Appalachia-Science in the Public Interest History
For nearly five decades, Appalachia-Science in the Public Interest has promoted living a simple and sustainable lifestyle. See this compiled short history and listed highlights from years past.
Whew. We’ve done a lot! And it’s all because of our supporters.
1977: Articles of incorporation and founding intent
The Articles of Incorporation were filed in the State of Kentucky on Earth Day in 1977. The intent was to provide sustainable living education, based in science, to people in Appalachia to inform a better understanding of natural systems. The original Board of Directors believed in, and our programs still reflect, the idea that if we understand and appreciate the complexity of our natural environment, we can make choices that make us better stewards of the environment and live more sustainably.
1977–1984: Early programs, publications, and demonstrations
ASPI was derived from the Center for Science in the Public Interest by Al Fritsch, who worked with Ralph Nader in Washington DC prior to working in Kentucky. The majority of the initial funding came from federal agencies like the National Science Foundation for research and workshops. From 1977 until 1984, the Appalachian Technical Network and the Rockcastle River Demonstration Site were established, 15 technical manuals and books were published and 30 workshops and conferences were conducted. At the time, surveys found that land use, housing, energy, and water issues were the major concerns in the region. The research and networks that led to the workshops and publications addressed pressing concerns and offered the first citizen-focused literature and programs to empower people to find new solutions. The demonstrations of technology like cordwood buildings, solar panels, and water cisterns were innovative and showcased low-cost, sustainable living techniques. The workshops and publications detailed how to do-it-yourself. If Pinterest and Instagram had existed, we would have dominated it. During this time, the director had a busy travelling schedule, giving talks all over the world. Many of the publications correlated the applications across cultural boundaries; ASPI began to emphasize the applicability of appropriate technology in regions with geographical and cultural similarities like Peru.
1984–1987: Federal funding cuts and cultural discovery
From 1984-1987, ASPI navigated the loss of federal funding under the Reagan Administration (his transition team called in 1981 to let us know they were cutting off environmental groups). We focused on strengthening the long-term viability of the organization by conducting research and workshops, and building national and regional networks. During a sustainable forestry workshop in 1987, Native American burial grounds were discovered on ASPI land. Investigating the cultural implications of the discovery and eras “before coal mining” became part of the work plan. Much of the research was later integrated into educational programs at the Nature Center.
The 1990s: Building capacity toward 2000
During the next decade, ASPI built capacity. The director diversified the revenue stream through a series of investments, grants, and private donations. The Mary E. Fritsch Nature Center was built, demonstration technologies were added and upgraded, the Technical Paper Series was created, over 30 manuals and books were published, and strategic partnerships were formed that focused on researching components of ASPI demonstrations and properties. The results of the research are the basis for the Appalachian Mixed Mesophytic Forest educational programs. By 2000, ASPI was set up for long-term success.
2001–2002: New initiatives and a leadership transition
In 2001, plans were made to establish the Kentucky Solar Partnership, Appalachian Ginseng Foundation, and the Appalachian Ecology Program. With funding from the US Dept of Energy, Toyota, several foundations, these three programs would be essential in the subsequent years while ASPI went through a series of very expensive transitions. In 2002, Al Fritsch stepped down as director. At that time, liquid (tangible) assets were $242,000, with an organizational budget of $175,000.
2002–2012: Leadership changes and strain on programs
From 2002-2012, several Executive Directors were hired and stepped down. The Kentucky Solar Partnership (KSP) thrived because the program coordinator built the network, created technical and educational programs, and sought diverse sources of funding. KSP helped to support ASPI as each director sought to try new funding ideas and programs. The Appalachian Ecology Program succeeded because funders pushed to see results. Unfortunately, the facilities, publications and programs, networks, mission and bank accounts suffered.
2012: Financial crossroads
By 2012, ASPI was at a crossroads. Only $10,000 remained in the savings accounts, annual expenses were $135,000, and income was $80,000. For years prior, ASPI operated at a deficit of over $50,000 so action had to be taken immediately.
2009–2012: Strategic planning
From 2009-2012, the Board of Directors began to formulate a strategic plan. The multi-year process evaluated strengths and weaknesses, past successes and new directions. The remaining invested assets were liquidated to cover general operating expenses because the organization struggled to generate income without a clear programmatic strategy.
2012 onward: Reorganization and internal priorities
In 2012, an Executive Director was hired to help reorganize and implement the strategic plan. After assessing current organizational capacity, ASPI determined the following internal areas needed to be addressed:
- Program strategies, goals, and indicators
- Technology and Resources
- Fundraising
- Accounting and Financial Management
- Human Resources and Volunteer Management
- Communications and Marketing
- Leadership
Archives, Berea College, and renewed focus
A barrier to moving forward was the large amount of materials that represented the organizational struggle since 2002. Among the materials were whole rooms of project supplies left after the loss of staffing or funding like water monitoring, oral history and photography projects, publications, boxes of digitized records, a variety of typewriters, word processors, and old computers, and written records dating back to 1977. Berea College Library staff was contacted to sort the materials and archive important documents. This process helped to prioritize successful projects in line with our mission and helped to determine focus areas and strategies. After policies and procedures were created, program delivery was restructured, and with the help of partners and donors, the operating deficit was reduced by $40,000.
