B5. Resilience, Third Nature, and Transition

In the intricate tapestry of backyard ecosystems, an often underestimated yet crucial factor is water retention. From arid deserts to lush rainforests, understanding and enhancing water retention can profoundly influence ecosystem restoration efforts, and it need not be complex.

To lay a hedge, you cut each tree or shrub part way through its stem, then bend it over and lay it down horizontally to make a barrier from which strong new growth extends upwards. But of course it’s not as simple as that. Hedge-laying is hard, time-consuming, skilled work.

As anticipated 50 years ago by the Club of Rome, tensions between our ever-expanding modes of exploitation and the finiteness of the planet’s resources have now become a critical factor in the evolution of human societies.

In this Frankly, Nate outlines nine aspirational categories for empowering more individuals towards mature and resilient development in service of life.

What will farmers grow in the salty fields of the future? Melino thinks it might be salicornia.  

But getting back to the matter of simplicity and complexity… the simpler, the more localized and embedded your life, the deeper and more extensive your relationships are.

We need a new economics focused on learning incentives, love and awareness. That will open up planning horizons and teach us a far better way to live with each other.

A critical component strategy for creating a viable future energy system and addressing climate change, must surely be energy demand reduction (minimisation), e.g. through relocalisation, retrofitting buildings, local food growing, and reducing waste, to curb the size of resource [very much plural] demands, get us below overshoot and avoid collapse (if we can). 

Thus, I seek stories that teach humility, and how to live ecologically. The best avenue seems to be stories that come from the tried-and-true more-than-human world, not the self-flattering drivel we fabricate.

This story was produced by Lisa Abelar for Resource Rural in partnership with Mountain Association.

Anna Carey jokes that she might like animals more than people, depending on the person. Her affinity for four-legged companions has kept her involved as special projects manager for the Leslie County Fiscal Court, the region’s municipal government that also manages the community animal shelter.

Anna Carey, special projects manager for the Leslie County Fiscal Court, and Katherine Woods, director of the Leslie County Animal Shelter, stand in front of the shelter in rural Kentucky. Photo by Michael Chassereau from Forever and Always Photography.

After experiencing an animal overpopulation boom following the pandemic, the rural shelter enclosed an outdoor slab to create more usable space for the dogs and cats they house. That part of the shelter, as well as the lighting throughout the facility — were ripe for efficiency upgrades. Since the county faces an increasingly tight budget, Carey said it made sense to find ways to save money wherever possible.

When she was approached by the Mountain Association about a grant opportunity that would allow the county to install solar panels on the shelter at a fraction of the full-price cost, and save money on future energy costs, she proceeded without hesitation. Carey worked with them as well as The Nature Conservancy and the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund to secure grant funding that collectively totaled more than $90,000 for the $112,000 project. The Leslie County Fiscal Court only had to contribute $20,000.

The county will also be able to obtain a tax credit from the federal government for this project, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, making the final project cost for the county essentially zero. 

“It just makes economic sense for the county,” Carey said about the minimal contribution the county would have to make. “It would decrease their bills and we could hook it up to batteries. And it would offer more long-term resiliency.”

“It’s a very clear savings. We’re in the final stages of it and the installer said that he can already see the consumption we need from the power company is going way down,” Carey said, noting that the Mountain Association helped them “basically do everything” throughout the process.

The solar installer programmed the system to switch from grid usage to battery usage during peak periods of energy consumption. With this feature the shelter can avoid being charged higher demand rates from the utility company. The shelter expects to save $5,000 in electricity costs annually.

The project as made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits and grants from the Mountain Association via its partnership with General Motors, The Nature Conservancy and the Appalachian Solar Finance fund. The KY Office of Energy Policy also supported the Mountain Association in completing the shelter’s building audits. Photo by Michael Chassereau from Forever and Always Photography.

“That’s super smart,” Carey said. “When they’re charging us the most, we can use the sun.”

