Harlan Hubbard was born on this day (January 4) in 1900. His remarkable life (and that of his wife Anna) has inspired people throughout Kentucky, the U.S. and the world. In the Hubbard’s later years the state of Indiana was building a nuclear power plant just across the river from their home at Payne Hollow. The plant was called Marble Hill. Hundreds, make that thousands, protested the building of Marble Hill for being badly designed, too expensive and an environmental catastrophe waiting to happen. Harlan and Anna supported the protests but did not actively participate in them. One of the more prominent protestors, Wendell Berry, said the Hubbard’s way of life and the manner in which they lived it was an effective protest in itself. Today Marble Hill is gone, never completed due to bad design and persistent pushback from concerned citizens. The Hubbard legacy of inspired sustainable living endures. As 2019 begins both forms of resistance are worth considering.
