Appalachian Futures Lab Present at Virginia Brownfields Conference

A few weeks ago, six students from the Spring 2024 cohort of Appalachian Futures presented the lab’s work from Pocahontas at the Virginia Brownfields Conference in Lynchburg. The conference featured nearly 200 attendees from across the Mid-Atlantic, including Adam Ortiz, the Administrator for EPA Region #3 based in Philadelphia. The presentation offered a mix of design work and lessons learned from their time spent traveling the hollers of Appalachia.

The power of design and community engagement to reclaim Brownfield sites and reimagine rural communities featured prominently in the discussion, which was warmly received by the audience of public officials, environmental experts, and policymakers.  The team finished with two public service announcements regarding the correct pronunciation of Appalachia and the importance of karaoke as a community engagement strategy.

High-fives to Paul, Brandon, Chris, Savannah, Sergey, and Kiera for representing the entire SP2024 App Futures Lab team.