-------------------------

2009

-------------------------

NC ARC Program Manager Attends ARC Annual Conference

October 26-28, 2009

Athens, Ohio

This week Olivia Collier, NC ARC Program Manager, represented North Carolina at the annual Appalachian Regional Commission conference held in Athens, Ohio.  The conference focused on how communities can use their energy resources and emerging energy technologies and practices to diversify and strengthen their economies.  North Carolina has made significant investments of state resources in developing energy efficiency and in promoting and using alternative energy. The NC ARC Program is working in partnership with the NC Green Business Fund, NC Energy Office, and the Energy Office at Appalachian State University to develop our Appalachian Region’s energy potential to increase the supply of locally produced, clean, affordable energy, and to create and retain jobs.  For more information on NC ARC and energy resources, visit NC ARC's Energy Resources page.

Read the  News & Observer's article on the ARC Annual Conference.

New Energy. New Jobs. New Opportunities for Appalachia.

October 26-28, 2009

Athens, Ohio

The demand for clean energy and efficient energy use is creating a new energy sector and generating new opportunities for business growth and job creation. How can Appalachian communities grow green jobs in today’s evolving energy economy?

ARC’s October 2009 New Energy. New Jobs. New Opportunities for Appalachia conference will share ideas and best practices on how communities can use their energy resources and emerging energy technologies and practices to diversify and strengthen their economies. Topics will include growing green enterprises, developing energy-efficient facilities, and building new-energy education and training programs.

Join your colleagues in Athens to explore how your community can benefit from the economic opportunities of the clean-energy sector.

For conference program and registration information visit ARC or contact the Appalachian Regional Commission at 202.884.7748 or conferences@arc.gov.

Gems of Appalachia RFP: Enhancing Appalachia’s Gateways to the Blue Ridge Parkway

ARC is seeking proposals from Blue Ridge Parkway “gateway” communities in the Appalachian Region for projects to enhance economic development opportunities related to the parkway’s 75th anniversary celebration and to strengthen the connections between the parkway and surrounding towns and cities. Applicants can request funding to implement a specific project or activity related to natural or cultural heritage tourism, community planning, asset building, recreational development, or other activities that will enhance their community's unique identity as a gateway to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Grant requests can range from $15,000 to $30,000.  Applications that involve partnerships of two or more counties can request up to $40,000. Grantees will be required to provide cash or in-kind matching funds of 20 percent. The deadline for submission of proposals is June 26, 2009.  Click  here to download the RFP.

Visit ARC for more information on this and other grants.

Raleigh High School Student Helps Teens in Western NC

Olivia Collier, NC Appalachian Regional Commission program manager, assisted Krissi Fajgenbaum, a Raleigh high school student, with a newsworthy service project.  After watching Diane Sawyer's documentary about the children of Appalachia, Krissi called Olivia with an idea for a project she calls "Teens 2 Teens" - Raleigh teens donating clothes they've outgrown to teens in the NC mountains.  Olivia directed Krissi to Robbinsville High School in Graham County, which is struggling with one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.  Krissi collected enough clothes to fill a U-Haul truck and delivered them to the school where students could take what they needed at no cost to them. 

To see more on "Teens 2 Teens," visit ABC News 13 and ABC News 11.

Gov. Perdue Recommends 16 Projects for 2009 ARC Funding

On May 11, Gov. Perdue announced 16 community and regional Western North Carolina projects she will recommend to receive a total of $4 million from the Appalachian Regional Commission. She made the announcement in Brevard at Transylvania Vocational Services Inc., a company participating in one of the projects.  The recommended projects will improve infrastructure, build a central livestock auction/sales center, fund health programs, retain and create new jobs for people with disabilities, provide training for teachers and encourage high school students to further their education, create a green economy asset map, and provide start-up funding for alternative energy companies. 

 2009 Projects Press Release

 Descriptions of 2009 Recommended Projects

Articles about Gov. Perdue's announcement appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times, BlueRidgeNow.com, and on WLOS ABC 13.

