Petition: Ask Ingles, Walmart, Target, CVS and other businesses in NC to stop using disposable, single-use plastics.

Single-use plastics clog up Western North Carolina’s rivers and streams and break down into smaller and smaller pieces called microplastics. Once in waterways, these microplastics are consumed by aquatic life forms, which are then ingested by the larger organisms that eat them, including humans. The bioaccumulation of these plastics and the additives used to make them can be harmful or toxic to both wildlife and people.

Plastic pollution is a global problem. We all need to be part of the solution, including our grocers, retailers, and the business community. Sign our petition and join the movement for a Plastic-Free WNC. We’ll bring your signatures to local business owners and lawmakers and work with them to address our plastic pollution problem at the source.

Sign the Petition

WE WANT A PLASTIC-FREE WNC:

I believe it’s time for INGLES, WALMART, TARGET, CVS, AND OTHER BUSINESSES IN WNC to quit using disposable, single-use plastics. We don’t want plastic shopping bags and styrofoam forced onto us or our environment because:

plastics are made from a byproduct of hydrofracking, which includes fossil fuel extraction;
the oil and gas industry’s efforts to increase plastic production as a means to shore up their business model has been well documented;
oil refineries, plastic manufacturers, and incinerators tend to be located in low-income communities, which bear the brunt of the associated health impacts;
recycling is insufficient to meet these threats as plastic production is expected to increase 40 percent over the next decade, with plastic production accounting for 20 percent of global fossil fuel consumption. Less than 5 percent of plastic is recycled, and that percentage has been dropping since the implementation of China’s National Sword policy in January of 2018;
numerous studies have documented the prevalence of plastic carry-out bags littering the environment, blocking storm drains, becoming entangled in treetops, and fouling public areas;
curbing the supply of single-use plastic will expand the lifespan of local landfills;
numerous studies have shown the negative environmental and health effects of plastics and the chemicals used to produce them;
styrene, the main ingredient in polystyrene, has been declared a probable carcinogen by the NIH, National Research Council, the World Health Organization, and others;
plastic bags and other plastic products are a substantial source of marine debris, responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of marine animals each year;
studies have shown the presence of microplastics in terrestrial and marine life systems throughout the entire planet, resulting in wholesale contamination of the food supply due to the proliferation of plastic litter and plastic breakdown products;
plastic bags cause operational problems at recycling processing facilities, landfills, and transfer stations, and contribute to litter throughout the WNC region;
numerous states and cities throughout the United States have enacted single-use plastic bag plastic bans, resulting in dramatic decreases in plastics waste; and
many countries throughout the world have banned plastic bags and/or single-use plastics, including China, Germany, Great Britain, Denmark, Ireland, India, Eritrea, Benin, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Mali, Tunisia, Malawi, Mauritania, The Gambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Burkina Faso, Zambia, Cameroon, Morocco, Togo, Cabo Verde, Burundi, and Guinea-Bissau; and
single-use plastics break down into microplastics which have been found and quantified in all our region’s watershed.

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC Intern Description

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC Intern

About Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC & Position Description:

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC is a program of MountainTrue, a regional nonprofit organization championing resilient forests, clean waters, and healthy communities in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. We know that healthy communities exist within the context of a healthy environment — and right now, both are threatened. There is a housing crisis across the country, with many hard-working families unable to find an affordable place to live. There is also a climate crisis, with greenhouse gas emissions threatening the stability of all our planet’s ecosystems and biodiversity. Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC advocates for building dense, infill housing within existing communities as a way to increase the housing supply for our neighbors while also minimizing carbon emissions by decreasing vehicle miles traveled, preserving farms and forests from additional sprawl development, and reducing energy demand by building small, multi-family housing instead of large, single-detached housing. An intern for Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC will support program goals by creating social media content, conducting general program outreach, event planning, research on best practices in the pro-housing movement, and more.

