia, Daile shared the story of how she became involved in the fight against mountaintop removal coal mining. [ Read More ]


A good idea is right under your nose

Tuesday, July 12th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments

Last summer, when Appalachian Voices' friend Caroline Armijo was pondering how to address the problem of coal ash pollution, she came across a few words of wisdom on the bottom of a coffee bag: “A good idea is right under your nose.” In this post that first appeared on her website, Caroline writes about a new technology that may offer a solution. [ Read More ]


Making sense of crisis: The West Virginia floods

Wednesday, July 6th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | 1 Comment

In this guest post, West Virginia resident and former coordinator of The Alliance for Appalachia Katey Lauer shares her perspective on the aftermath of the storms and the humanity she witnessed as communities come together and begin to rebuild. [ Read More ]


Speaking up for energy savings

Tuesday, June 21st, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments

A story on We Own It, a national network to help electric cooperative members rediscover their role as owners of a democratically-controlled enterprise, recounts the efforts of Appalachian Voices’ Energy Savings for the High Country campaign — and how we helped members of Blue Ridge Electric get their co-op’s attention on energy efficiency. [ Read More ]


No need for more fracked-gas pipelines

Thursday, April 28th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments

There is a widespread assumption that natural gas infrastructure -- like the proposed Atlantic Coast Pipeline and Mountain Valley Pipeline -- would only be built if they were necessary. This assumption is not supported by the facts, as outlined here in a guest blog from a leading energy analyst. [ Read More ]


From inside Appalachia, a look at WGN’s “Outsiders”

Friday, April 8th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | 13 Comments

Exclusive to the Front Porch: WGN's television series "Outsiders" doesn't leave a single stereotype of Appalachia unturned. In this essay exclusive to the Front Porch Blog, award-winning author Ron Rash reflects on how stereotypes cloak harms much more profound than cultural misperceptions: "The region is diverse, and many areas are doing well, but for those that are not, might a show focused on “retard hillbilly animals” make it easier for America to ignore the region’s needs?" [ Read More ]


Sleeping giants: TVA and Georgia Power stuck in second gear on energy efficiency

Wednesday, March 30th, 2016 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments

While even the region’s top achievers have room for improvement, some of the largest utilities in the Southeast are seriously falling behind on energy efficiency. In particular, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Georgia Power are two enormously capable utilities that appear to be stuck in second gear. [ Read More ]


Prayers not pipelines

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2015 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments

Jill Averitt lives in Central Virginia with her extended family on a patch of land where collectively they are raising seven children, lots of vegetables--and in the past year, a ruckus over Dominion's plans to run a massive fracked gas pipeline right through that land. She created the "Prayers Not Pipelines" project as a powerful way to connect with her neighbors, and to protect her home and community. [ Read More ]


Appalachian Millennials and social media in Wyoming County

Wednesday, October 14th, 2015 | Posted by Guest Contributor | No Comments

Guest Contributor Donald Welch: The Rural Appalachian Improvement League encourages plenty of groups to visit the Mullens, W.Va., area to volunteer. But, as an organization focused on sustainability and creating social change in southern West Virginia, the group also uses social media to engage youth and create opportunities for local residents. [ Read More ]



 

 


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