Find uplifting stories about heroes, innovations, and solutions
46 results for "appalachia"
When Hurricane Helene devastated Appalachia and federal aid stalled, local networks moved $100 million to survivors in weeks through decades of built trust. Their grassroots response offers a blueprint for climate-vulnerable communities worldwide.
The National Science Foundation just awarded up to $160 million to turn Appalachia into a world-class energy innovation center, with partner contributions bringing the total investment to $321 million. The 10-year initiative will create jobs, launch clean energy startups, and build on the region's legacy of powering America.
Google, Meta, and McKinsey just signed a major deal to remove over 131,000 tons of carbon by replanting forests on abandoned mines and degraded farmland across Appalachia. The project turns environmental wastelands into thriving ecosystems while creating jobs in rural communities.
Three major universities just won $321 million to transform Appalachia into America's next energy innovation powerhouse. The project promises to create 21,000 jobs and spark 150 new startups over the next decade.
Rural Appalachian communities could soon leapfrog their internet access challenges using satellite technology, after the House passed a bipartisan bill to study this innovative solution. For families and businesses in southern Ohio's mountainous terrain where fiber optic cables can't reach, this could unlock economic opportunities that have been out of reach for years.
A bourbon company is turning old mining land into thriving forests, planting hundreds of acres of white oak trees while paying landowners to help. The 20-year project will restore wildlife habitat and provide jobs across Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Three tech giants just committed to a decade-long project that will plant forests across 131,240 tonnes worth of abandoned Appalachian mine land while paying local landowners for restoration. The deal transforms environmental wastelands into thriving ecosystems and paychecks. #
Rusty orange streams polluting Appalachia for decades contain valuable rare earth metals needed for smartphones and wind turbines. Scientists have figured out how to extract them while cleaning the water.
Over 100 people gathered at Ohio University Zanesville to share powerful stories of overcoming addiction, poverty, and mental health struggles. The second annual summit proved that hope and community support can transform lives across Appalachia.
Scientists are turning toxic orange streams flowing from abandoned coal mines into a source of rare earth metals vital for smartphones, wind turbines, and military equipment. The breakthrough could clean up 13,700 miles of contaminated waterways while securing America's clean energy supply chain.
A former coal mine site in rural Virginia is getting a second chance as a native forest, and everyone's invited to help plant it. Residents will gather for a tree-planting cookout that turns environmental restoration into a community celebration.
After Hurricane Helene decimated populations of the rare hellbender salamander, the town of Boone, North Carolina united across party lines to demand federal protection for their cherished 2-foot amphibian neighbor. It's a story of community love for a creature that's become as much a part of Appalachian identity as the mountains themselves.
Three tech and business giants are funding a project to turn abandoned Appalachian coal mines and degraded farmland into thriving forests again. The initiative could unlock a pathway to restore millions of acres across America while boosting local economies.
Ron Necciai struck out 27 batters in a single nine-inning game in Bristol, Virginia in 1952, setting a record that still stands today. Two local sports lovers who witnessed that era recently passed, leaving behind legacies of dedication to athletics and community.
Students and faculty at Ohio University signed a steel beam that will become part of the new $50 million Violet L. Patton Center for Arts Education. The late donor's signature now joins theirs on a beam that symbolizes how arts education will transform campus and community for generations.
When Hurricane Helene buried Will Runion's farm under 8 feet of sand, he faced losing more than crops. Now scientists and farmers across Appalachia are pioneering new ways to rebuild soil and secure the future of mountain agriculture.
A small-town Virginia electric vehicle company just handed the keys to its first customer, proving you don't need Silicon Valley to build the future. Narro Trucks is creating high-paying manufacturing jobs in rural Appalachia while challenging West Coast dominance in the EV industry.
A nationwide reforestation program is rescuing five threatened and endangered species by restoring millions of acres of critical habitat. From grizzly bears in the Rockies to tiny squirrels in Appalachia, new forests are giving wildlife a fighting chance.
Musicians from across the globe are gathering in Toronto to celebrate the hammered dulcimer, an ancient percussion instrument that connects cultures from China to Appalachia. The first-ever Hammered festival brings together distant cousins of the instrument family for a cross-cultural musical conversation.
Poisonous wastewater from old coal mines is becoming America's newest source of vital rare earth minerals. Scientists are turning an environmental disaster into a clean energy solution.
Showing 20 of 46