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ARC-sponsored training and conferences

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.

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.

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Other training and conferences

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.

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ARC-sponored projects

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

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.

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