6th Annual NC Sustainable Energy Conference

The New Reality: A Time to Act
April 14-15, 2009
McKimmon Conference and Training Center, NCSU, Raleigh, NC

With energy becoming tied to economic recovery and environmental quality, attending this year’s conference will give you insight into strategic opportunities unfolding in North Carolina.

Policies such as the North Carolina Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, renewal of federal tax credits, an expected energy-related stimulus package, as well as the volatility and escalation of conventional fuels are driving interest in energy technologies.

Sessions will cover the following topical areas:

• Energy Efficiency - Residential, Commercial, Industrial
• Economic Development and the Green Economy
• Utility Savings Initiative in Public Buildings
• Renewable Technologies
• Alternative Fuels and Transportation
• Consumer Issues New This Year
• Linking Investors to New Projects New This Year
  

For more information or to register online, visit www.energync.net/conference.

A Hidden America:  Children of the Mountains

An ABC News 20/20 Program on Appalachia

February 13, 2009, 10pm EST

In this program airing Friday, February 13, Diane Sawyer examines poverty in Appalachia, telling the story of four Appalachian children and the obstacles they face and of teachers, social workers, and doctors working with this population isolated by the terrain and lack of transportation. 

ARC staff contributed a substantial amount of background information to the producers of this ABC News 20/20 program.

For more information, visit www.abcnews.go.com/2020.

Making Energy Work: 
Building a Sustainable Energy Economy in the Southeast 

February 3, 2009

Raleigh Convention Center

Global Appalachia:  Challenges and Opportunities

Engaging, Competing, and Succeeding in the Global Economy of the 21st Century

March 1-3, 2009

Arlington, Virginia

The Development District Association of Appalachia  annual conference will focus on networking Appalachia in the intermodal global supply chain; developing a competitive, global workforce; and expanding international markets and business opportunities.

To register, call 202.884.7707.

APPALACHIA:  A History of Mountains and People

A four-part Series for PBS exploring the interesection of natural history and human history in one of America's national treasures

April 2009

APPALACHIA: A History of Mountains and People is the first film series ever to chronicle the riveting history of one of the oldest mountain ranges on earth and the diverse peoples who have inhabited them. Ten years in the making, this four-part series weaves the insights of both the sciences and the humanities into a spellbinding portrait of one of the world’s great ecological treasures.

Narrated by Sissy Spacek and featuring E.O. Wilson, Barbara Kingsolver, Ron Eller, Wilma Dykeman, Mary Lee Settle, Sharyn McCrumb, Freeman Owle, Judy Bonds, Helen Lewis, Nikki Giovanni, Gurney Norman, Denise Giardina, George Constantz, Chris Bolgiano, and many more.

Friday, January 16, 2009 - Part One: Time and Terrain will premiere in Asheville at the Diana Wortham Theatre at Pack Place as a benefit for the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition.

Visit Agee Films for more information and to view the APPALACHIA trailer.

--------------------------------------------------

2008

--------------------------------------------------

NC Green Business Fund Grant Workshops

November & December 2008

In 2009, $950,000 in grant money will be available to North Carolina businesses through the NC Green Business Fund. The NC Green Business Fund awards competitive grants to North Carolina organizations with innovative projects focused on three priority areas, including:

• Development and commercialization of the biofuels industry
• Development and commercialization of the green building industry, and
• Attraction and leverage of private sector investments and entrepreneurial growth in environmentally conscious clean technology and renewable energy products and businesses.

Fiscal Year 2009 Solicitation is now available. Workshops on grant writing for this program are being held in November and December across the state. Visit www.ncscitech.com/announce.htm for a list of workshop dates and locations.  These workshops are free but require advance registration.

Upcoming workshops:

12/11/08 - Central Carolina Community College – Pittsboro Campus from 8:30am to 3pm.  Contact rleftwich@cccc.edu.

12/13/08 - Western Wake Technical Community College from 9am to 5pm.  Contact caroix@waketech.edu.

