WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS? A Forum On How Hendersonville Can Thrive In the Face of Higher Prices for Gas, Energy and Food

Monday, June 27, 6:30 – 8:30 PM  WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS?  A Forum On How Hendersonville Can Thrive In the Face of Higher Prices for Gas, Energy and Food

What do we want our community to look like five or ten years from now as the world changes radically from one that is energy rich to one that’s energy poor?  Global changes now underway will affect everything from the availability of cheap gas and oil to higher prices for food and financial stability.  Transition Hendersonville and ECO, the Environmental and Conservation Organization, present a community forum about how our town can become more self-reliant in the face of these growing challenges.  

WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS?  A Forum On How Hendersonville Can Thrive In the Face of Higher Prices for Gas, Energy and Food is planned for Monday, June 27th at the Henderson County Public Library.  Three speakers will offer overviews which will be followed by a question and answer period and community discussion.  Dr. Laura Lengnick, Environmental Studies professor at Warren Wilson College, will present data on current resource use in western NC and discuss practical and credible community-scale options for addressing the coming challenges of resource scarcity in a warming world.  World-renowned economic analyst and energy issues expert Nicole Foss will focus on the future of our economic system and how communities like ours can develop stronger networks to shield against future financial shocks.  Local historian Jennie Giles Jones, a descendant of the original pioneers that settled Henderson County, will describe some of the early settlers’ skills and practices that might help us create a more self-reliant community today.

According to Dr. Lengnick, “The more our food, energy and finances are locally-based, the more resilient our community will be to rising oil prices, the uncertain availability of basic resources and extreme weather events currently being experienced the world over and predicted to increase in the future.” Hendersonville is fortunate to have a long, vibrant history of food and energy independence.  The more we can tap into the past while finding newer pathways forward, the more secure our community’s future will be.  Join us for what is sure to be a most informative and provocative conversation.

 The forum will be held Monday, June 27th at 6:30 PM at the Henderson County Public Library.  For more information about this forum, contact ECO at (828) 692-0385 or www.eco-wnc.org   or Transition Hendersonville at www.transitionhendersonville.com

We have decided to pay our speakers an honorarium, especially for Nicole who was in Kentucky and is driving to Hendersonville for the forum on “her way” to Ontario!  So we thought we’d give her something to at least help pay for gas.  If you feel inspired to donate some money towards that end, please bring a check with you that evening.  We’d be grateful for your support.