Carey says that one of the most gratifying elements of the solar installation is the fact that the county’s financial contribution to the project came from coal severance funds. Those funds are accrued through taxes imposed on coal mining.

Historically Leslie County’s economy was fueled by coal. In a community that once relied so heavily on the coal industry, clean energy can be a touchy subject. Carey thinks that once people see how much money the county saves that it can put into other things for the community that this solar project and any that come in the future will be readily welcomed. It’s also an example of how the region can continue its legacy of energy production and one more way historic coal revenue contributes to its continued energy security today. 

She also appreciates that this solar installation was an example of the county testing a new solution. The cost to the county was low, the benefits and savings could be significant, and it could end up being a case study for the county on reducing costs elsewhere at other municipal buildings. 

“We’re lucky. I don’t know how we got so lucky,” Carey said of receiving the grant funding. “It’s the fiscal court’s job to be fiscally responsible. So, we’re doing our job. Sometimes it’s that simple.”

Note from Resource Rural: The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is a piece of federal legislation that aims to reduce inflation by lowering the cost of prescription medications, investing in domestic energy production and promoting clean energy, among other objectives.

*EDITOR’S NOTE: Federal programs are currently in flux, so please note these incentives may change or be eliminated.

The post Leslie County Animal Shelter finds the purr-fect solar solution to cutting costs appeared first on Mountain Association.

Biodiversity has always been important to environmental scientists, conservationists, landscape architects, and others but only recently seems to have entered the public domain. It took a long time for Australia to accept the climate emergency. It is pleasing to see that the biodiversity crisis has been accepted more readily. There is legislation at national and … Continue reading Creating Biodiverse Australian Cities: Terminology, Aesthetics, and Acceptance →

The post Creating Biodiverse Australian Cities: Terminology, Aesthetics, and Acceptance appeared first on The Nature of Cities.

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization, the United Nations agency tasked with protecting global public health.

In At a Loss For Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage she breaks down the burning crisis of our time — the rise of authoritarian governments — and explains why we are letting it happen. Reading it, I find that she has helped me with my confusion and invigorated my weary mind.

Thanks to our partners at Appalachian Voices for this article!

Buckhorn Children and Family Services held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new solar energy installation at the center’s campus in Buckhorn, Kentucky, this fall. The solar project, which was funded in part by the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, is expected to provide a lifetime energy cost savings of $188,622 and 26.9 KW of renewable energy for the center, allowing BCFS to redirect those savings to its mission of supporting vulnerable children and families in the area. 

BCFS and partnering staff cut the ribbon on the new solar array. Pictured left to right: BCFS Chairperson Robin Gabbard, Mountain Association Senior Energy Analyst Josh Bills, Solar Installer at HOMES, Inc. Bobby C. “Fuzz” Johnson, BCFS CFO Mitch Smith and Everybody Solar’s Youness Scally. Photo by Rance Garrison.

The installation’s impact goes beyond reducing BCFS’s power costs. The solar installation aligns with their mission to provide mental and physical healing, social acceptance and spiritual hope to at-risk children and families across Kentucky by allowing them to use the savings on energy toward covering programming and administrative overhead costs. In addition to addiction recovery services, BCFS supports foster care in Eastern Kentucky, a residential center for youth with disabilities, outpatient behavioral health services and a family preservation program. 

“For over a century,” Billy Smith, BCFS executive director, wrote in an email, “our people have often been deprived of basic services and opportunities that are often commonplace for others throughout the country.  Arguably byproducts of that economic depression and lack of opportunity, child abuse and neglect, as well as drug and alcohol addiction, are rampant in our communities.” 

He noted that the Buckhorn Children and Family Services has been a refuge for many clients, and sometimes the last hope for treatment.

The installation isn’t their first foray into solar arrays. 

