July 2010
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Read More >ACT: Have an extra pair of running shoes with a little tread left to burn? Send them to Soles4Souls, a Tennessee-based nonprofit that has sent seven million pairs of shoes to those in need in over 125 countries. soles4souls.org. FACT: A one-kilowatt solar energy system mitigates burning 170 pounds of coal. ACT: Estimate the logistics…
Read More >Nation’s first barley ethanol refinery opens in Virginia A barley ethanol refinery on the outskirts of Richmond may soon succeed where corn ethanol has failed: earning widespread praise from environmental groups and farmers alike. The plant, called Appomattox Bio Energy, will be the country’s first commercial refinery to use barley as a feedstock for ethanol…
Read More >Living Local on the Road Being a grassroots touring band means long slogs on the highways of America. With that comes limited eating options—usually an endless cycle of fast food outposts at interstate junctions. Despite a rigorous road schedule, Philadelphia-based edgy acoustic outfit Hoots and Hellmouth have decided they can do better. For the past…
Read More >Water, water everywhere. Charleston’s coastal setting among a string of barrier islands is a hydrophile’s wet dream. But if you’re not into paddling, don’t fret. The marshy interior has something for you, too. Blake Matheny of Half-Moon Outfitters shares historic Chucktown’s best outdoor spots. – greenway commute – The West Ashley Greenway is a popular…
Read More >Will park development protect a classic climbing crag? Entrance fees and development are coming to Sand Rock, a massive collection of boulders and cliffs in a 200-acre public park in northeast Alabama. So far, development plans are modest and will not impact the climbing inside the park. According to Scooter Howell, chair of the Cherokee…
Read More >Two proposed Appalachian highways target the Southeast’s wildest landscapes, and new rail alternatives are headed down the tracks. Is Appalachia on board? West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd—the longest serving member of Congress—wants to build a highway as his final legacy. Referred to as Corridor H, the four-lane highway would be an extension of I-66, connecting…
Read More >Exploring the South’s Next Wilderness The farthest you can get from a road in the continental U.S. is 22 miles, in a deep corner of Yellowstone National Park. In the Southeast, the farthest is around five miles—in places like Tennessee’s Upper River Bald Wilderness Study Area. It’s an area so rugged, remote, and rarely traveled…
Read More >THE FUTURE OF TRANSIT IN THE SOUTHEAST he Southeast is sprawling faster than any region in the history of world civilization, but it also boasts the longest greenway systems, fastest trains, and biggest urban redevelopment projects in the nation. Now more than ever, the country is looking south to see what the future of transit…
Read More >Four Inspiring Eco-Entrepreneurs From the South Change starts from the ground up. That’s the attitude of these four innovative entrepreneurs who are looking beyond the bottom line to build community. MARK LILLY mobile farmers market If you live in the city gridlock, it’s often hard to make it to the farmer’s market. But if you…
Read More >Solutions that could actually save the planet BRO asked Pulitzer-Prize-winning authors, CEOs, and leading environmental experts: what is the single most important change needed to protect the planet and its people? Here are their 12 insightful, innovative, and inspiring responses. 1. educate women worldwide The most effective contraceptive is education for girls. When women are…
Read More >That’s what we asked the BRO staff. Now we’re asking you – click here to read and chime in.
Read More >The Mountain Institute helps Appalachian communities climb out of poverty. Life in the mountains is hard. Just ask Otzi the Ice Man, who lived in the Alps some 5,300 years ago. Archaeologists believe that his threadbare clothing and worn-down bones reveal a difficult life scratched out from a severe, high altitude landscape. Even today, mountain…
Read More >Bicycle commuters who get to work without the gas. In the car-clogged United States, cities have been designed to accommodate motor vehicles, with most other forms of transit pushed to the shoulder. But that hasn’t stopped one Asheville cyclist from following a 100% pedal-powered lifestyle. Tavis Cummings grew up outside of a small town in…
Read More >Instead of condos, a biologist builds wetlands behind his house What was once a lovely sloping green lawn tucked behind Matt Mullen’s West Asheville neighborhood will soon be an oasis for water-loving wildlife: a wetlands twenty yards from his back porch. Mullen is building a three-pond micro-wetlands that will not only beautify the neighborhood but…
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