Mountain Aid Festival in NC, June 19-20

Kathy Mattea, a self- described "recovering country music star," will be the host and feature performer at the Mountain Aid festival June 19th and 20th. Others appearing include Donna the Buffalo, the Slim Redmond Band, and Ben Sollee. This year's proceeds will go to the Pennies of Promise campaign, to build a school for the children of Marsh Fork Elementary. Their current school, in Raleigh County, West Virginia, is threatened by a coal sludge impoundment in the hills above them.

Mountain Aid 2009 will be held at the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival farm, near Pittsboro, North Carolina. Tickets are $22.50 in advance and $30 on the concert day; kids are free. Gates will open at noon on June 19th. Tent camping is $10, vehicle camping, $4.

Robert Redford Gets LEAF Award

As Earth Month draws to a close, let's recognize Duke University's brand new LEAF Award, for Lifetime Environmental Achievement in the Fine Arts.

Robert Redford received the first LEAF during Duke's Reunion Activities. The photo at left is from Duke News. Since the early 70's, he has shown his concern for the environment and the arts in his films, and has used his talents and resources to share it with others. He has taken a leadership role in non-profits such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Apollo Alliance. He has lobbied Congress and convened conferences on these issues.

"Robert Redford’s body of work as an actor, director, producer . . . highlights the critical but often underappreciated role artists can play in inspiring people to take action for the environment,” said William L. Chameides, dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment.

For more information about the award or Redford's long career, see The Duke LEAF Award. The site includes video of the award ceremony and audio of Redford's acceptance speech.

At News 14's interview, Redford was asked how the award would be compared with getting an Oscar. He said, "I like this a lot."

Sunshine, Please

After many days of rain, everyone is ready to get out. Let's play in the sun, and dig in the dirt! If you are ready to plant something, check out the native plant sales in the area. Native plants require less work, and grow better and easier than other species. They behave themselves, and don't require you to trim them (with a machete) in a couple of years. Some non-natives are invasive, even pretty ones like wisterias and English ivy.

The NC/SC Native Plant Sale is this weekend, at the Museum of York County on Saturday, April 4, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The sale features iris, cardinal flower, butterfly weed, and native blueberry plants.

Greenville, SC hosts a Native Plant Society Sale on Saturday, April 18, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The sale will be held by the Upstate Chapter in the parking lot of Jeff Lynch Appliances in Greenville. Here is its Flyer, SCNPS_09Spring_sale.pdf.

Also on April 18, from 9 a.m. to noon, is the Spring Native Plant Sale and Bog Garden Workshop. The Lowcountry Chapter of the SC Native Plant Society presents it in the parking lot of Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, in Charleston. They also offer the Bog Garden Workshop at 10:00 a.m. Here is that Plant Sale Flyer/Poster.

Look for several events on the 25th: first, the TLC Irvin Learning Farm Primavera Preview, a mouthful that I can't say three times fast. Another event in North Carolina that day is the Duke Gardens Plant and Craft Festival, with music, crafts, and more.

The South Carolina Botanical Garden Plant Sale is also on April 25th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. You can talk to Master Gardeners there about plant selection and care. All proceeds benefit the SC Botanical Garden at Clemson, 295 acres of natural landscapes, gardens, streams, and nature trails. I really want to see the 400 varieties of camellias there!

Blue Balloons!

"Bless your buttons," my Grandmother used to say. That was my feeling, when I saw the blue balloon buttons all over the area on the Earth Hour map. Thank you to Laurens, and Columbia, South Carolina for joining in; we are so glad you are participating. In North Carolina we see Wilmington, New Bern, Fayetteville, Raleigh, Carrboro, Winston-Salem, Davidson, Charlotte, Asheville, and Dillsboro are turning off the power switches. We thank you, and thank all the companies and organizations supporting this world-wide effort.

We can all act to conserve our Earth's resources, and we can think about making wiser choices in our everyday actions to protect our environment. Please join in by turning off on Saturday, at 8:30 p.m. How beautiful the sky will be as we look up together, and see the heavens in their own natural light!

Community Winners

One award was given to Jasper County, SC, to help in the restoration of their farmer's market in Ridgeland. You'll enjoy the video on their website, about how an old bean shed became Jasper County Farmer's Market and Auction Center. This season, the retail market will be open on Fridays, beginning April 24.

At Riverview Charter School in Beaufort, volunteers from the Ward Edwards Company will help start a school-community program. Students will be able to learn about the region's local history, culture, and natural environment. In Hardeeville, they will work with the Jasper County School District in curriculum development. The High School and the Middle School Math/Science and Engineering Academy will be involved.

Lowcountry Local First, of North Charleston, SC, received a grant. The dollars will go toward LLF's development of Farm Fresh Food Guide, a local food directory to go online this spring. Another innovation of LLF, in partnership with the SC Department of Agriculture, is already in place: A few dozen restaurants have agreed to buy at least 25% of their menu from the State's sources. They display the Fresh on the Menu logo, shown at left.

And one of the stewardship awards went to the City of Savannah, GA, to make the city more bicycle friendly. This supports their Thrive Initiative; it began when the Mayor and City Council members signed a pledge to do everything they could to promote a healthy, sustainable environment in Savannah.

These five projects will receive a total of $9,000 in grants or in-kind contributions in this year's Healthy Community Grant Program. The competition, sponsored by the Ward Edwards Company, encourages non-profit organizations that want to improve the environment in coastal South Carolina and Georgia.

“New ideas, like the projects promoted by our grants, are the best economic development, and we need that more than ever in these difficult financial times,” said Allen Ward, President of Ward Edwards. Congratulations to the winners; and also to the company, for their vision and important contributions to the area.

Lead on, Lincolnton!

This just in: We have our first Earth Hour 2009 city in the Carolinas! Around 25 students from Lincolnton High School attended a City Council meeting to make a request. The students, members of the AP Earth and Environmental Science class, proposed that their town participate in Earth Hour and turn off all non-essential lights at 8:30 p.m. on March 28. The petition was granted, and Lincolnton, NC became the first Earth Hour city in the Carolinas. Thanks to your young people for leading the way!

An Hour's Difference

We are enjoying our beautiful weather today! This is one of the lovely times of year when the temperatures are so comfortable, heating or cooling is unnecessary.

Time went forward an hour this weekend for Daylight Savings, and as we adapt to the change in routines, I'm thinking of another hour marking this month. Our readers have asked us to participate in Earth Hour 2009, on March 28th, at 8:30 p.m. It is a collaborative effort (that's what we like best), working to bring the world's attention to how much energy we use, how much we need, and how we can conserve it.

Earth Hour is a global 'wave,' like arms up in concert at an arena. Like a voice or instrument raised in song, it can be wonderful; but with many voices in synchronicity, the effect is fantastic. We participated last year, and the family delighted in candlelight and darkness so much that it has been repeated-- and again requested-- just for the fun of it. Let the kids prepare by playing at a place just for them.

In looking at the web site for Earth Hour, there are no Carolina towns or businesses signed up to participate. The closest city to us listed is Atlanta. Atlanta! We love 'em, but hey, if they can rock it, then surely we can too!

So we are challenging ourselves to see who can be the Carolina leader in Earth Hour. We are writing and talking to towns and cities and businesses. Help us in asking them to put us on the Earth Hour map. We can have a fun community event that will save us money in energy bills!