Fall 2013: Remembering Martha
In the fall of 2013, our long time bookkeeper and office manager had a stroke. This tragedy significantly affected the staff, board, and donors. Without Martha, we were brought to our knees. The amount that she contributed wasn’t quantifiable. She knew our supporters, history, and secrets. Most of the staff didn’t have enough time to learn from her, so we had to read through her notes and files left behind. We may never recover from losing the heart of our organization, but we can move forward so her work wasn’t in vain!
2014 onward: Community food programs
In the years after Martha’s death, ASPI continued hands-on food-systems outreach in Rockcastle County—for example hosting local Grow Appalachia participant meetings and garden programming through the mid-2010s, as chronicled on the Simple Living blog. Food and homesteading workshops, field trips to the Mary E. Fritsch Nature Center, and seasonal simple-living notes remained part of how ASPI showed up for neighbors and visitors.
Publications in the digital age
The legacy Technical Paper series (1990–2004) was eventually offered online so the full set—71 papers on DIY simple living topics—could be downloaded as free PDFs, extending the reach of work once bound to print and workshops. The annual Appalachia Simple Lifestyle Calendar, edited and produced for the organization year after year, likewise became a steady bridge between regional photographers, daily reflections, and supporters far beyond Mount Vernon.
2020–2021: Digitizing oral histories and steadying through change
ASPI partnered on a Kentucky Oral History Commission preservation grant to digitize analog Appalachian oral history interviews from the 1990s—material now available online that includes the voices of regional tradition-bearers, documented on video. Board president Timi Reedy recorded a set of interviews with long-time residential volunteer Father Jack Kieffer before his retirement in 2020. Annual gratitude letters from those pandemic years described continuing programs, housing for service-learning and partners, and in-kind and fiscal-sponsorship support, even while the organization still had no paid executive director.
2022–2023: Strategic planning, clean energy, and oral history renewal
Across these two years, the board paired physical upgrades with a deliberate push to reconnect oral historians and culture partners across Kentucky. Highlights:
- Planning: Completed a three-year strategic plan with Judy Sizemore through the Mountain Association and joined the SPARK cohort for small rural nonprofits.
- Energy & sites: Office repairs in Mount Vernon (including support from the Blue Grass Community Foundation), a Level 2 EV charger, a donor-funded electric vehicle for education and errands, and a new net-metered solar array at Rockcastle; ASPI returned to the National Solar Tour.
- Arts & interviews: Kentucky Arts Council / NEA Creative Aging & Lifelong Learning interviews; Timi Reedy and Mark Spencer began life-history interviews with founder Father Al Fritsch.
- Oral history network: With the UK Nunn Center for Oral History and Oral History Association, co-hosted regional meet-ups and helped launch KYOH-NET; coordinated 2023 gatherings in Lexington, Hazard (with SEKYAAMCC), and Bowling Green (with WKU Folk Studies).
- Community Scholars: Pilot hybrid Kentucky Community Scholars Program cohort at ASPI with the Arts Council and Kentucky Folklife Program.
- Mutual aid & loss: After the 2022 Eastern Kentucky floods, helped coordinate relief supplies with volunteers and partners. Mourned former publications lead The Reverend Dr. Robyn Arnold; her ashes were honored at the Rockcastle River site where she had worked.
2024–2025: Losses, stewardship, and renewed capacity
Founder Father Albert J. (Al) Fritsch died, closing a long chapter of leadership and authorship for the region. ASPI also lost former long-time board president and secretary Tammy Clemons, who had been central to administration, passwords, and online presence—contributing to a long pause in outward communication while the board grieved and regrouped. A strengthened board and renewed partnerships followed: the University of Notre Dame relationship (service learning since 1979) deepened in 2025 with an eight-week summer internship through Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns, and new board and student collaborators helped restore website and email access and modernize workflows. Mark Spencer—longtime calendar editor, workshop documentarian, and institutional memory—continued oral histories with Timi Reedy and shepherded Father Al’s bequest of publishing and Earthhealing materials to ASPI. Plans reported on the blog included broadening the shop beyond calendars and cards to showcase more local non-perishable goods.
Today: volunteers, board leadership, and priorities
ASPI has been working for healthy land and sustainable communities since 1977 and currently has no paid full-time executive director. Day-to-day work relies on board members (including president Timi Reedy, who has served in service-learning coordination and site stewardship since 2019), volunteers, interns, and part-time contract help for operations, communications, accessibility improvements, and programs across energy, food systems, culture, and ecosystems. Building a financial safety net and, when sustainable, restoring regular full-time staff remain central goals—as does the honest work of partnerships, demonstration sites, and publications that first brought ASPI into being.