Colored Glass: Recycled, But Not Yet in Floyd
Good news! Glass recycling comes to the Greater Roanoke Valley during the week of April 17 through April 22nd. As part of its Earth Day activities, Hollins University, in conjunction with Students for Environmental Action, is sponsoring this recycling event. Their goal is to collect 2000 pounds of residential glass as well as collecting data about the potential volume that is available in this region. The greater Roanoke Valley community is invited to bring their household glass to the recycling center at Hollins....
Read MoreWendell Berry: 17 Rules for Sustainable Economies
This seems like a pretty good starting point in facing Floyd County’s future. Do you see “rules” you disagree with or others with which you could both agree and contribute? Wendell Berry is a strong defender of family, rural communities, and traditional family farms. These underlying principles could be described as ‘the preservation of ecological diversity and integrity, and the renewal, on sound cultural and ecological principles, of local economies and local communities: 1. Always ask of any...
Read MorePlenitude
I like the word. It conveys the sense of having enough but not in excess, an emphasis on need, not want. I heard the author, Juliet Schor, interviewed on NPR recently. I stopped what I was doing because this lady was making good sense and was saying things I’ve heard said over coffee and at board meetings in Floyd in the past months. I’d like to think I’ll stop what I’m doing, order the book, read it, and translate its wisdom into my life on Goose Creek, in Floyd County and the changing...
Read MoreFloyd: Economic Production vs Environmental Protection
Following are excerpts from an article on the unique economic approach to sustainability underway in Floyd County. Read it all in the March-May issue of Appalachian Voice (page 9) or click on the link, then click again to enlarge the page and read the article. …“We hope to continue to further develop the entrepreneurial spirit here by being a vital community with local foods, strong telecommunications, live music downtown five days per week, arts classes and great recreational assets,” says (Lydeana)...
Read MoreWe Vote With Our Forks
“Peak” is a popular word these days—in particular when used before the word oil. But Peak Dirt? The concept refers to topsoil or, to be more specific, topsoil depletion. Earth, on average, is covered with about 3 feet of topsoil and this shallow skin of nutrient-rich matter sustains most of our food and plays a critical role in supporting life. “The estimate is that we are now losing about 1 percent of our topsoil every year to erosion, most of this caused by agriculture,”...
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