In the Central Appalachian region, energy and natural resources present a range of potential economic and community development opportunities, as well as complex challenges. The two sectors are inextricably linked. As the region faces continued decline of its traditional industries, communities are seeking strategies that will facilitate a just economic transition through responsibly managed natural resources, widespread energy efficiency, and renewable energy.
The Energy & Natural Resources Group (ENRG) is exploring these opportunities and challenges in the region and has released a report from its first learning meeting. Click here to download the report.
The ENRG welcomes other regional and national funding partners interested in bringing greater focus and impact to future energy and natural resource investments and programs in the Central Appalachian region. The group will also continue to incorporate practitioner and community insight into activities, investments, and ongoing dialogue about these sectors.
Strategies
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Convene
Convene diverse stakeholders & build relationships.
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Learn
Exchange information as a learning network of practitioners and funders.
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Support & Facilitate
Provide leadership and serve as champions for advancing the energy and natural resource sectors.
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Leverage
Leverage additional private, public, and philanthropic resources.
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Collaborate
Align resources for greater impact and provide a regional voice for the energy and natural resources sectors role in the economic transition.
Co-Chairs of the Energy & Natural Resources Group
Beth Wheatley, The Nature Conservancy-West Virginia
Heidi Binko, Just Transition Fund
Members of the Energy and Natural Resources Group
Funders
Mary Hunt, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
Eli Flournoy, Sugar Bush Foundation
Max Shipman, Just Transition Fund
Stephanie Randolph, Cassiopeia
Hannah Vargason, Partner Community Capital
Rachael Young, Just Transition Fund
Holly Hatcher, Genan Foundation
Peter Hille, Mountain Association
Louis Irvin, Redbud Financial Alternatives
Andrew Crosson, Invest Appalachia
Rudi Navarra, Emerson Collective
Bleik Pickett, James Graham Brown Foundation