MIDDLEBURY, VT, October 24, 2009
/24-7PressRelease/ -- Andrew Munn has been awarded $5,000 from the Brighter Planet Project Fund, a monthly micro-granting program focused on fighting climate change. His project, Sustainable Energy and Economic Diversification in the Coal River Valley, with the support of Coal River Mountain Watch, seeks to develop economic alternatives to coal extraction in the region.
Powered by Brighter Planet's social website (brighterplanet.com) to nominate and vote on projects of merit, the Project Fund seeds the growth of neighborhood-scale solutions that help people fight or adapt to climate change. Brighter Planet customers endow the Project Fund by using the company's products and services. Members think of it like a grassroots stimulus package for the climate
"Eighteen deserving projects vied for votes and 13,983 votes were cast in our first grant period," said Patti Prairie, Brighter Planet's CEO. "The project that more of our members voted for than any other was the Sustainable Energy and Economic Diversification Program. October's Project Fund grant will help them make a start towards a sustainable economy in place of the particularly egregious practice of extracting coal through mountain top removal."
Over the next nine months, Andrew Munn, Laura Steepleton, and Charles Suggs will interview community members, identify community-led entrepreneurial projects, and select five projects to support. They will document their work on http://www.journeyupcoalriver.org and adapt their results as lesson plans for regional high schools and colleges. "By supporting the development of community-driven economic alternatives, this project will reduce local dependency on coal extraction and help educate young people on cultural and economic intricacies of sustainable development in Appalachia," said Munn.
Brighter Planet community members vote for next month's grant recipient starting November 1st. Submissions are now open for November's Project Fund grant of up to $5,024. Six new grassroots submissions from California, Texas, West Virginia, Indiana, and New Hampshire have already been vetted and are on deck.
About Brighter Planet
Brighter Planet (www.brighterplanet.com) helps people manage their environmental footprint. The clean-energy start-up is pioneering a new environmentalism — one that is accessible to everyone, fits one's lifestyle, and is fun to share. Its engaging campaigns tap the power of social media to help people learn about emissions, conserve what they can, and offset the rest. For more info, please call 802 458 0441.
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