Sustainable Communities
Network Case Studies
Clinch Powell Sustainable Development Initiative
Virginia & Eastern Tennessee
Contact: Anthony Flaccavento, Executive Director
Clinch Powell Sustainable Development Initiative
P.O. Box 791
Abingdon, VA 24212-0791
Tel: (540) 623-1121 Fax: (540) 676-3819
Scope: Rural
Project type: Sustainable livelihood development
The watersheds of the Clinch and Powell Rivers in Northeastern Tennessee
and Southwestern Virginia encompass ten counties and offer spectacular trails,
rivers, historical and cultural landmarks, and rare aquatic life. Citizens
of this region are rooted in its history, and many have lived in the area
for generations.
The health of the people and ecosystems in the Clinch and Powell river region,
however, is threatened by a host of destructive forces. Garbage disposal
problems, water loss or decline, clear-cut logging, strip mining, and various
forms of industrial emissions and effluent problems prevail. Often the dilemma
of "jobs or the environment" is faced by the people in this area
who depend upon mining, oil and gas extraction and logging for their living.
Extremely high unemployment and poverty rates in the area (nearly 40% of
residents in one of the counties live below the poverty line) create an
enormous economic problem for the region. Furthermore, absentee ownership
is characteristic of the region, creating a distance between the property
owners and the effects of actions on their land. Recent emphasis to compete
in the global economy has residents of these counties fearing that wages
will be further depressed.
In 1993 residents of the region confronted these problems, and decided to
turn them into opportunities for regional development that would be sustainable
rather than deliver merely short-term benefits. They recognized that their
only hope for survival was to diversify the economic base of their communities
and increase their regional self reliance.
The forum brought together more than 35 participants from 20 diverse organizations
- ranging from grassroots groups to small entrepreneurs to the Tennessee
Valley Authority - into a year-long action oriented planning process. The
April, 1994 culmination of this process, "Sustainable Development in
Northeast Tennessee & Southwest Virginia," was a strategic plan
that helped launch what is now known as the Clinch Powell Sustainable Development
Initiative (CPSDI). CPSDI is a nonprofit organization serving as a catalyst
for sustainable development in a ten-county area of southwest Virginia and
eastern Tennessee.
The participants in the CPSDI share the common goal of working to improve
the quality of life and the economic situation of the community, while maintaining
a close bond with the land. The CPSDI has many members who are hunters,
fishers, and small farmers who value their rich cultural heritage and do
not want to lose their way of life to development that ignores environmental
or economic aspects. The citizens represented by the CPSDI affirm the need
for development that is sustainable and beneficial for nature and people,
for culture and community.
The mission statement CPSDI members collectively devised adequately reflects
these values, and advocates development that works toward:
- promoting values and underlying a respect for people, nature, community
and culture,
- enabling local communities to meet their own needs,
- establishing ecologically sensitive businesses, and
- utilizing strategies building upon regional strengths.
From this mission came a vision in which the future of the region would
hold "a quality and diversity of forests, land, and waterways which
were protected through an economic life greatly diversified and controlled"
(Sustainable Development for Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia,
3). The vision also looked toward "a respect of the connectedness of
the human and natural communities, and a system in which economic decision-making
is more inclusive, democratic and effective" (Sustainable Development
for Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, 3).
The mission and vision of the CPSDI then led to the generation of values:
to seek development that is good for people, especially those economically
left behind; to seek development that is sustainable; to seek development
that is locally rooted; and to seek development that meets real needs. Three
standing task forces were developed, representing the major foci of CPSDI's
current work: Sustainable, Value Added Wood Products; Sustainable
and Diversified Agriculture; and Nature Tourism . These strategies
were chosen both because they supported CPSDI's values and priorities, and
because each has found strong local support and leadership.
To date, the sustainable wood products and sustainable agriculture aspects
of the priority strategies have had tremendous initial success. A number
of objectives were identified to measure the work of the task forces, and
concrete action towards achieving these objectives has been progressing
along. In working with the Sustainable, Value Added Wood Products
task force (which includes two local sawmill operators, horse loggers, wood
products entrepreneurs, and representatives of local nongovernmental community,
business and conservation organizations) the three objectives identified
were: (1)to expand the market for sustainable wood products, (2)to expand
the number of environmentally sensitive logging firms and increase the use
of sustainable forestry practices, and (3) to evaluate the potential for
a wood products business incubator (sharing of facilities and technical
support to minimize costs to businesses in the beginning). Progress toward
these objectives includes the recent construction of a solar kiln, local
sale of kiln dried wood and training in kiln drying; the sale of horse logged
lumber and scheduled training for new horse loggers; and dissemination of
the ecological certification standards for wood extraction that are currently
being used.
The Sustainable and Diversified Agriculture task force
(comprised of growers, the Virginia Association of Biological Farmers, representatives
of community groups and a cooperative extension service, and a local greenhouse
operator) objectives are: (1) to support and expand the networks of biological
agriculture producers in the region, and (2) to research the development
of one or more food processing facilities to add value to local agricultural
products and increase microenterprise opportunities. In working toward these
objectives, the task force has assisted in developing a network of local
growers who direct market organic produce to local restaurants and households,
holding biological agriculture demonstrations and technical assistance in
marketing and developing value-added food processing opportunities, and
starting and expanding three Community Supported Agriculture groups.
The Nature Tourism task force, with the objective of identifying
existing or potential nature tourism entrepreneurs and support the development
of a pilot Forest and Wood Products Tourism enterprise, will be holding
a Spring, 1996 festival, and is currently developing support material highlighting
the region for potential entrepreneurs.
Because well-planned economic development is a key element for improving
the sustainability of the Clinch Powell region, techniques such as microenterprise
development, using incubators for start-up businesses, and developing flexible
manufacturing networks (joining of small businesses to develop, produce
and market particular products together) are important methods of achieving
the objectives of each of the task forces.
The CPSDI has also been gaining momentum in its fundraising efforts. An
executive director has been hired to lead the CPSDI, and two contracts have
been awarded to individuals who will assist in working towards the goals
of the Sustainable Forestry and Wood Products and Sustainable Agriculture
task forces. A number of university professors are using the work of the
CPSDI to teach about sustainability, and the CPSDI has been invited to participate
in regional roundtable discussions, which further assists in educational
and networking efforts.
In summary, the CPSDI acknowledges that sustainability of the natural environment,
the economy and communities is a complex, multidimensional goal that is
not fully understood on either a local or global level. The work accomplished
and knowledge gained by the CPSDI, however, has produced some fairly clear
guidelines for consideration. Sustainability, according to experience of
the CPSDI:
- Requires and cultivates diversity
- Builds on and enhances the skills and technologies of local people
- Nurtures resourcefulness, helping to make regions, communities and
even households more self-reliant
- Surfaces creative ways to reduce pollution, waste and energy use,
primarily by helping us to see how to "close the loops" in our
homes and businesses; and
- Reconnects producers with consumers, people and the natural environment,
and communities and their economy.
The Clinch Powell Sustainable Development Initiative is certainly doing
its part to work towards these criteria.
Special thanks to Anthony Flaccavento, the Director of the CPSDI,
for his assistance in providing information on the CPSDI and in compiling
this study.
Case Study Source: Sustainability
in Action: Profiles of Community Initiatives Across the United States--
American Forum for Global Education. 1995
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Revised October 23, 1996 - Contents Copyright ©1996,
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