Youth Gather to Learn about Appalachia’s Growing Renewable Energy Industry

Media Advisory

MEDIA CONTACT                                                                              June 7, 2017
Cara Cooper, KSEC State Organizer
859.242.6435 | [email protected]
 
When:     June 10
               1:00 p.m.

Where:    Benham Schoolhouse Inn
                100 Central Ave
                Benham, KY 40807
 
To help young Appalachians learn about economic opportunities in their home region, the Kentucky Student Environmental Coalition’s Just Transition Working Group shines a light on Appalachia’s burgeoning renewable energy and energy efficiency industries and the role they can play in building strong, local economies.

Tre' Sexton, owner of Letcher County’s Bluegrass Solar Group, will discuss what it is like to work in the renewable energy industry and give a tour of his business’s solar installation at the Kentucky Coal Mining Museum. And Blake Enlow, executive director of Harlan County’s affordable housing organization COAP, Inc., will discuss the money-saving energy efficiency program Benham $aves.
 
The Renewable Energy Spotlight is one in a series of Spotlight events that KSEC’s Just Transition Working Group is hosting to educate young Appalachians about opportunities in the region’s media, energy, food, and creative sectors. The Spotlights are part of KSEC’s larger project, The Solutions Tour, which aims to ensure young people are participating in the conversation around Appalachia’s economic transition. The project is also gathering input from young Appalachians to ensure that their ideas and needs are considered by economic decision-makers. Our findings from this project will be sent to local chambers of commerce, Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR), and organizations working on economic transition to ensure that they hear from young people. Learn more about KSEC’s Solution Tour on our website.