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EarthSolidarity™ Initiatives are endeavors to which anyone can contribute in deed as well as in spirit, that
- minimize waste and environmental impacts
- increase community resilience
- respect and protect ecosystem processes and all forms of life
- contribute to good living conditions for everyone around the globe
- affirm and celebrate our interdependence and interrelatedness in the Web of Life!
Residential glass collection program to launch in November, as Knoxville startups tackle sustainability
Written by MaryBeth Mahne
This article was originally published on WUOT in a collaboration with students from the University of Tennessee's Department of Journalism and Media
Two Knoxville-based startups are tackling the challenges of waste and sustainability, one household at a time
KnoxFill, founded by Dr. Michaela Barnett, is the city’s only refillery, and provides household and food products, ranging from shampoo and laundry detergent to coffee and tea.
Vitriform3D, a 3D printer technology focused on using glass waste and converting it into architectural building products, was founded by Alex Stiles, PhD and Dustin Gilmer, PhD.
Both businesses are filling a void left by a lack of state and local policies to address sustainability issues, and by the logistics challenges of recycling. “We know from the science that recycling can be part of a sustainable waste management program, but it really comes after trying to reduce source waste,” Barnett said. “Recycling really should be a last resort.”
Vitriform3D offers consumers the chance to recycle, and know that their recyclables are also being re-used. Knoxville has long lacked easy glass recycling capabilities; currently, residents have to transport their own glass to one of five repositories around the city. “We’re launching a service we call Fourth & Glass, Stiles said. “That is Knoxville’s first dedicated glass only recycling program. We do have the equipment to handle glass and turn it into new products.”
- knoxfill
- dr michaela barnett
- vitriform3d
- dustin gilmer
- alex stiles
- fourth & glass
- wuot
- glass recycling
- recycling in knoxville
- residential glass
- waste management
- knoxville
- extended producer responsibility
- single use plastic
- singlestream recycling
- glass processing
- 3d printing with glass
- waste management policy
Great Smoky Mountains National Park implements backcountry fire restrictions
GATLINBURG — Due to dry conditions and the increased risk for wildfires, the National Park Service (NPS) is temporarily banning backcountry campfires in Great Smoky Mountains National Park effective immediately. The fire restriction will be in effect until further notice.
“We are experiencing dry conditions throughout the park, in both North Carolina and Tennessee,” said Deputy Superintendent Alan Sumeriski. “With dry conditions persisting over the next week, it is imperative that we reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires.”
The fire restriction only applies to campers using the park’s 100 backcountry sites and shelters. It does not affect campers at the park’s front country (developed) campgrounds or picnickers using fire grills at picnic areas. Fires in developed areas must always be confined to designated fire rings and grills. The NPS asks front country campers to reduce the risk of wildfires by extinguishing fires completely until ashes are cool to the touch. Backpackers may use stoves with compressed gas canisters.
The NPS is working with multiple area agencies in response to current and predicted weather and fuel conditions. Visitors should use extra caution recreating on public lands including national parks and national forests in North Carolina and Tennessee when fire danger is increased.
Obed WSR announces restrictions on backcountry fires
WARTBURG — Obed Wild & Scenic River officials announced a temporary ban on campfires in the park’s backcountry effective immediately. Due to abnormally dry weather conditions and the amount of fresh leaf litter on the ground, the potential for escaped fires to occur in the backcountry has greatly increased. The fire restriction will be in effect until further notice.
The fire ban does not affect campers at Rock Creek Campground or picnickers using fire grills at picnic areas. Fires at developed areas must be confined to designated fire rings and grills. All visitors are asked to take certain precautions to help reduce the risk of wildfires. This includesextinguishing front country fires by mixing water with embers in fire rings and grills. Use of backpacking stoves is still permitted at backcountry campsites.
“With the current drought conditions, it is imperative that we mitigate the risk of human-caused wildfires during this period of high fire danger,” said Superintendent Niki Stephanie Nicholas.
“The park has not banned backcountry campfires since November 2016, but these unusually dry conditions warrant the restriction.”
More information about backcountry trip planning, please visit the park visitor center or call 423-346-6294.
‘Save Money, Save Energy’ Expo — at Ijams this Sunday
Federal and local funding opportunities available at all income levels
KNOXVILLE — As the weather turns colder, many Knoxvillians start to worry about home heating bills. Fortunately, energy efficiency incentives and funding programs are available to Knoxvillians of all income levels through federal tax credits and rebates. Free local funding is available for qualifying customers of KUB through the “Home Uplift” program. Many Knoxvillians are unaware of these opportunities or unsure of how to access the funding programs.