12/16/08 - Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College from 8:30am to 12:30pm.  Contact agage@abtech.edu.

12/17/08 - South Piedmont Community College in Wadesboro from 9am to 3pm.  Contact mharris@co.anson.nc.us.

Tomorrow's Workforce:  Strategies for Appalachia's Future

October 22-23, 2008

Tupelo, Mississippi

The world of work is changing, and so is the workforce.  Today's jobs demand increasingly higher skill levels, use more technology, and require more education and training - a trend that will continue in the years ahead.  In addition, today's workforce is becoming more diverse, including workers with a greater range of backgrounds and needs.  Appalachian communities must address these changes in shaping education and training programs that will prepare their workers for the jobs of tomorrow.

Join economic and regional developers, workforce developers, educators, and business and industry leaders as they examine effective policies and practices in workforce preparation today, and explore what will be needed in the future.  Learn, discuss, network with colleagues - and help your community develop new strategies for developing tomorrow's workforce.

For conference program and registration information visit www.arc.gov or contact the Appalachian Regional Commission at 202.884.7700 or education@arc.gov.

Innovation: Pioneering Change in North Carolina's Rural Communities

2008 Rural Partners Forum

October 2-3, 2008

North Raleigh Hilton

Don't miss this chance to be inspired! Lift your sights! Learn from the best! This year's Rural Partners Forum will connect you with some of the most highly successful innovators in North Carolina, the U.S. and beyond -- folks who are improving lives and transforming the economies of their rural communities and regions.

Selected Highlights :

• Banquet address: "Empowering Rural America" by Ambassador James A. Joseph
• Meet the Innovators Series featuring Ian Dempsey, West Cork, Ireland, on the Fuchsia Branding Initiative; Phillip Baldwin, Arkansas, on Southern Bancorps; Dee Davis, Kentucky, on Appalshop/Center for Rural Strategies, ... just to name a few. Plus stories of innovation in rural North Carolina told through video and lively panel discussions
• Get in Touch with Your Future! High-energy, learn-by-doing workshops on 'scenario planning' led by David Beurle, Innovative Leadership Australia
• A report on new research being conducted on state, national and international trends in rural innovation
• Announcements by the Rural Center of upcoming regional policy forums, program offerings and grant opportunities
• Plus, lots of opportunities for networking with colleagues from across the state

Online Registration Deadline: September 25, 2008

Fees: $115.00/person for plenary session, reception and dinner on October 2
$80.00/person for plenary session, breakfast and lunch on October 3
$185.00/person for both days, October 2-3

For more registration information, contact: Cynthia Spencer at the Rural Center. Telephone 919.250.4314, email cspencer@ncruralcenter.org.

Western North Carolina Wind Energy Workshops

September 3, 2008                     September 4, 2008

The Broyhill Inn, Boone            UNCA Reuter Center, Asheville

Local Officials, Planning Professionals, and Economic Development Leaders:

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) issued an "Energy Blueprint" in 2006 noting that the development of wind energy and other renewable resources can provide significant economic opportunity in the Region (see www.arc.gov/energy).   North Carolina has set a renewable energy generation and energy efficiency goals of 12.5% by 2020, and has developed model wind ordinances and permitting practices to share with communities.  In addition, the US Department of Energy projects that wind power can provide up to 20% of US electric power generation by 2030.

We invite you to attend these WNC Wind Energy Workshops, scheduled for September 3 & 4 in Boone and Asheville, to learn more about these opportunities.  The workshops are designed to present information and resources to local leaders to enable you to make decisions about what type of development is best for your community.  There is no fee to attend the workshops but pre-registration is required.  The programs will run from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Lunch will be provided.

We hope to see you there!

Sponsors:

Appalachian Regional Commission

American Wind Energy Association

Appalachian State University – Wind Powering America

High Country Council of Governments

Land-of-Sky Regional Council

For more information and to register for one of these free events, visit www.wind.appstate.edu/register/register.php or call Brent Summerville at the ASU Energy Center at 828.262.7333.