Event: Building Democracy in Your Community

From our friends at the West Virginia Community Development Network: How do we work together to build a more resilient, flourishing community? How do we make democracy stronger and more vibrant? These are the questions we will explore and answer together with guidance and insights from one of the nation's leading consultants and authors on these issues. WVU's Eberly College of Arts & Sciences and its Department of Public Administration, the WV Community Development Hub, and the WV Center for Civic Life invite you to join internationally acclaimed author and consultant Matt Leighninger for a daylong workshop on how we can make democratic governance more inclusive, deliberative, and collaborative. Where & When The workshop will be offered twice. On Thursday, August 30th, from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM, it will be held in Morgantown at WVU at the Mountainlair Rhododendrom Room. On Friday, August 31st, from 10:00 AM to 3:30 PM, it will be offered in Charleston at the University of Charleston Ballroom. There is no charge for the workshop, but registration is required, and in Morgantown, registration is limited to 60. There is no limit at the Charleston workshop.   This is an exciting opportunity for West Virginians who care about their communities to learn from one another and from one of the world's leading experts on democratic governance.   Don't miss this opportunity! Save one of these dates on your calendar! More details, along with the workshop agenda and registration information, will follow shortly.   What the...

Hazard Herald on coal transition

Today's editorial in the Hazard Herald reacts to the recent news that Arch Coal will be laying off hundreds in Eastern Kentucky. The editors make this crucial point: "if the utilities go forward and build the necessary infrastructure to utilize natural gas, which is currently a cheap source of power, then we can be certain that coal is largely out the door domestically, and we’re going to be getting our power from natural gas for a few decades to come. The average lifespan for a natural gas plant is approximately 75 years, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency. "  Importantly, the editors stress the importance of getting beyond pointing fingers and lend their voices to the growing chorus in the region calling for diversification.   [I]f we don’t work to diversify now, our economy is going to sputter to the point that it can’t support the people it currently does. Through Hazard Community and Technical College and the University Center of the Mountains we have a means to train or re-train people for a number of professions. We also have an able and intelligent workforce. We also have the natural beauty that our mountains provide that can spur a viable tourism industry. Other counties have acted as models for this, and there is no reason why our local leaders can’t work with our state legislators to build a regional tourism industry stretching from Pike to Laurel County. … Here in Perry County we also have two state legislators that have...

Video: West Virginia Agri-Preneurs

Check out this video about the growing number of "agri-preneurs" in West Virginia, from the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition....

NC couple create thriving, sustainable business from waste wood...

Check out this great story from the Asheville Citizen-Times. A couple in a small town in Western North Carolina is using tree bark and other waste wood to create shingles and high-end construction and home products.  All this wood would have been going to waste, at best turned into mulch at most sawmills. But the McCurrys have created a new market for area loggers, paying $1.75 per square foot for poplar bark.   Highland Craftsmen’s trademark Bark House shingles can sheathe a house for at least 80 years — an environmentally friendly, energy-efficient product that can be certified back to the stump.   “It’s all a sustainable harvest. We been doing it right since green was just a color,” said Marty McCurry. The business has 17 employees and supports over 1000 area loggers. While much the wood products sector was hit hard by the housing collapse, more and more small businesses are building successful niches with green and sustainable wood. Central Appalachia has an enormous resource in its hardwood forest, but little of it is certified to ensure that it's being harvested properly. The Center for Forest and Wood Certification is helping forest owners, loggers, and wood products manufacturers get certified to better take advantage of the market for sustainable wood products. Hopefully Central Appalachia will see more businesses like the Bark House and Highland Craftsmen in the future.      ...

Save the Date for the STAY Summer Institute!

From our friends at the STAY Project have announced the date for their Summer Institute – August 2-5 at the High Rocks Campground in Hillsboro, WV (registration will open later this summer). Here's what they have to say about this year's event: The STAY Project is committed to having all voices and identities supported within Appalachia, and we understand that youth are often left out of spaces of decision-making. For this reason, we are bringing together youth (14-30) from throughout the region for a four day workshop in order to empower young people through a sense of place, promote leadership development, uphold our Appalachian identity through cultural arts and storytelling, and build personal relationships to sustain each other through our efforts. The leadership trainings will focus on organizing, popular education, grant writing, small-business skills, financial/budget management, anti oppression workshops, etc. We aim to engage young Appalachians in creating the opportunities they need to be learners, activists, and leaders in the region. We consider central Appalachia to be West Virginia, southwest Virginia, eastern Kentucky, east Tennessee, and western North Carolina.   To SUBMIT a session proposal by July 4th, please click here. Individuals and groups of all ages are encouraged put together a session.   Can't wait to see you there!   -Stay Together Appalachian Youth, The STAY Project, is a diverse regional network of young people working together to create, advocate for, and participate in safe, sustainable, engaging and inclusive communities throughout Appalachia and...

