Core Values

Environmental Integrity
Wilma learned at an early age that everything is connected: water, plants, animals, humans, the planets and the stars. She advanced environmental thinking by proposing in 1955 that environmental sensitivity encourages broad-based economic development. We feature and support ideas, individuals, and organizations that act with environmental integrity.

Wilma was a feminist who wrote under her maiden name, an early civil rights advocate in the South, and an Appalachian scholar and activist who lifted up mountain people. We work to dismantle racial and class inequities, which are strangling our country.

The Power of the Written and Spoken Word
From her childhood home in a mountain cove just north of Asheville, North Carolina, Wilma connected to the world through books and reading aloud with her parents. She grew into an excellent writer and world-class speaker, using both modes to strengthen and broadcast her messages. We honor writing and speaking to clarify and promote social and environmental justice.