Family-friendly Home Energy Expo
The local organizations that cooperate with small local businesses in the Save Money, Save Energy program and the expo and workshop at Ijams are the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE), Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB), Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development (SEEED), Sierra Club – Harvey Broome Group, Three3 (pronounced three cube) and Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light (TIPL).
Home Energy Expo at Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920 — Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Save Money, Save Energy workshop starts at 2:30 p.m. (RSVP recommended to secure a seat)
Little River Run 5K November 18, 2023
Join Keep Blount Beautiful (KBB) and Little River Watershed Association (LRWA) for a run (or walk!) by the Little River in view of the Great Smoky Mountains for the 5th Annual Little River Run 5K at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Townsend Abbey. This race is a great way to support a clean, green and beautiful Blount County. The Little River Run encourages participants to engage with their community, enjoy the beauty of Blount County and help spread the message of environmental stewardship. All proceeds will support the many free events, programs and educational initiatives including litter pickups, stream cleanups, invasive removals, recycling events and educational programs.
In-person and virtual options for the race: This will be a chip-timed event. Participants of all ages are welcome. Race tickets will be $30 beginning, Sept. 5. Race registration increases to $35 starting Nov. 13. Children 12 and under can register for a rate of $15 at any time. Registration will also be available on race day. Virtual race runners are not chip-timed and are at a flat rate of $30.
Tennessee Tree Day
It’s that time of year again — time to reserve your trees for Tennessee Tree Day 2024. Reserve yours now and plan on picking them up on March 15th or 16th and planting them that weekend. Here are some special things to know about this year’s statewide native-tree-planting extravaganza:
- This is the 10th Annual Tennessee Tree Day
- You have more than 12 native species to choose from
- Plant at home, on the farm, or anywhere you have permission to plant
- You have more than 150 pick-up sites to choose from
- We anticipate planting our one millionth tree in 2024 — we want you to be part of this historic milestone. (We founded the Tree Program in 2007 with a goal of planting one million trees. You can help us cross the finish line!)
Arbor Day Bonus: $4.3 mil in FED grants means more Knoxville trees
Please join Mayor Kincannon, City Council members, Trees Knoxville and University of Tennessee leaders, and others at the City Tree Board’s Arbor Day tree-planting at 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, at Harriet Tubman Park, 300 Harriet Tubman St.
Thanks to two federal grants totaling $4.3 million, tree lovers hoping to expand Knoxville’s canopy — especially in neighborhoods needing it the most — are especially joyful this Arbor Day.
The federal government has awarded $1.7 million to Trees Knoxville, a City nonprofit partner, to plant and maintain 7,500 trees along streets, in parks, at schools, in public housing communities, in historic African-American cemeteries and elsewhere.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was awarded another $2.6 million to increase tree canopy coverage, reduce stormwater runoff, mitigate extreme heat and bring ecosystem services to underserved communities in East Knoxville.
Both tree grants were funded through the federal Inflation Reduction Act, touted as the biggest climate investment in U.S. history.
“The investments made possible by these federal grants will be transformative,” Mayor Indya Kincannon said. “We’re going to reverse the slow decline of tree canopy, and in fact prioritizing the greening up of areas that we know are the most in need of additional plantings.”
Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful receives State Recycling Award for Cigarette Litter Prevention Program with Dollywood
Written by Kathleen Gibi
Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful (KTNRB) was just named 2023 Nonprofit Recycler of the Year
Since the project launched at Dollywood in 2021, the program has led to the plastic getting recycled from approximately 350,000 cigarette butts. The project also made Dollywood the first theme park in the world to recycle the plastic from every cigarette butt collected in guest-facing receptacles on its property.
“We’re so proud of this honor, more than anything because of the commitment from Dollywood and the other supporting partners who worked to ensure that this trailblazing collaboration would protect the Tennessee River watershed from the harmful effects cigarette litter,” said Kathleen Gibi, KTNRB Executive Director.
“Taking the effort to the next step of recycling the plastic from otherwise discarded cigarette waste makes it all the more impactful and is yet the latest example of Dollywood’s reputation of working toward the greater good.”KTNRB was able to provide Dollywood with 26 art-wrapped cigarette receptacles through a collaboration of grants and sponsorships from Keep America Beautiful, Keep Tennessee Beautiful, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the American Eagle Foundation.
