In the 1990s, Elliot County, KY was declared the poorest county in the nation. But rather than going the usual route and focusing efforts on recruiting outside companies to come in, leaders took a different approach to the problem, and looked to build on their own strengths. Two decades later these efforts led by the […]
Jack and Teresa Stickney with their son Caleb are revitalizing an old Kentucky homestead near the Red River. The Stickneys grow and market shitake mushrooms as well as lead workshops on their use. They also participate in the Appalachian Carbon Partnership — they manage their woodlands in a sustainable manner, thereby sequestering carbon in their […]
For several months now, buses full of retired UMWA miners from all over the country have regularly converged upon St. Louis for protests against Peabody Energy and Arch Coal. Peabody and Arch transferred responsibility for the guaranteed lifetime health and pension benefits owed to some 22,000 miners, retired miners, and their families into a third […]
Bright Economic Future for the Mountain State, a West Virginia gathering held over labor day weekend, brought together entrepreneurs, policy experts, and grassroots organizations and leaders from across the state to address the urgent need for job creation and economic transition in the southern coalfields. The conference was modeled in part after Appalachia’s Bright Future, […]