The first phase of the installation began in 2021, but due to budgetary constraints at the time, only half of the installation was finished. Smith explained that the second phase was ultimately funded through a collective effort of private and nonprofit funders that included the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund, the Mountain Association via its General Motors partnership, Everybody Solar and Solar Moonshot.

The Appalachian Solar Finance Fund leverages partnerships across the Appalachian region to promote sustainable energy solutions for nonprofits and mission-based organizations. Appalachian Voices, the nonprofit organization that publishes The Appalachian Voice, serves as the fiscal sponsor for the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund. In this case, the fund contributed a $20,000 grant award to the project.

 “The Solar Finance Fund has been a wonderful community partner,” said Mitch Smith, chief financial officer of BCFS. “They’ve been eager to help in any way they can, not only with the application and funding but in general throughout the entire project.”

The financial benefits of solar energy were also echoed by Josh Bills, senior energy analyst with Mountain Association. 

“Installing solar and offsetting that electric cost instead of purchasing it offers a pretty good rate of return,” Bills said. “Plus, with the Inflation Reduction Act, mission-based organizations like Buckhorn can receive direct financial support.”

Bills explained that nonprofits may be eligible for a 30% U.S. Treasury payment after installation, along with a 10% bonus for being located in an energy community, covering a substantial 40% of the project’s total cost. *NOTE: Federal programs are currently in flux, so please note these incentives may change or be eliminated.

Community leaders and partners shared their support and excitement for BCFS’s new solar installation. 

“As far as the new solar arrays, I’m for anything that would help the Center offset costs that they have,” says Rep. Chris Fugate, state representative for Kentucky’s 84th district. “That’s the most exciting thing because it means they can use that money they’re saving to help people.”

“We’ll be able to put that money into better use, into our addiction recovery program,” says Richard Wilson, chief development officer at BCFS. “We will be able to build for the future with those funds that we would have used towards electrical costs.” 

Robin Gabbard, president of Mountain Association and chairperson of Buckhorn Children and Family Services, noted the supportive response from local residents since the solar installation’s completion. 

“Back in 2021 when the [first] array went up, we received great feedback from the community. Having the Solar Finance Fund alongside us to help navigate all of that has been a real boon for this organization.”

The ribbon-cutting event underscored BCFS’s role not only as a provider of community services, but as a regional leader in adopting renewable energy. 

“It’s increasingly clear that we as a global community must turn to alternative sources of energy if we hope to mitigate climate change,” Smith of BCFS wrote. “That change must start somewhere. It’s our hope that by making such substantial changes to our energy structure, as well as through continued projects in the future, we can serve as a leader in this capacity not only for nonprofits, but for businesses and private citizens as well.”

Editor’s note: Slight updates have been made to the original article written by App Voices.

The post What Solar Means for Buckhorn Children and Family Services appeared first on Mountain Association.

Many small business owners have unique ways of patching together the funds to get their business started. Katie Startzman of Berea, Kentucky may be one of the most unconventional funding stories we’ve heard in recent years.

She’d always dreamed of starting a restaurant, but knew she needed to test the waters first. No stranger to business, Katie previously sold knitting patterns online and had even published her own knitting book. However, launching a more capital-intensive business was intimidating. In 2015, Katie enrolled in a business builder course offered by the Mountain Association. There she realized how she could start a restaurant while limiting her family’s own risk; she decided to launch a bagel cart using a crowdfunding campaign.

See how you can learn from her successes in this Crowdfunding 101 video:

More information on our CrowdMatch Loan can be found here.

The post Crowdfunding 101 appeared first on Mountain Association.

Diálogos sobre democracia radical y autonomía Introducción TGA está organizando una serie de 3 sesiones de diálogo entre pueblos indígenas y otras comunidades locales que practican la democracia radical, la autonomía y la autodeterminación. Se trata de la preparación de un encuentro mundial de estas comunidades que se celebrará en febrero de 2025. Los tres diálogos regionales, uno al mes, se centrarán en el Sur Global: &

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