WNC Alliance Celebrates 30 Years

Posted on 9.10.12

Photos by WNCA

On September 15, join members and supporters of WNC Alliance in celebration of 30 years of grassroots environmental advocacy in Western North Carolina. There is no better way to celebrate than with more advocacy! The gathering will include a series of workshops (in conjunction with the Southern Green Living Expo) followed by an evening celebration at the newly opened Aloft Hotel in downtown Asheville.

“Western North Carolina Alliance empowers citizens to be advocates for livable communities and the natural environment of Western North Carolina,” reads their mission statement that emphasizes the importance of harmony between people and the natural world. WNCA works with communities in 23 counties to improve the quality of development and preserve the unique rural character of our region.

WNCA’s efforts have included rural recycling programs in Macon, Madison, Jackson, and Yancy counties; a statewide transportation reform group called the North Carolina Alliance for Transportation Reform, and a successful nine-year campaign to stop clear-cutting in the national forests. Most recently, and with help from RiverLink, the French Broad River Paddle Trail was officially opened, featuring more than 120 miles of the river and seven campsites along the way.

Workshops at the Southern Green Living Expo are “Beyond Coal: Economic Opportunities for a Coal-Free Asheville,” “Citizen Activism,” “Clean Water, Clean Air, Good Jobs,” and “Money Trees.”

The free evening celebration is open to the public and takes place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Aloft Asheville Downtown. The event will feature a great keynote, refreshing libations, delicious appetizers, the presentation of our Esther Cunningham Award, an update on WNCA’s 2012 successes and plans for the coming year, and lots of friendly faces who share a love for our mountains! RSVP to the reception at AnnaJane@wnca.org.

WNCA is honored to have Robert Cox, former president of the Sierra Club, author, and professor emeritus of Communication Studies at UNC Chapel Hill, as the keynote speaker for the evening reception. He is the author of Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere (2010), and several articles on environmental and climate change communication. He currently serves as vice president of the Sierra Club for Mission/Strategy, where he advises on long-term challenges and strategic implications for the organization. He advises and leads campaigns for wilderness, public lands protection, energy policy, and other environmental concerns in the U.S. Congress for the past 30 years.

If you would to earn a free ticket to that day’s expo in return for volunteering at the WNCA booth, email AnnaJane@wnca.org. Volunteers are still needed for all shifts:

- Friday: 1:30 p.m.-4 p.m.
- Saturday: 9:30 a.m.-noon
- Sunday: 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Sunday: 3 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

The U.S. Cellular Center is located at 87 Haywood Street. For more information on the Southern Green Living Expo, visit online southerngreenlivingexpo.com and thelaurelofasheville.com/southern-green-living-expo.html. For more information WNCA, visit online at wnca.org.