Appalachian
Alternatives
Appalachia -- Science in the Public Interest
Summer 2001 Number
68
Kentucky Solar Partnership
ASPI is now sponsoring
a new organization to help promote solar photovoltaic (electricity generated
from the sun) use in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This is actually part of
the Federal government's Million Roof Program. We have the support of
the solar advocates in the state and are working closely with many of them including
one of the utilities and even Lieutenant Governor Steve Henry. We hope to create
an atmosphere amenable to solar energy in a state which has been traditionally
committed to non-renewable coal, gas and oil. Kentucky and all of Appalachia
has more sun than non- renewables. ASPI is receiving a grant of $46,252 (along
with some matching money) from the U.S. Department of Energy to implement that
program.
The Partnership
program will include generating educational materials on solar energy (video-
tapes, handouts, slides), spending time promoting solar energy at schools, working
with the state government and utilities to allow solar-generated electricity
to be sold back into the grid system as is now done by a number of other states,
building three demonstration sites in Kentucky as well as a solar car port at
our Mt. Vernon office in the late summer or autumn, and developing a program
to build about a hundred solar roof sites with photovoltaic arrays. Joshua Bills,
the designer of our solar car, is acting as the program coordinator. When not
at the ASPI office or on the road he can be reached by phone at (859) 985-9032
or e-mail at sunbelievable@whale-mail.com
Garden Produce
We
have found that a number of leafy vegetables can still furnish greens during
the long hot summer when most people turn to tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, squash,
corn, and melons. Among the leafy candidates which were tops for us in 2001
include the following -Swiss Chard, Arugula, mint, parsley, beet greens, Chinese
pak choi, and Malabar climbing spinach. Others know ways of keeping the more
sensitive
greens cool and shaded enough to enjoy them in summer, but it takes creativity.
And summer is also a good time to review our garden mulching practices. The
ground needs to be covered in some way around most types of garden plants. Some
like to use black plastic but we have found it too hot, not natural material,
and capable of decompos ing in the sunlight. We prefer natural local materials
such as lawn cuttings, sawdust (under special conditians to give a more immediate
carbon/nitrogen balance), and straw -our favorite. The practice reduces loss
of moisture and curbs unwanted weeds, keeping the ground loose and cool. Many
swear by mulch as to improved yields resulting from its use.
Mt. Vernon organic gardens
Nature Center
Ben Perry, our
new development coordinator, is learning the ropes of ASPI to help bring the
organization more visibility when he acquires an expanded post in 2002. While
he is completing graduate work at the University of Kentucky during the coming
months he will focus on the Nature Center, because it is "our best kept
secret." Ben is seeking money from various foundations and agencies
to help with a capital building phase of adding exhibits of all the flora, fauna
and rock specimens of our Appalachia treasure for representation at the center.
He is also interested in attracting more youth to have a hands-on experience
at the Center and the adjacent organic gardens, nature trails, Solar House,
appropriate technology exhibits and the scenic Rockcastle River. One aspect
will be to carry the program to schools in the form of a multi~media presentation,
which he will be working on with Dan Bond.
Off-Road Vehicles
Sherman Bamford,
our new ORV coordinator, comes to us from Virginia where he was well known for
his forest advocacy work. He has been at work since mid~spring monitoring the
ORV use of both public and private lands in Laurel and Rockcastle counties.
We have received a grant from the Natural Trails and Waters Coalition to support
a portion of his work. Besides documenting use of off- limit areas and illegal
practices, he submitted comments for ASPI on a recent U.S. Forest Service proposal
to limit ORV use and to restore damaged areas in two Kentucky watersheds, including
the Rockcastle River watershed. Sherman is finishing up AGF's Wild Ginseng
Growers Manual. He is also preparing letters to the media and doing other
public awareness work on forest-related problems.
Ginseng
Updates
ASPI
Labs -Jack Kieffer has been furnishing extracts of ginseng leaves coming
from one month harvest intervals to the analytical labs of Eastern Kentucky
University with a summer student, Ben Estes, who is working under the immediate
direction of Professors Frank Shaw and Bill Schultz with high performance liquid
chromatograpbic equipment.
.
Medical Labs
-Professor Laura L. Murphy of the Southern Illinois University School of
Medicine used Yunker~grown organic ginseng root and found the extract decreased
the number of proliferating cancer cells (see the AGF Newsletter, summer, 2001
). She wants to collaborate with our team in analyzing ginseng root extracts
of various ages for ginsenoside compounds. This work seems extremely promising
and may be a way to promote high grade virtually wild ginseng in the future.
".'
