Grayson Rural Electric Cooperative installs solar system, first in EKY to do so...

By: Ivy Brashear Customers of Grayson Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation (RECC) can now see something new, and perhaps surprising, when they drive up to the RECC’s headquarters in Grayson, Ky.: a newly installed solar electric system. The 10.8 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system, which Grayson RECC installed as a demonstration and educational project, stands in stark modern contrast to the historic former home to a prominent family, the Bagbys, that houses the Grayson RECC offices. But Grayson executives are keen to keep up with trends in electric generation for their customers’ sake. “As things change and we grow, we have to embrace new technologies,” Grayson RECC CEO Carol Ann Fraley said at the solar electric system’s grand opening. “We think [solar] is one that our members are very interested in, and want to know more about. And we thought what better place [to locate the system] than right in sight of the parking lot.” Grayson RECC worked with the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) to take advantage of a one-time grant provided by MACED that provided some support to purchase and install the PV system. The grant money Grayson RECC used was earmarked for small-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in eastern Kentucky. The grant was not one that could be applied for; MACED had to nominate projects to receive funds. Projects had to meet several criteria to be nominated, including meaningful impact on the community and high visibility. Preference was given to valuable MACED partners...

Traditional Appalachian foodways can carry us into the future...

It’s been said that the only thing Appalachians have done longer than mine coal is grow food. The oral histories of this region will attest to that: The granny who canned all her harvest for winter in the canning house that still stands; the father who tended his garden all summer long, then saved seeds in an old envelope for next year; the mother who broke heirloom green beans to pressure cook and serve with a pone of cornbread. Our food ways are in our blood, as familiar to us as the mountains themselves. Our expertise in the ways of reaping all the land has to offer is unparalleled by many. It only makes sense, then, that in this our time of economic renewal, we would look to these traditional food ways – passed from generation to generation – to carry us through to a new dawn of small-scale agriculture in Central Appalachia for the next generation’s benefit. Stories from across the region about how that very thing is happening seem to be popping up every week. A big catalyst to this storytelling is the Kentucky Community Farm Alliance’s new communications effort, “Breaking Beans: The Appalachian Food Story Project.” The CFA blog gleans and grows stories about Appalachian people who have reconstituted the region’s rich food ways history and written new recipes for how to use it today. The blog has celebrated the stories of many Appalachian farmers and of the burgeoning local foods scene that has cropped up in the region in recent years. One of...

Maxson to resign at end of February, join Babcock Foundation

The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) Board of Directors announced today that President Justin Maxson is accepting the position of executive director at the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation in Winston-Salem, N.C. His tenure at MACED will end on February 27. The Babcock Foundation supports organizations in the southeastern United States that help people and places move out of poverty and achieve greater social and economic justice. “Justin is an exceptional leader and is doing important work in the region and state, and has done a great job helping us build a strong organization,” said MACED Board Chair Ron Eller. “We are proud of MACED’s accomplishments, and consider it a compliment that Justin will now be able to carry the message, values and work of MACED to new heights.” MACED’s Board will now put into action a plan for finding Maxson’s replacement. “It has been a true honor to be the President of MACED,” said Maxson. “Working with the staff, board and partners has been the highlight of my professional career. I feel great about the work we have done together to create new opportunities and a brighter future in the region. I look forward to bringing what I have learned about economic transition to the Babcock Foundation’s work across the South.” Maxson leaves MACED after 13 years of service to the 39-year-old organization. Under his leadership, MACED grew from eight staff and one program to 32 staff and six programs that cover a diverse array of important...

Eastern Kentucky reporter is optimistic about the possibilities in her community...

“With the start of this new year, I’ve given myself permission to dream big – not only for my own life, but also for our entire region.” That’s how Hazard Herald reporter Mindy Beth Miller starts her most recent column for the Hazard, Ky., newspaper.  She’s choosing to stay optimistic about eastern Kentucky’s future this year, joining the chorus of folks throughout the region who are a part of the larger just economic transition movement in Central Appalachia. According to Miller: As an Appalachian writer, I believe I have a responsibility to these mountains and to my hometown and county. My job is to bear witness and to tell the truth, even if that truth is hard. So, now, as our way of life is changing and must change, I want to look toward a bright future and share what I see. And so, she’s urging her community to see the best of itself and to use those best parts to help build a brighter future. Hazard’s Main Street could one day be full of shops promoting traditional Appalachian arts. These shops could be made specific to our area, sporting handmade quilts, pull candy, hand-woven baskets, and all sorts of things produced right here in Perry County. Perhaps we could have factories making these kinds of things. Perhaps we could have a moonshine distillery, a nice restaurant offering modern spins on traditional Appalachian cuisine, a bookstore and coffeehouse, a fancy Appalachian bed & breakfast, a playhouse where Appalachian-produced works...

New year, new transition opportunities

Happy New Year! Renew Appalachia has been on hiatus over the Holidays, and at least a couple of big developments happened over the break that have big potential for the Appalachian Transition movement in 2015. Broadband Internet will be expanded to far-flung corners of Kentucky in the coming years, beginning with the creation of a plan for expansion this year. The expansion will happen through a public-private partnership between the state government and Macquarie Capital. The first leg will be installed in eastern Kentucky. Broadband expansion in the region was a recommendation that came out of the initial Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) summit in 2013. It’s not exactly clear just how far the broadband lines will extend into eastern Kentucky – a press release from Hal Rogers’ office only says that “work along I-75 from northern Kentucky to Williamsburg will for the ‘spine’ of the network, with work in the priority region os southeastern Kentucky occurring simultaneously.” Despite that, it’s hard to not be optimistic about the possibilities that expanded broadband could provide to the region. The Appalachian Regional Commission started developing a new strategic plan that will begin in 2016. ARC wants its new plan to focus on the future of the region, including how best to advance sustainable economic development. According to the ARC: “The Appalachian Region has historically been dominated by a few industries, such as mining, textiles, tobacco and timber. This is particularly true in its most economically distressed counties. Dependence on these industries as economic drivers and employers has left many communities...