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<\/p>\nThough it\u2019s easy to take water for granted \u2013 just turn on the tap and there it is \u2013 for hundreds of millions of the Earth\u2019s people, access to clean water is a goal, not a reality. The United Nations considers universal access to clean drinking water a human right, but that doesn\u2019t magically make it happen. In observance of Earth Day 2019, Rising Appalachia played a show in their adopted hometown of Asheville to raise funds for clean water for Africa<\/p>\n
With local corporate sponsorship plus support from Asheville-based nonprofit MountainTrue, previous French Broad RiverKeeper benefit concerts have funded a half dozen drinking water wells in the sub-Saharan African countries of Togo and Uganda. Karim Olaechea, communications director for MountainTrue notes that proceeds from ticket sales at this year\u2019s event will fund additional wells there, providing clean drinking water for thousands of people.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Leah and Chloe Smith, leaders of Rising Appalachia are well-known for their active support for environmental and social justice initiatives. \u201cAs environmentalists and as activists, we have always been invested in creating a more sustainable world, and a more sustainable future at large,\u201d says Leah. \u201cWater is a resource that\u2019s deeply, deeply tied to our ability to be alive. And it feels very natural for us to be involved in any kind of water upkeep [initiative].\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah says that the Standing Rock movement in South Dakota was \u201cthe tipping point that brought water-as-life and clean water issues to the forefront of contemporary culture, activism and analysis.\u201d Rising Appalachia provided on-the-ground support for that movement, and encouraged its fan base to get involved as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cRising Appalachia works at the forefront of a lot of different causes,\u201d Leah continues. \u201cOur work is to be the storytellers and the message bearers. Our work is to tell the stories, create catharsis and create a place where people can have deeper conversations around the issues at hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were activists before we were musicians,\u201d explains Chloe. \u201cSo there\u2019s always been a natural instinct for us to be aware of what\u2019s going on in our surroundings and take part in movements and missions to make the world a better place.\u201d As a popular recording and touring group, the members of Rising Appalachia collectively recognize the power the group has to share issues of importance. \u201cWe want to use that momentum to do more than just feed our own image and ego,\u201d Chloe says.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur mission has always been to be catalysts,\u201d Leah says. \u201cWe use music, culture and conversation to bring people closer together, to narrow our differences and showcase our similarities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chloe and Leah aim to practice sustainability on and off the road. When touring, the band endeavors to live according to the principles of its \u201cSlow Music Movement,\u201d traveling at a deliberate pace and using trains and other alternative-by-current-standards modes of transportation. \u201cIt\u2019s a way for us to sort of talk to the music industry \u2013 and work within it \u2013 to encourage slowing down a bit and consider sustainability,\u201d Chloe says.<\/p>\n
At home, many of the same values apply. \u201cI have a small house, and I live on a working farm outside of Asheville,\u201d Chloe says. \u201cMy mission when I get home is to live light and live simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
With so many worthy causes of global import from which to choose, it\u2019s sometimes difficult to settle on which ones to support. Leah and Chloe see part of their role as doing the legwork of researching the causes, and then providing real-word ways for like-minded fans to support those efforts. The group seeks to take into consideration all of the nuances of activism, Leah says. \u201cBecause It\u2019s not a cookie cutter way to move in the world; It\u2019s very nuanced.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah emphasizes that fans of Rising Appalachia are already doing their part. \u201cWe are consistently inspired by the work of our fan base,\u201d she says. \u201cOften, the people who know our music and come to our shows are the people who are on the ground doing profoundly well-thought-out work, action and cultivation in their own communities. It\u2019s really a two-way street.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group supports sustainability in a number of ways; a benefit for clean water is merely one of many initiatives supported by Rising Appalachia. \u201c[We] have never said, \u2018We are specifically for clean water,\u2019 or, \u2018We are specifically for prison justice,\u201d Chloe emphasizes. \u201cWe have a wider net that we cast; it\u2019s ever-evolving, and that helps us stay authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like many good lyricists, Leah provides an apt metaphor to make her point. \u201cWe\u2019re not the deeply-rooted, sturdy, stable, large-trunked oak tree,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re the pollinators; we go from community to community, collecting their pollen in their stories and their magic. And then we share those stories in a way that, hopefully, carries good ideas and inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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