Start date: Flexible within the month of January 2024
End date: Flexible

Work schedule: Flexible between 4-12 hours/week

Compensation: Mileage reimbursed at approximately $0.655 per mile

Location: This position will work with staff in our Asheville office, though much of the work can be done remotely.

Supervisor: Susan Bean, MountainTrue Housing & Transportation Director

Please answer the following questions in your cover letter and attach that document when submitting your application form:

What skills and experience can you bring to this internship?
What skills and experience are you hoping to gain from the internship?
Is this internship for school credit or for personal experience?
What connection do you see between the built environment and the natural areas MountainTrue is working to protect?

Applications due by October 30, 2023. Including a resume is optional. Apply through this form.

ACTION: Support Road Safety in Downtown Asheville

Let the City of Asheville know that you support making College Street and Patton Avenue safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders.

Take Action to Support Complete Streets for Asheville

The City of Asheville is wavering in its commitment to complete streets and needs your support for the College/Patton project today. MountainTrue has long been a supporter of complete street projects that make moving through our communities safer, easier, and more environmentally sustainable. Our new program Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC also supports such projects as a way to mitigate congestion in our city centers as we make room for more residents there. City staff and traffic engineers have studied this project and responded to community concerns along the way. They have improved the design, consulted with emergency responders, and compared vehicular traffic patterns to other streets in town to demonstrate that this new design would not create the congestion that some opponents of this project fear. Their expert analysis and process have built upon multiple studies and plans that have recommended projects like this one since the 2009 Downtown Master Plan. However, our city’s leadership needs to hear from more voices that support turning College Street and Patton Avenues into complete streets with buffered bike lanes and high-visibility crosswalks. Take action today to encourage Asheville City Council to vote in support of the College/Patton project and make our downtown safer for all users.

Take Action

Neighbors for More Neighbors WNC advocates for more attainable housing that is built in places and at a scale that most benefits the health of our natural environment. We support attainable housing in and near our city centers because that is an efficient use of infrastructure, it decreases our overall carbon footprint, and also because we want our downtowns to be vibrant, thriving, inclusive places that all people in our community both can and want to access and enjoy. We believe that investments in infrastructure that make downtowns more pedestrian friendly, rather than vehicle oriented, pay off by activating our city center in a personal way and on a human scale. Bike lanes are a part of that landscape not just because they benefit bicyclists, but also because the less car-centric we make our downtown, the more people-centered it becomes. Complete street projects enable vehicle access and safer options for other road users, and, ultimately, we believe that complete streets in our city center will benefit businesses by making downtown a place that residents will want to spend more time and money in.

Join us in supporting complete street investments in downtown Asheville by supporting the College/Patton Project today. Click here to read our letter of support for the College Street and Patton Avenue Redesign Project.

ACTION: Tell NCDEQ to Deny the Draft Clear Creek Wastewater Permit & Stop Additional Pollution of Local Waterways

The NC Department of Environmental Quality is accepting comments on the Draft Permit for the Clear Creek Wastewater Treatment Project (NPDES Permit NCO090247). We invite you to join our opposition to this draft permit.

Strong wastewater infrastructure can effectively improve water quality, but unfortunately, the approach taken by Henderson County misses the mark. If DEQ issues this permit, it will result in construction of a new unnecessary wastewater treatment plant in a rural area of the county and a discharge into Clear Creek, which is already listed as impaired on the state’s 303(d) list of impaired streams. A new source of pollution is cause for concern, and issuing this permit would violate the Clean Water Act.

Additionally, there is a more environmentally sound and reasonably cost-effective treatment option available — connecting to the existing sewer system operated by the City of Hendersonville — and the County has not accounted for the costs of operating and maintaining a new wastewater treatment plant for years to come.

But any action on sewer expansion would be irresponsible without a strong plan to address future development. The county is still contemplating its 2045 Comprehensive Plan, which will guide the future for growth and development in the county, and appropriate land use protections need to be implemented before facilitating unchecked development.

We need you to tell NCDEQ to deny this permit. Take action below.

