The Green Column 5/26/2011

The Green Column

by Richard C. MacCrea, Andrews Valley Initiative

rmaccrea1@gmail.com

Are You a Local or a Move-In?

It does not take long to see the animosity between these two groups. Why? Basicly its the destruction of a culture.

Before moving here, my knowledge of mountain culture was limited to what I read in the National Geographic and Snuffy Smith cartoons. Living here, I quickly came to terms with my ignorance and sought a rememdy in the local history section of the library. I learned an honest respect for the people who have inhabited this area since the land lottery of the 1800’s, and the people who lived here before them.

What do we mean by the destruction of a culture? The heritage of the traditional people of these mountains is their family land. Being able to live independently off their  inheritance, not having to work an outside “public job,” having something of value to pass on to the next generation, these are the valuable assets of a traditional Appalachian family. But move-in developers have changed that. They have driven up land values, which has pushed up property taxes. To afford to keep their land, the younger generations had to sacrifice their independence and take a job in town. Those who excelled in school went to college. After graduation they could earn a lot more money by moving away. The brightest youth are syphened off our mountain communites to feed this country’s commercial machine. Left behind are the underachieving youth, overlooked by their college focused schools, left to exist on low paying manual labor jobs or government assistance. But with NAFTA and the severe recession, there are no more manufacturing or construction jobs. Our traditional families are being forced to sell their family land to outside developers.

Andrews Valley Initiative would like to help change this. To survive, our communities need a youth with an education that prepares them for a productive life here in the mountains, even if they don’t qualify for a college scholarship. Teach them how to identify a needed product or service, how to start and run a business. Our communities need a sustainable economy that provides work for people of all levels of education and ability. We need businesses that make money for our communities, using local resources in a way that preserves our mountains.

We are working at ideas like farmland preservation, organic farming, eco-tourism, and community redevelopment, to create a good local economy while preserving our mountain heritage. We are working to combine the marketing and business efforts of the surrounding counties in our three states into something that will be heard, something that will attract the kind of business we need. Our organization is a rare combination of locals and move-ins who are working together to reach for these goals. If you want to help us, we have room for you.

Richard C. MacCrea is the director of The Greening of  Andrews Valley, a program of Andrews Valley Initiative. He works in the field of energy efficient, green building. rmaccrea1@gmail.com