GPS
Work- Growers are deeply concerned about the high rate of ginseng poaching
this year, and we are turning more attention to setting up a marketing card
program than to using GPS technology(which locates possible
or actual wild ginseng growing areas to a high degree of accuracy). In fact,
until we have marketing cards we are only answering specific questions for potential
growers.
ASPI
Productions
Eco-Tours:
An Appalachian Critique. Al Fritsch and Kristin Johannsen are expanding
the paper Al delivered to the Appalachian Studies Conference in the Spring into
a book which an Appalachian academic press is interested in publishing.
ASPI
Technical Paper -TP 67 "A Critique of Ecotourism in Appalachia,"
by Al Fritsch and Peggy Pollard, 6 pp.; TP 62 "Herb Growing in Appalachia"
by Ilse Ackerman, 8 pp.
The
2002 ASPI Simple Lifestyle Calendar, hopefully ready in late August,
will concentrate on the challenging theme "Appropriate Technology in Appalachia"
in preparation for our upcoming 25th anniversary celebration.
Wild
Ginseng Growers Manual (about forty-five pages) is due in the autumn
and contains all information necessary for producing virtually wild ginseng
in Appalachia. It will be a great resource for both beginners and experienced
ginseng growers.
Earth
Healing Programs. During the summer we have made a number of additional
videotaped programs including the following: "living with Active Beavers,"
with John Davis of the Deep Ecology Foundation (a former ASPI Intern) of Westport,
New York; "Marketing Ginseng: A Grading program," with Ginger Shelby
of Shauck, Ohio; "Intervale: Gardening and Composting in an Urban Area,"
with a compost operations director, a community gardener and a state representative/farmer
in Burlington, Vermont; and "Wurtland School: A Solar Academic Demonstration,"
near Ashland, Kentucky.
Environmental Resource Assessments
ASPI
first sponsored the Environmental Resource Assessment Service (known as the
RAS) in 1981 as part of the National Science Foundation's "Science for
Citizens." The program was to assist Mountain groups in three ways: to
make assessments to help them become model environmental groups; to have a steady
source of income for the assessors; and to show outside groups that Appalachia
has something positive to furnish the region. In time RAS reached out to more
and more groups beyond the Appalachian region. As of July, 2001 the RAS has
performed environmental resource assessments for 184 groups in 33 states (the
last three in this year include Rhode Island, Nebraska and Vermont), along with
one now being completed in Nova Scotia by Paul Gallimore.
The
ASPI Board is striving to keep our organization focused primarily on Appalachian
concerns, and thus is directing the disengagement of the RAS. Paul (who has
been performing assessments from the beginning of the Program) is moving the
operation to his long Branch Environmental Education Center near Leicester,
in western North Carolina. He is receptive to new assessment work. For the present
ASPI's Dan Bond is maintaining the RAS web site <www.kih.net/aspi/eras>
and is adding additional pertinent and updated material to it for those who
have in the past or are now receiving assessments.
Thanks
(from 4/1/2001 to 6/30/2001 according to the date received)
James R. Weber, Guy Maluda, Stewart Peebles, Mark & Joan Morgan, Darwin
& Celeste Jirles, John & Nancy Gallini, Katie larken, Mary Morgan, Joy
Forllines Crosby, Marikay Boles, John & Pat Ball, Robert & Sheila Adsit,
Ian Rudick, Howard Martin, John Freda, Warren Edwards, Joye Gros,OP., Catherine
Arnold, Ten Percent Committee/The
Church of the Epiphany, George & Bonnie Barnette, Ilse Ackerman, and George
Schloemer, and the following for other items: Eric Amon & Rev. Cynthia Cain
for a truck, Matthew Fritsch for a DVD Player, Beth Gunn for an Indian Poetry
book, & Glenn & Dorothy Grimm for periodicals.
Attention: Join the Staples Campaign
by contacting Devin Scherubel at http://www.stopstaples.net
Staples, the world's largest & fastest growing office supplier, deals heavily
in non-recycled paper products.
Wish List--ASPI would like to know of materials
(flora, fauna, rock or other specimens) which could be added to our Nature Center.
We are still seeking chemical equipment as well as scientific, nature and appropriate
technology periodicals and books. If uncertain as to utility, please call or
write by letter, fax or e-mail.
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For more information or to order contact: Ian Rudick, Come From
the Heart 1-888-622-0957
MAIN OFFICE,
RAS, & PUBLICATIONS
50 Lair Street, Mt. Vernon, KY 40456
Telephone & Fax 606-256-0077 e-mail: aspi@kih.net
DEMONSTRATION
CENTER & ASFC
Rt. 5 Box 423, Livingston, KY 40445
Telephone & Fax 606-453-2105