UK Student Group wants university to take action on climate, deepen commitment to EKY transition...

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest blog post from a guest blogger. The views and opinions expressed in this guest blog do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Renew Appalachia or of the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED). I’ve sensed a perception among individuals from the wider United States that Appalachia is a place where change comes slowly. The notion may hold a kernel of truth. From growing up in the hills of eastern Tennessee and Kentucky, I recall tracing my family lineage back to the early 19th century, surprised to learn how close I resided to distant, long-deceased relatives. I’ve learned that the local manner of speech bears the most resemblance to Colonial American English of any modern American dialect. Many of my neighbors still enjoy employment in the industries that their grandparents worked. We as a people have taken pride in our heritage and land, living as best as we could without travelling too far away. Malaise has come to Appalachia. Global economic competition, environmental degradation from intense mining, and rising awareness of the consequences of burning fossil fuels have left much of our region unmoored, at risk of sinking into oblivion. Central to this crisis is the decline of the coal industry, which was once the economic engine for the entire region; without our black gold, we have few options remaining to us. Circumstances have become so dire that some have lost hope in our ability to recover. These people are naysayers. Appalachia has the...