By Rainy Adkins Recently a small group of student journalists drove seven miles under the earth through narrow tunnels and low ceilings to the only long-wall mining site at the West Elk coal mine. The headlights of the pick-up reflected off walls of coal dusted with limestone. Each turn looked exactly like the last. This…
By Rainy Adkins Colorado’s high country is emerging as the home to some of the most energy-efficient houses on the planet. Even though temperatures dip well below zero in the winter these homes require no furnaces, and their solar panels allow them to actually make money selling electricity. The homeowners say they’ve built them deliberately…
By Rainy Adkins Farmers across the San Luis Valley who maintain fields with center-pivot sprinklers and sun-faded tractors wake up every morning with a view of blue mountains and a hard job, and they love it despite the consequences it might have on the environment. “Farming’s in their blood,” said Riley Kern, the fix-it-all technician…
By Rainy Adkins In the barren expanse of the windswept San Luis Valley bordered by snow-powdered blue peaks, groundwater water is a major source of concern for the farming community as the valley becomes more arid and crops continue to demand water. “There’s no way you’ll stay in business,” people have told Sheldon Rockey, 3rd…
By Rainy Adkins Inside a powerplant boiler room that’s been converted to conference space, Martin Drake Power Station workers, managers, and energy traders shine a light on how public demand for a faster shift to clean energy is changing the lives of plant workers. Colorado Springs Utilities leaders have assured power plant workers whose jobs…
By Rainy Adkins Sprawled on beds and crammed into tight study cubicles in the Mathias dormitory, Colorado College students who love the outdoors recently untangled the stress and hopelessness they say they feel about climate change. “Something much bigger than myself is being lost,” said Adaline Kerr, a first-year student, glancing out the window down…
