Our work is concentrated in the five-state section of Central and Southern Appalachia. Learn more about the different areas of focus for each state.
North Carolina
North Carolina is our home state. Appalachian Voices was founded in Boone, N.C., in 1997 with the vision of promoting deeper awareness and appreciation of the Appalachian region. After 20 years, we have grown into a nationally recognized advocate for the communities and ecology of the area. With our headquarters still in Boone, plus staff in Raleigh and Asheville, we have the Tar Heel state well covered.
Coal Ash
From community organizing to water testing to policy advocacy, we are at the forefront of forcing Duke Energy and the state to address the coal ash crisis.
Fracking and Pipelines
“Clean” natural gas is a myth, and proposals to build huge pipelines here pose one of the greatest environmental threats in our region today.
Energy Democracy
Driving the movement to ensure all citizens have access to affordable, clean energy.
Virginia
Appalachian Voices opened an office in Charlottesville, Va., in 2007 to help organize citizen opposition to a proposed coal-fired power plant in Wise County. Through that work, we established strong roots in the Old Dominion, and today it’s our second largest office. In 2015, we opened an office in Norton, in the heart of coal country in Southwest Virginia, to deepen our work with local citizens and leaders to diversify the region’s economy as coal continues to decline.
Appalachian Voices is a member of the Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative and supports the Mission and Vision of the Collaborative.
New Economy
Forging partnerships with people of diverse interests to work toward our common goal of reviving the region’s economic well-being.
Fracking and Pipelines
“Clean” natural gas is a myth, and proposals to build huge pipelines here pose one of the greatest environmental threats in our region today.
Mountaintop Removal
Thirty years of satellite imaging show how mountaintop removal is moving ever closer to people’s homes.
Tennessee
Volunteering is at the heart of our organization, and we have a long track record of working in the Volunteer State, including advocating for protection of Tennessee’s mountain ridges. With an office in Knoxville, we are currently focused on promoting affordable financing through rural electric cooperatives for citizens to make energy efficiency home improvements to save energy, strengthen the local economy and protect the environment.
Energy Democracy
Driving the movement to ensure all citizens have access to affordable, clean energy.
Mountaintop Removal
Thirty years of satellite imaging show how mountaintop removal is moving ever closer to people’s homes.
Kentucky
For more than a decade, Appalachian Voices has worked shoulder-to-shoulder with many of Kentucky’s nonprofit organizations — including Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, Kentucky Riverkeeper and Appalachian Citizens Law Center — to defend the mountains, waters and communities of the Bluegrass state. In 2015, Appalachian Voices and our partners achieved a major milestone in protecting the state’s waters after a protracted legal battle with the coal industry and state regulators.
Mountaintop Removal
Thirty years of satellite imaging show how mountaintop removal is moving ever closer to people’s homes.
Citizen Enforcement
In the absence of strong government oversight of the coal industry, Appalachian Voices and others take action to protect the environment.
New Economy
Forging partnerships with people of diverse interests to work toward our common goal of reviving the region’s economic well-being.
West Virginia
We partner with a range of organizations in West Virginia to fend off harmful projects like mountaintop removal coal mines and proposed fracked-gas pipelines. Our partners include Coal River Mountain Watch, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, and West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.
Mountaintop Removal
Thirty years of satellite imaging show how mountaintop removal is moving ever closer to people’s homes.
Citizen Enforcement
In the absence of strong government oversight of the coal industry, Appalachian Voices and others take action to protect the environment.
New Economy
Forging partnerships with people of diverse interests to work toward our common goal of reviving the region’s economic well-being.