Celebrate the history of the Smokies at Daisy Town Day on Nov. 4
GATLINBURG — Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers and volunteers invite the public to Daisy Town Day in the Elkmont Historic District on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Daisy Town Day is a celebration honoring those who lived, worked and played in the area before the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
As part of the celebration, volunteers in historical clothing will share stories and photos of the Daisy Town area in its heyday. At the Appalachian Clubhouse, visitors can watch a 1928 home movie showing the Daisy Town area, listen to music by local band Wild Blue Yonder, and explore exhibits spotlighting daily Daisy Town life. All cabins will be open to the public.
For almost 150 years, the Elkmont area was home to Little River Lumber Company, one of the largest logging companies that operated in the pre-park years. But by the early 1900s, the area became a popular vacation destination for members of Knoxville’s Appalachian Club. Beginning in 1910, the Appalachian Club leased land from the lumber company to create a hunting and fishing camp and build vacation homes. At one time there were over 80 structures in the area, including Daisy Town and nearby Society Hill and Millionaire’s Row. Today 18 restored buildings tell the story of the history of tourism in the Smokies. Friends of the Smokies, the park’s philanthropic partner, has helped fund restoration of many of the Daisy Town buildings.
Daisy Town is near Elkmont Campground, which is approximately 6 miles west of Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. For more information call the visitor center at 865-436-1291.
No one trashes Tennessee — It’s No Trash November
It’s time for the 3rd annual No Trash November
This year Tennessee is out to make history again. All volunteer groups who regularly pick up litter on Tennessee roadways will rally together and host a cleanup event in November — cleaning up Tennessee right before friends and families visit for the holidays.
Waste at Smokey Mountain Smelters finally sealed
Written by Ben PoundsEPA consolidated toxic South Knoxville smelter refuse in single on-site landfill.
KNOXVILLE — The Smokey Mountain Smelters site is in the Vestal Community at 1508 Maryville Pike near Montgomery Village Apartments.
“We are excited to announce the cleanup at Smokey Mountain Smelters has been completed,” EPA remedial project manager Peter Johnson said.
From the 1920s through the 1960s, agricultural and chemical companies operated at the site before Smokey Mountain Smelters, also known as Rotary Furnace Inc., came to the location in 1979. The company melted scrap aluminum and aluminum dross together to cast the byproduct into aluminum bars. These operations continued until 1994.
Johnson has said in other talks the dross and saltcakes left over from the process react with water, releasing heat and ammonia gas. They leach aluminum, ammonia, chloride “and many other contaminants,” he said. Smokey Mountain Smelting’s toxins have flowed through groundwater into a tributary of Flenniken Branch, causing concerns about effects on fishing.
In 2010 the EPA placed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List (NPL) because of contaminated soils, sediment and surface water resulting from past industrial operations at the site. The EPA did some cleanup work in 2010 and 2011.
Annual Fontana lakeshore trash cleanup Nov. 3 - 5
Written by Hellbender PressVolunteers needed
Lake Fontana needs help cleaning up the shoreline trash. Led by Brandon Jones, Harbor Master at the Fontana Village Marina, this event is one of the most extensive cleanups on national park lands.
Jones won the 2023 Governor’s Conservation Achievement Award as the Public Lands Conservationist of the Year for his efforts. He has launched successful cleanup efforts for Lake Fontana in western North Carolina, where volunteers, park rangers and community members have come together for the last five years to remove more than 200,000 pounds of garbage from the lake and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park shoreline.
Through partnerships with organizations like the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and Mainspring Conservation Trust, the initiative has made a significant impact and inspired others to take ownership of the cleanup, making it the most extensive cleanup on national park lands.
Friends of the Smokies recognizes national, regional and student artists with ‘Plein Air Smokies’ awards
Written by Lauren Gass
More than 60 artists created one-of-a-kind paintings generating more than $319,000 to support Great Smoky Mountains National Park
MARYVILLE — Friends of the Smokies recently welcomed 80 artists to Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the 2nd Annual ‘Plein Air Smokies,’ an event that not only raises critical funds for the park, but also allows visitors to experience the on-site creation of park-inspired art. The event raised $319,000 in total revenue, including more than $167,000 in artwork sales.
