The American South: Is the grass greener in the South?

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USA TODAY: Is the grass greener in the South?

The American South

STORIES THAT CHALLENGE AND CELEBRATE US

Thursday, May 6

Heather McTeer Toney, environmentalist and activist

Is the grass greener in the South?

Stories about climate change and enjoying nature. Plus, teacher appreciation and the lasting impact of a Jim Crow Era law.

Welcome to The American South!

If you're new here, thank you for subscribing and becoming a part of our community where we focus on producing revelatory journalism about the South.

As part of our Shaping the South series, we spoke to environmentalist Heather McTeer Toney about the fight for a better, greener South and the enormity of climate change. Toney said, even with all the tension surrounding the words "climate change" she believes people understand that we need to do better. "I think that Southerners get it. We are intricately tied to the environment," she said.

We are also tied to our judicial systems and it seems a lot could be changing, specifically in Louisiana. More than 1,000 applications have been filed to reopen cases where the verdict was issued by a split jury. The practice, banned by The U.S. Supreme Court, dates back to the Jim Crow era. You can read more here.

Last year, there was enough tough to go around. I don't think anyone will debate me that it was an especially challenging year for our educators. Do you know any teachers? Tell them we say thank you. In this story, for teacher appreciation week, you'll see why these educators gave us hope with their tenacity, charm and commitment to students.

Finally, I want to introduce you to another series we started. It's called, The Unexpected and it's all about the fun, quirky and nature-filled places to visit in our region.

Thank you for reading. Take good care!

Ashley Hopkinson (Editor, The American South)

P.S. These photos from the Dollywood Flower and Food Festival are nice. Plus, a gallery showcasing Memphis' music history!

What's the South talking about

•	National bail fund to expand to Deep South
•	Tennessee bans public schools from teaching critical race theory
•	Storm damage in Central Mississipi

Finding the language to address climate change

Heather McTeer Toney, who worked for the EPA as a regional administrator, has become an acute observer of the way climate issues affect daily life in the South. Today, Toney is the climate justice liaison for the Environmental Defense Fund and senior advisor to Moms Clean Air Force. She spoke to The American South about core aspects of environmentalism including: the need for culturally competent solutions and an understanding of the connections between our natural disasters.

Read the full Q&A here

Island Road is the only road connecting Isle de Jean Charles to the mainland. Residents say it floods at high tide.

Contributed by Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe

Teacher Appreciation Week: These educators gave us hope with their tenacity, charm and commitment to students

There are so many amazing teachers worthy of the spotlight. In this piece, you'll find a collection of stories including one about Rhondda Thomas, a historian at Clemson University in South Carolina, who worked to identify and tell the stories of 604 people buried in unmarked graves at Woodland Cemetery, the on-campus graveyard.

Read the full story here

Clemson University Professor Rhondda Thomas touches stone work inside Hardin Hall. The stones came from slave cabins on John C. Calhoun's plantation, which now makes up the Clemson campus.

Heidi Heilbrunn / Staff

The Unexpected

The Unexpected is a series exploring unique and unusual destinations in our region. We will take you off the beaten path to highlight artistic, historic and quirky locales. To kick off the series, we will focus on outdoor destinations where it is possible to safely social distance.

Forested uplands, waterfalls, canyon rims and bluffs, pools, boulders and sandstone cliffs make for beautiful geographic diversity at Little River Canyon National Preserve in northern Alabama.

Getty Images

•	This place near New Orleans gives 'nature trail' new meaning
•	Find out why this part of Alabama is the 'land of 1000 waterfalls'
•	Creature Camp : a quirky campground filled with art