Register now for the 16th Annual Civic Life Institute

The West Virginia Center for Civic Life is holding its "Connecting People to Public Issues" Civic Life Institute at the University of Charleston in Charleston, West Virginia on July 11 and 12, 2012. Now in its 16th year, the Institute hopes that participants will "have experienced practical processes of citizen engagement that you can use in your communities, your schools, and your organizations to build public capacity to work together on public issues." (See a past participant handbook here [pdf]).   From the event website: Participants will:  Learn how to move from community dialogue to action Learn about moderating community discussions of public issues Discuss strategies for organizing community dialogue initiatives Network with others to build stronger communities Engage in deliberation of important issues in our state, including:   Addressing Early Childhood Needs   Facing the Dropout Challenge   Increasing Fitness and Nutrition   Dealing with Prescription Drug Abuse   Building Strong, Safe Neighborhoods   The $95 registration fee includes meals and materials. Continuing Education Unit's are available through West Virginia University.    For more information, please contact: Jean Ambrose at and   Betty Knighton at and...

Study Examines Opportunities & Challenges for Economic Growth in Appalachia...

Last month, the Appalachian Regional Commission released a study by researchers at the University of Tennessee called "Strategies for Economic Improvement in Appalachia's Distressed Rural Counties." While quite long (over 200 pages!), the report provides some very interesting case studies of eight Appalachian counties and how they're surviving – or not – economically. In Central Appalachia, the report looks at Morgan County, OH; Pendelton and Calhoun Counties, WV; Pike and Bell Counties, KY; Avery County, NC; and Johnson County, TN. (Download the report here; be warned, it can take awhile!) The Knoxville News Sentinel recently ran an editorial about the report, noting that: The study's authors found some counties participated in and benefitted from regional development efforts. Location and education levels, not surprisingly, were strong influences on economic performance.   The authors warned that a reliance on the coal industry, particularly is Central Appalachia, "conflicts with the need for long-term economic diversification and sustainability."   Tourism was a common theme in the report as one such method for that diversification. The report concludes with a series of recommendations, some for the ARC, and some for Appalachian counties themselves. Those recommendations include: "embrac[ing] the Internet and social networking to promote tourism, build community, encourage local buying, and increase government services and transparency "develop[ing] youth leadership programs and encourage youth participation in entrepreneurship, college mentoring, and planning projects." devoting more resources to tourism development (marketing and hospitality) and "ducation, leadership development, and entrepreneurship programs." partnering with academic institutions for educational programs, services,...

Real Food – Real Local – Real Good Institute

We wanted to let you know about an upcoming event from 30 Mile Meal in the local food haven of Athens, Ohio.  Real Food – Real Local – Real Good Institute  July 10th through 12th in Athens, Ohio – Home of the 30 Mile Meal The Local Foods movement is transforming what we eat, increasing earnings for farmers and other food-related entrepreneurs, and strengthening community sustainability and food security. Southeast Ohio is at the forefront in building a local foods system and economy. This conference will share our collective lessons learned, our responses to the inherent challenges, provide ideas and models that can be replicated, and offer opportunities to see first hand how even disadvantaged regions can make Local Foods a community assest and a source of pride and greater prosperity.  See below for the agenda and how to register! See a PDF with conference schedule, workshop descriptions and tour information.  Click here for registration information. Cost is $125, or $50 for one day.   Tuesday, July 10th Connect with people, ideas, tools and resources    8 to 8:30 am REGISTRATION  8:30 to 9 am WELCOME   9 to 10 am Local Foods & Tourism Local Food Systems Assessment as Economic  Development   10:15 to 11:45 am Understanding Local Food Value Chains & How to Build Them in Your Community   11:45 am  to 12:30 pm LUNCH   12:30 pm to 2 pm Bird’s Eye View of the Athens Food Economy Understanding a Foodshed: Bioregionalism and the Local Food Movement...