“We are so grateful for this generation of talented artists who captured unique Smokies scenes that tell the story of the park today in much the same way as those early painters and photographers whose images inspired the creation of the park,” said Friends President Dana Soehn.
Twenty nationally acclaimed artists were selected from a juried pool of 100 artists. They spent the week creating 158 one-of-a-kind paintings in places like Cades Cove, Clingmans Dome, Newfound Gap Road and Elkmont. Artwork was judged by renowned Plein Air artist, Mark Hanson, who awarded the following six artists with special recognition: Best of Show, Charles Newman; Artists’ Choice/Body of Work, Kathie Odom; Best Use of Light, Marc Anderson; Best Water, Christine Lashley; Best Structure, Lindsay Richard Sneary; and Best Landscape, Richie Vios.
Join a community of Tennesseans carving out gardens to attract, feed and nurture pollinating wildlife
Through Generate Some Buzz, the Tennessee Environmental Council aims to engage hundreds of Tennesseans in establishing new pollinator habitats statewide. All gardens, both big and small are welcome and by participating in this program, you are joining a vibrant community of Tennesseans committed to protecting our pollinators, one plot at a time.
Populations of many pollinator species like bees, butterflies, moths, beetles and hummingbirds have been negatively impacted by agricultural practices such as using synthetic pesticides, disease and habitat loss. These creatures are experiencing a drastically different world compared to just a few decades ago.
Native pollinators depend on native plants to provide habitat and food, and plants need pollinators to help them reproduce. In fact, pollinators assist in the reproduction of 75 percent of flowering plants worldwide. Turning manicured lawns that provide little to nothing for pollinators into havens full of native flowers and wild grasses, we will effectively "Generate Some Buzz" and bring back these essential workers full force.
Solar for All: An opportunity to expand alternative-energy access
Written by Southern Environmental Law Center
A competitive grant program to bring solar power to people with limited incomes has found huge demand in the South
CHARLOTTESVILLE — Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, as well as other tribal governments, municipalities and nonprofits submitted applications for Solar for All, a new program designed to expand solar access.
Part of the historic federal climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act passed last summer, the $7 billion program will fund rooftop solar projects benefiting communities with lower incomes and provide workforce development enabling millions of households’ access to affordable, resilient and clean solar energy and related jobs. These funds have the potential to double the number of rooftop solar customers with 100 percent of cost saving solar, benefiting customers that would not otherwise be able to access solar.
“This is a generational opportunity to enable low-income households in the South to access affordable, resilient, and clean solar energy,” Thompson said.
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Join SACE for a Clean Energy Generation webinar on Wed, Oct. 25 at 1:30 PM
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy invites people to join the “Clean Energy Generation.”
We’re gaining momentum as a movement that is rising to one of the greatest challenges of our time: the climate crisis. We’re pushing for new policies and practices and taking action, no matter how small — because it takes small ripples from people at all levels of engagement to create a tsunami of change.
At the second Clean Energy Generation webinar, SACE staff, including Executive Director, Dr. Stephen A. Smith, Climate Advocacy Director Chris Carnevale, and Climate Advocacy Coordinator Cary Ritzler, will talk about what the “Clean Energy Generation” is and how you can play a role, no matter your age, abilities, income or zip code.
SACE’s Executive Director will also share the ways he is taking clean energy action in his home, and how you don’t have to be an expert to connect with your community and make meaningful change: learning more is a good place to start. We’ll also show how small groups of neighbors, students and friends are coming together to accomplish specific climate-actions goals. And we’ll have time on the webinar to answer your questions.
Can’t make it? Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording plus a few follow-up resources.
The Clean Energy Generation is motivated by what our daily lives, communities, country, and planet will look like when clean energy replaces decades of dirty pollution from fossil fuels. We are working together for communities powered by clean energy with good jobs, clean air and water, clean transportation, a stable climate and affordable bills, where all of us can thrive.
Anderson County nuclear site gains $13.5 million from state, feds for cleanup
Written by Anila Yoganathan
American Nuclear Corporation leaked radioactive chemicals for years before it closed in 1972
This article was originally published by Tennessee Lookout.
CLAXTON — An East Tennessee site that has been contaminated for about 50 years with radioactive waste is set to be cleaned up with about $13.5 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation told Anderson County on October 9.
