Anti-Racism and the Building Industry: Our Role in Building Racial Equity By Stuart Zitin We watched for almost nine horrifying minutes as a Minneapolis police officer suffocated George Floyd with a knee on his neck in May of 2020. Across the U.S. and the world, in cities and towns...
Article Category: Education
Amy Musser and Matthew Vande: Bang For Your Buck: 7 Ways To Use Your Stimulus Check For Energy-Efficiency Improvements
Bang For Your Buck: 7 Ways To Use Your Stimulus Check For Energy-Efficiency Improvements By Amy Musser and Matthew Vande [caption id="attachment_5143" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Weatherstripping is installed on the front door of a local home. ENERGY SAVERS NETWORK PHOTO.[/caption] So you received your economic impact payment from the federal...
Cari Barcas: Solar for Schools: Appalachian Offsets Completes Fundraising for Isaac Dickson System
Solar for Schools: Appalachian Offsets Completes Fundraising for Isaac Dickson System By Cari Barcas Green Built Alliance’s Appalachian Offsets program is celebrating the successful completion of its fundraising campaign to install a solar system at Isaac Dickson Elementary School in Asheville. Appalachian Offsets funds renewable-energy projects and energy-efficiency upgrades...
Jacqui Patterson and Mandy Lee: Centering Equity in Sustainable Buildings: Why Green Buildings are a Civil-Rights Issue
Centering Equity in Sustainable Buildings: Why Green Buildings are a Civil-Rights Issue By Jacqui Patterson and Mandy Lee [caption id="attachment_5141" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Sustainable buildings promote the health and wellbeing of building occupants while minimizing climate change and pollution, but not everyone has equal access. Photo courtesy of iStockphoto /...
Sustainable Academia: Appalachian State University Leads the Way
Sustainable Academia: Appalachian State University Leads the Way Garret K. Woodward Though Appalachian State University has always been at the forefront of sustainability, the academic institution took another step forward with its latest P3 project. A public-private partnership (P3), the project will develop energy-efficient housing on its campus in...
Gwen Hill: Building Up Our Youth
Building Up Our Youth: Local Program Creates Career Pathways in Building Trades for At-Risk Youth Gwen Hill n the summer of 2018, Asheville-based nonprofit Green Opportunities kicked-off the second of three planned cycles of its new YouthBuild training program, a tuition-free pre-apprenticeship program designed for out-of-school youth in Buncombe...
Garret K. Woodward: Rebuilding Affrilachia
Rebuilding Affrilachia: The Value of History and Equity in our Growing Community Garret K. Woodward Just inside the entrance gate of the Burton Street Community Peace Garden in West Asheville hangs a sign that reads, “Good planets are hard to replace. Treat kindly.” The large hillside garden is accented...
Jonathan Gach: Big-Picture Weatherization
Big-Picture Weatherization: Blue Horizon’s Energy Upgrade Program Jonathan Gach The Asheville area is fortunate to have a variety of organizations on hand locally to help low-income residents face the challenges that can come with owning or renting a home. Eblen Charities’ Energy Assistance program can help families pay for...
Garret K. Woodward: Filling in the Gaps
Filling in the Gaps: Energy Savers Network Helps Low-Income Homes Garret K. Woodward It was the basketball-sized hole in the dining room window that stuck out the most for Alice Wyndham. “It was the second house we worked on. He was a veteran who had cancer. His mother had...
Heath Moody: Train Drain
Train Drain: The Role of Higher Education in Developing a Sustainable Workforce Heath Moody As our workforce faces the challenging mass exodus of baby boomers retiring over the next decade, there exists a unique opportunity to explore solutions that could not only put numerous Americans to work, but also...