Last year, when we gathered in Bentonville, Arkansas, we learned about all the funding, financing, and other opportunities that were on their way from the Inflation Reduction Act. This year, the results of the biggest investment in rural power in 100 years are hitting the ground, and we’re bringing those solutions to you from November 11-13 at the Tubman Museum in Macon, Georgia.
Last October, we hosted the inaugural Rural Renaissance Roadshow in beautiful Bentonville, Arkansas. Some asked us, “Why Bentonville?” In this clip from last year’s Roadshow, Groundswell’s CEO, Michelle Moore, explains that Arkansas has deep roots in leading clean energy innovation; notably, Arkansas developed one of the first low-income-focused energy efficiency programs in the United States.
When the time came for Randy Vaal to speak in front of friends, neighbors, and strangers about what had brought him to the table, only one word came to him: atonement.
We were seated in a big circle, all 35 of us in a room at the Sisters of St. Benedict Monastery in rural Ferdinand, Indiana. Around the tables were a number of Sisters and their community stakeholders, representatives from Indiana University, and Randy’s fellow members of Southern Indiana Citizens for Quality of Life (SWICQL, affectionately pronounced as “swickel”).
This month, we’re celebrating Rural Results! From Virginia up to Montana and down to Texas and Louisiana, we love to see Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) dollars hitting the ground in rural communities across each of our regions and across the U.S.
Last week, I had the pleasure of touring a variety of venues for the upcoming Rural Renaissance Roadshow in beautiful Macon, Georgia. While in Macon, I enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of the folks at Visit Macon. Check out their YouTube Channel to learn about Macon’s rich music history, information on the Ottis Redding Museum, the Historic Grant's Lounge — which has featured artists such as the Allman Brothers, Tom Petty, and Eric Clapton — and more!
I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am to see that peach in our Rural Renaissance quilt this year, celebrating that we’re heading to my home state of Georgia – and to Macon, to be precise – for this year’s Roadshow! Macon is legendary. It stands proudly next to Motown and Memphis as one of the “3M’s” of music.
