This first post is meant to be a brief introduction to the blog that I will soon be regularly updating. I am a native of the Appalachian Coalfields of Eastern Kentucky, and also a recent graduate from Berea College with an independent major in Sustainable Agricultural & Industrial Management. During my last semester, I applied for the Watson Fellowship, which was started by the founder of IBM and is intended to fund graduating seniors from certain colleges to spend a year traveling the world to pursue some focus of study. The proposal I put together has two main focal points: A.) Spend time in regions throughout the world that have parallels to Central Appalachia, and B.) Get direct experience with projects that could serve as models for improving the environment and economy of Appalachia. Renewable energy (especially sustainable biomass), diversified organic agriculture, and ecological remediation (especially of previously mined lands) are the main types of projects I hope to work with. My tentative list of countries is: Wales, Spain, Austria, Romania, Turkey, and India.
I will be leaving the U.S. on July 31st and will be required to stay out of the country for a full year. This blog will be updated every week or two once I am actually out and working on projects, and until then it will probably just sit here. Feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions at nathandavidhall@gmail.com, and be sure to check back regularly after July.
About Me
- Nathan Hall
- Born and raised in Eastern Kentucky mountains, 9th generation Appalachian trying to make positive change in the region. I spent time before university working manual labor jobs (including underground coal miner) before deciding my life's focus should be on developing a more sustainable future for coalfield Appalachia. In 2009 I finished a self-designed BA at Berea College. Since then I have built a portable biodiesel production system that will be used as the foundation for East Kentucky Biodiesel, LLC. I have received a grant to travel for one year through the Watson Fellowship, enabling me to explore issues of renewable energy, organic agriculture, and mining-affected areas around the globe. I have plans that reach beyond the biodiesel project, and these include remediating surface mined lands through agroforestry systems with native trees and grasses that rebuild organic matter, provide wildlife habitat, and create a short-rotation feedstock base for bioenergy systems with an eventual transition back to hardwood forest. I also intend to develop a regional initiative to promote organic farming and value-added products as an economic option for underemployed Appalachians.