Asheville’s Reading, Riding and Retrofit program gets $300,000

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Press release here. The Reading, Riding and Retrofit program is the brainchild of former Asheville City Councilwoman Robin Cape. Here’s a description:

To support Buncombe County’s growing green industry, the Land-of-Sky Regional Planning Council developed Reading, Riding, and Retrofit, a collaborative program that provides city and county school systems with tools to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, conserve energy, and reduce operational costs while educating students and the community. This project uses two strategies to achieve these goals:

Funding school building and transportation energy efficiency retrofits while implementing sustainable policies and procedures

Mobilizing “Green Teams” to undertake school-based sustainability projects

Press release:

In 2009, EPA launched a competitive grant program to assist local and tribal governments in establishing and implementing climate change initiatives. The overall goal of the Climate Showcase Communities grant program is to create replicable models of sustainable community action that generate cost-effective and persistent greenhouse gas reductions while improving the environmental, economic, public health, or social conditions in a community.

The 20 communities listed below were selected in the first round of funding. An additional 5 communities are undergoing final review and will be announced in March 2010. EPA will offer peer exchange, training, and technical support to grant recipients, and encourage replication across the country to promote the creation of sustainable climate management programs that are not only the foundation for stabilizing our climate, but also create jobs and fulfill other local government priorities.

An additional $10 million in funding for this program will become available in late Spring 2010. To receive notification when this funding is available, please sign up for our listserv.