2023 Volunteer of the Year and Esther Cunningham Award Winners

Every year, MountainTrue recognizes five individuals from across the Southern Blue Ridge as our regional Volunteer of the Year and Esther Cunningham award winners. We look forward to celebrating these exceptional MountainTrue volunteers at our Annual Member Gathering on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at Devil’s Foot Beverage Co in Asheville, NC.

High Country Volunteer of the Year: Marta Toran

Originally from Spain, Marta has made the High Country her home for the past 16 years. She teaches environmental science, oceanography, and climate change courses in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Appalachian State University. She also coordinates the department’s outreach program, which supports K12 STEM education across Western North Carolina and promotes environmental stewardship among students by connecting them with local organizations. Her students regularly participate in habitat restoration, native plant removal, and water sampling efforts organized by the Watauga Riverkeeper. Marta also helps students become certified as North Carolina Environmental Educators. She has been awarded grants from organizations like the EPA to help educate people about natural resources and how to protect them. She’s proud to see her students get involved in the community through environmental advocacy organizations like MountainTrue, especially when they bring friends along with them. She also hopes that one day, North Carolina will catch up to Europe in environmental regulations forbidding the use of single-use plastic and regarding other measures to reduce plastic waste and encourage recycling. Thanks for all you do to make the High Country a better place, Marta!

Central Region Volunteer of the Year: Elizabeth Porter

Elizabeth moved to the Asheville area ten years ago from her hometown in Northeast Florida to take a position teaching environmental economics at UNCA. She knew when she arrived in the area that she also wanted to find “her people.” Having been an active volunteer with the St. Johns Riverkeeper, she began volunteering for Western North Carolina Alliance (the organization that would later become MountainTrue) and French Broad Riverkeeper events. Her years spent canoeing in Florida translated into a particular affinity for river cleanups and all of the interesting things and people to be found on the river. Elizabeth is currently in her second year teaching sustainability and environmental policy in the Department of Business Administration at Mars Hill University. When she’s not on campus, there’s a good chance you’ll find her out on her stand-up paddleboard on French Broad Section 9.

Western Region Volunteer of the Year: Jonathan Micancin

Jonathan Micancin earned his Ph.D. at UNC Chapel Hill and is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Young Harris College, where he teaches courses in conservation biology, ecology, environmental science, and related topics. Since coming to Young Harris in 2019, Jonathan has taken the lead on MountainTrue’s Corn Creek Riparian Restoration Project. He has involved his students in all aspects of the work, organizing volunteer workdays to remove nonnative invasive plants and plant native ones in the streamside corridor. Last fall, he began working with Young Harris College to replace its landscaping with native trees and shrubs, again having his students create the plans and help implement them. They bought many plants through our Fall Native Tree & Shrub sale fundraiser. Jonathan and his students also study the behavioral ecology, evolution, and conservation of cryptic amphibians. They discovered the decline of southern cricket frogs in the Southeast, extended the known range of Collinses’ mountain chorus frog in Georgia, and are currently studying rare and imperiled Appalachian salamanders. Thanks so much for all you do to conserve Southern Appalachian biodiversity and support MountainTrue’s work, Jonathan!

Southern Region Volunteer of the Year: Michael Cheng

Michael Cheng (pictured above) is no stranger to the Broad River, as he frequently joins Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell for river cleanups, races, and other events. In fact, Michael and his wife, Patsy, were two of the wonderful sponsors of the 8th Annual Sarah Sweep and First Broad River Festival, which took place on September 9 in Shelby, NC. As David has said, “Supporters like Michael help make our work possible; the Broad River is cleaner and healthier because of Michael and his enthusiasm for its wellbeing! Michael, MountainTrue is grateful for you and all you do to support the Broad Riverkeeper in protecting the Broad River Watershed!”

Last fall, Broad River enthusiast Michael Cheng, several volunteers, and Broad Riverkeeper David Caldwell were joined by the Voices of Deoli film crew while cleaning up a section of the First Broad River. Cinematographer Oxana Onipko filmed the cleanup as part of the Voices of Deoli feature film, which shares the stories of Deoli Internment Camp survivors, including Michael Cheng. We encourage folks to support the Voices of Deoli crew by checking out their website, learning about the project, and following Voices of Deoli on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about Michael by reading his interview here.