The American Nuclear Corporation site, located in Claxton, Tennessee, has been a source of concern for Anderson County Government for years. Local officials have reached out at various points since at least 2008 to the state, the EPA and their district’s congressmen for help on cleaning up the site, according to a compilation of county records distributed last year by then County Commissioner Catherine Denenberg to the county’s intergovernmental committee.
“I don’t know if we’re on camera, but in case we are, I am not going to dance but I am so darn excited about this!” County Mayor Terry Frank said after the announcement at the county’s intergovernmental meeting. “This is huge for Anderson County.”
In the 1960s, the American Nuclear Corporation “manufactured radiological sources for medical institutions,” a 2010 county application for the EPA’s National Brownfield Program grant said. The company had obtained source materials for their products from the Department of Energy. Isotopes that were handled included Cobalt-60 and Cesium-137, the application said.
“Poor housekeeping was a problem during the entire period that the plant was in operation, and is extensively documented in compliance letters by the Tennessee Department of Public Health — Division of Occupational and Radiological Health. ANC was repeatedly cited for violations involving radioactive material,” the application said.
- tracy wandell
- tennessee lookout
- american nuclear corporation
- anderson county
- nuclear waste cleanup
- tdec
- epa
- terry frank
- catherine denenberg
- melton hill dam
- steve sanders
- radiological contamination
- department of energy
- brownfield program
- tennessee department of public health — division of occupational and radiological health
Homeward bound: local students release hundreds of lake sturgeon into Tennessee River
Written by Casey Phillips
CHATTANOOGA — After bulking up all summer on a steady diet of bloodworms and brine shrimp, hundreds of juvenile lake sturgeon finally were returned to their ancestral waters this morning.
Under a nearly cloudless autumn sky, biologists from the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute and third through fifth grade students from Girls Inc. of Chattanooga’s Fall Break Camp gathered on the north bank of the Tennessee River in Coolidge Park.
One by one, they carefully made their way to the river’s edge holding clear, water-filled plastic buckets containing five-month-old lake sturgeon. Amidst excited squeals and nervous laughter, they squatted down, gently depositing each sleek, armor-skinned fish into the shallows.
This latest release “class” included 667 lake sturgeon. Comparatively tiny now, these miniature river giants have the potential to reach nine feet in length and could live for up to 150 years.
Reintroduction events like this are the capstone payoff to a summer spent tirelessly caring for and — most of all — feeding these sturgeon, says Reintroduction Biologist II Teresa Israel.
“It’s really special. It’s hard to see them go, but it’s a happy day since we’ve seen them get so big, so we know they’ll be successful out there,” she said. “It’s a great accomplishment that completes the circle for all our hard work.”
Lake Sturgeon are considered endangered in Tennessee. As recently as the 1970s, this species had disappeared from both waterways due to the impacts of damming, poor water quality and over-fishing. Today’s release is the latest in the now-23-year-old effort to bring Lake Sturgeon back to the Tennessee River and Cumberland River.
Despite strong US popular support for the UN, House Appropriations Bill wants to eliminate UN funding
NEW YORK — In a poll of nearly two thousand registered voters, 73% of respondents from across the political spectrum support America’s engagement with the United Nations.
Conducted by Morning Consult in August 2023, the survey finds that roughly two-thirds of Republicans and 86% of Democrats believe it’s important for the U.S. to “maintain an active role” in the UN.
UN favorability stood at 52%, with a plurality of Republicans saying they view the UN in a positive light.
More than half of all voters support paying full dues to the UN’s regular budget, and an even greater percentage (nearly 60%) are in favor of paying dues to the UN’s peacekeeping budget.
These numbers reflect similar nationwide data — including a 2023 survey by Pew Research — noting strong UN favorability among Americans.
What’s at stake?
The House budget proposal recommends eliminating funding for the UN regular budget — for the first time in history. That would cause the U.S. to lose its vote in the UN General Assembly!
Why that would be a grave and costly mistake is well explained by Jordie Hannum, Executive Director of the Better World Campaign.
This UN Day, make sure to tell your members of Congress that you support the UN’s mission.
Here are easy to follow help and sample scripts for your call and for leaving voice mail. Or, send them a customizable email message.
“As Congress considers making drastic cuts in U.S. contributions to the UN, this is a powerful reminder that Americans value the institution and want the U.S. to stay involved,” said Peter Yeo, President of the Better World Campaign. “The UN is a critical space for the U.S. to demonstrate our global leadership and support our allies. Americans clearly understand that it’s in our best interest to nurture this vital relationship.”