Broken Ground

We don’t spend a lot of time thinking about where our trash ends up but, when you live next door to a landfill, you don’t have that luxury. The burning smell of chemicals, the flocks of circling vultures, the constant rumble of truck traffic and the accompanying exhaust are just the most obvious impacts of living near acres of garbage, especially when that garbage isn’t managed properly. Neighbors in rural eastern North Carolina never wanted any of this. They were told, back when plans were first floated to expand the county dump, that they wouldn’t have to worry about a massive future expansion or the arrival of toxic trash. So, when the footprint grew into the largest landfill in North Carolina and there was evidence that dangerous waste was making its way into the community’s water supply, residents took legal action, and made history in the process.Support the show

"Inland flooding" was a phrase that often needed explanation. Now all you need to say is "Helene". The storm that ravaged Appalachia was a stark reminder of a phenomenon that’s becoming more and more common – residents living far from the coast watching as their local river jumps its banks and inundates yards, homes, and businesses. For small towns with even smaller budgets, disasters like this can accelerate a community's decline. But in Fair Bluff, North Carolina, town officials have responded to two devastating downtown floods with some innovative ideas and lots of outside help. Now, the town is on a new path, holding a ribbon cutting for its newly-constructed "Uptown", and providing a model for one way to manage the long process of flood recovery. Rebuilding in the wake of a flood takes time, money, creativity, and community. Join us to hear how one town is putting those to good use.Support the show

How can a power source that creates more climate warming emissions than coal be called renewable? This is the paradox of wood pellets, a type of biomass being burned at industrial scale to produce electricity overseas. And it’s not just the global climate that’s paying the price for this greenwashing. Pellet producers are fanning out across the southern U.S., razing forests, and wreaking havoc in communities forced to host their polluting facilities. So what happens when one neighborhood decides to stand its ground and push for stronger protections? Meet the Southerners who finally got the pellet industry to listen.Support the show

Is that fresh-caught fish safe to eat? In too many rivers across the rural South, the answer is a hard 'no.' Failing sewage systems, agricultural runoff, and politically powerful polluters have all contributed to worrisome water quality in some of our most treasured southern waterways. And, too often, state regulators are little help. It begs the question: Do people enjoying that water have a right to know what's in it? The team at Coosa Riverkeeper in Alabama has answered that question with a resounding 'yes.' Listen to learn how they're using every tool in their tacklebox to ensure folks understands the risks, and many rewards, of enjoying Alabama's beautiful and biodiverse waterways. Support the show