The 2023 Esther Cunningham Award Winner: Jane Laping

This award is given each year in honor of one of our organization’s founders, Esther Cunningham. Esther bravely stood in the face of opposition, rallied her community to stand with her, and tirelessly fought to protect and defend the forests of Western North Carolina.

Jane co-founded MountainTrue’s faith-based program, the Creation Care Alliance (CCA, formerly called WNC Green Congregations), in 2012 and has served on the Steering Team ever since. Earlier this year, she filled in as Interim Coordinator while CCA Director Sarah Ogletree was on maternity leave for 14 weeks. Additionally, Jane has been the Creation Care Team lead at First Presbyterian Church in Asheville since 2010.

Jane volunteered in various roles with Presbyterians for Earth Care (PEC), a national eco-justice network that connects, equips, and inspires Presbyterians to make creation care a central concern of the church. She currently serves as PEC’s Vice Moderator. In 2007, she wrote Earth Care Congregations, a certification program for Presbyterian Churches that was adopted by the Presbyterian Church (USA). There are now ~300 certified Earth Care Congregations in the US incorporating creation care in their worship, education, facilities, and outreach.

Jane worked as the first community organizer and Executive Director of Mothers for Clean Air in Houston, TX — a nonprofit that worked to reduce air pollution, especially as it affects children. She organized and collaborated with members of marginalized communities to measure air pollution levels, speak out against industries that polluted their neighborhoods, and engage with elected officials. Jane also worked with a theater artist to develop Ozone Theater — a program to educate children about color codes for ozone warnings — which won a national award from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Jane is currently working with the Plastic Free WNC coalition. She recently assisted in surveying local organizations that serve the underserved and conducted in-person interviews with unhoused individuals to better understand how they would be impacted by the coalition’s proposed single-use plastic bag ban. Many thanks for all you continue to do to protect our shared environment, Jane!

You’re Invited to MountainTrue’s 2023 Annual Gathering!

MountainTrue Annual Gathering 2023

You’re invited!

Celebrate another year of successes and partnerships with the MountainTrue team at Devil’s Foot Beverage Co on Saturday, October 14, 2023!

RSVP

About the event

Get ready for a night of fun and camaraderie with like-minded folks as we celebrate our achievements and honor the relationships each of us have with each other and to the natural world. We are all interconnected. Healthy forests and sustainable development make for clean water. The built environment has profound effects on the natural environment. Understanding the interconnectedness of our world guides our work and is key to building a better future for the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. This event is open to current members of MountainTrue. Click here to check your membership status or email members@mountaintrue.org. If you’re not a current member, we would love to have you join us — You don’t want to miss out on the fun!

This year our doors open early for a Plastics Rally beginning at 2 pm, where you’ll learn about ongoing work to fight plastic pollution. The General Assembly snuck an amendment into the budget to protect plastic polluters, but we’re not backing down! Find out how you can get involved.

General programming will begin at 3 p.m. and will include voting on new Board Members, reflecting on our achievements this year, and honoring outstanding Volunteers. Come snack on some hors d’oeuvres and grab a drink on us! Stick around for our exciting Jeopardy game show featuring one contestant from each of our four regions. The winner will get to designate what MountainTrue work donations collected at the event will fund.

We’ll also take time to congratulate and recognize our outstanding Regional Volunteer of the Year Award winners: Marta Toran (High Country Region), Michael Cheng (Southern Region), Jonathan Micancin (Western Region), Elizabeth Porter (Central Region), as well as this year’s Esther Cunningham Award winner: Jane Laping.

To help offset event costs and ensure that your membership dollars continue supporting MountainTrue’s programmatic work, please consider making a $25 donation per member.

Become a MountainTrue member

Click here

Many thanks to our Corporate Sponsors

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