Healing Appalachia 2025
Sustainability at Healing Appalachia
Healing Appalachia is transforming a former strip mine in Boyd County, Kentucky into a celebration of music, recovery, and resilience — powered by clean energy, reducing waste, and tackling Appalachia’s water crisis.
In partnership with REVERB, Tradesforce, Overdrive Energy Solutions, Solar Holler, Revolt Energy, Hope in the Hills and other local leaders, the festival is proving that healing the land and healing the people go hand in hand.
From Coal Mine to Clean Power
This year, Healing Appalachia is running almost entirely on renewable energy. Together with REVERB’s Music Decarbonization Project and Overdrive Energy Solutions, the festival is slashing diesel use and greenhouse gas emissions with battery and solar technology.
- In 2024, the main stage cut diesel use by 94% and greenhouse gas emissions by 99%.
- In 2025, the effort expands across the whole site — stages, campgrounds, vendor areas, and artist compounds — with six temporary grid connections, high efficiency battery systems, as well as solar arrays from local provider Solar Holler and Revolt Energy.
- A peak-efficiency generator will back up the stage battery system, lowering fuel use by 80%.
Tackling Appalachia’s Water Crisis
Fans can stay hydrated and give back through RockNRefill, an 11-year collaboration between REVERB and Nalgene Outdoor that reduces single-use plastics at live venues, while raising funds for nonprofits. The program has become a cornerstone of REVERB’s sustainability efforts, helping festivals like Healing Appalachia reduce waste and channel support to critical community needs.
- Nalgene bottles are sold at the festival – 100% of proceeds going directly to the Nalgene Water Fund that supports DigDeep’s Appalachian Water Project and other local nonprofits.
- Every refillable bottle purchased helps eliminate plastic waste!
Clean Energy Jobs & Zero Waste
With clean energy powering the festival and clean water initiatives flowing across the region, Healing Appalachia is also focused on building resilience for its people through education and career pathways.
- Festival partners TradesForce and the National Electrical Workers Unions are at the REVERB tent introducing attendees to job opportunities in renewable energy.
- Zero Waste Event Productions (ZWEP) is mobilizing a volunteer-based green team to advance zero-waste goals through reuse, recycling, and composting.
