Presents

Energy Independence Day

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~ June 13^th ~

In honor of the Juneteenth historic emancipation celebration, the JOBS Project (Just and Open Businesses that are Sustainable) in Mingo County, West Virginia is sponsoring the first annual Energy Independence Day on June 13th. The two movements of freedom and economic democracy share a common vision in Appalachia. It is time to halt debilitating social and economic injustices and launch the coalfield region into a new era of sustainable jobs and fair and equitable community development. Energy Independence Day broadens the scope of the Juneteenth emancipation vision to include rural Appalachian communities that have been affected by the economic inefficiencies of the boom and bust economy present in the coal industry for the past 150 years. This reality holds true today as thousands of Appalachian coalminers get laid off.

 

Energy Independence Day will not only take place here in the coalfields of Appalachia, it will be celebrated all over the United States and the World. Unified under the theme of appreciation and respect for what coalmining families have sacrificed for our nation and the world, communities across the nation are organizing their own events. It is our hope that this day will become an annual event for honoring those families who have offered their loved ones, their lives, their health and their freedoms so that we may enjoy the modern benefits of the industrial revolution and the everyday luxuries of electricity.

 

JOBS’ believes that the best way to honor someone or something is not only through symbolic acts of solidarity, but  by offering the gifts of prosperity, education, and real solutions. We hope that this fundamental aspect of the Energy Independence Day celebration will live on as the solutions we are working towards become a reality.

 

It is our hope that Appalachian communities will join us in Mingo Co. and communities across the world will join this Appalachian celebration by holding their own Energy Independence Day events as an expression of appreciation and support for a Just, Open and Sustainable transition to a greener economy in the coalfields of Appalachia.

 

Date: 5-13-09
Where: Mingo Co. Community College
Address: 1601 Armory Dr, Williamson, WV 25661
Time: 11:00 - 5:00

Schedule:
Free Food & Music - 11:00-5:00
Workshop A - 11:00 - National Energy Education Development (NEED)
Workshop B - 11:00 - SunCatcher Design Group
Workshop C -  2:00  - Windustry

There will also be several private and public organizations providing community residents with information and resources about renewable energy and sustainable industries.

 

Workshop A

Energy Efficiency in schools by Doug Keaton, National Energy Education Development (NEED)
Doug Keaton leads a hands-on, technology based curriculum to improve energy efficiency and reduce power bills for his high school.  His students apply what they learn outside of the classroom doing energy audits for homes and local businesses and encouraging communities to save money and energy on heating, cooling, and lighting.  In addition, Doug's students are challenged to understand and operate renewable energy technology including wind turbines and solar panels.

National Energy Education Development (NEED) offers materials and resources that meet K-12 science, language arts, social studies, and technology standards and can be incorporated into existing curriculum to keep students interested and involved in learning.  NEED's Kids Teaching Kids approach gives students skills and opportunities to engage their local communities in extended learning.

 

Workshop B

Building Greenhouses & Nutrition by Mike Duus, SunCatcher Design Group
Mike Duus is working with students to complete the first commercial-sized greenhouse (828 square ft) at Newton-Conover High School in North Carolina. There are very few passive solar greenhouses in the world of this size.  Mike's students are doing all of the work themselves, and will walk away with the knowledge to build smaller versions based on the same design.  The work serves to connect students to their dietary choices and provides healthy produce for school lunches.  Students learn about agriculture, passive solar design, physics, and sustainable building practices. 

SunCatcher Design Group has worked in solar panel design for more than 30 years.  The SunCatcher greenhouses make growing food possible year-round, reducing transportation costs and increasing local food security.

 

Workshop C

Community Owned Renewable Energy Projects

Lisa M. Daniels, Executive Director and founder of Windustry, has been providing wind energy information and technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, elected officials, rural utilities and other interested groups since 1995. Currently, Lisa leads Windustry’s contracts with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and as a partner on the Wind Powering America Initiative with the U.S. Department of Energy. Lisa serves on the Minnesota Legislative Electric Energy Advisory Task Force on Community Based Energy Development, the Advisory Board for the Renewable Energy Center at St. Francis University in Pennsylvania, and the National Wind Coordinating Committee's Steering Committee. She was recognized in 2004 by the U.S. DOE Wind Powering America program, won the Chicago Regional Office Wind Advocacy Award and was honored again in 2005 for her work with Wind Powering America’s Agriculture Outreach Team.

 

Windustry promotes progressive renewable energy solutions and empowers communities to develop wind energy as an environmentally sustainable, community-owned asset. Through member supported outreach, education and advocacy Windustry works to remove the barriers to broad community ownership of wind energy.

~    Respectful Note    ~

This event is for community members, county officials, renewable energy businesses and supporting organizations. We hope that by bringing these groups together we can begin to work towards a unified goal of transitioning to positive, sustainable solutions despite our various backgrounds and beliefs. JOBS’ primary focus is the community, and it is for this reason that we ask that all groups please respect the nature of this event. Our focus is to provide solutions rather that highlighting problems. This is not an anti-MTR or a pro-COAL event. This event is a proactive step towards diversifying the mono-economies found in the majority of coal dependent regions of Appalachia, the communities that will suffer the most from transitional policies such as cap and trade.