Story Archives
Ever wanted to do something to save money on your home energy bills, but didn't know how to do it? Wished you knew someone nearby that would be willing to help? Well, Dan Curry, along with the team at Clean Energy Durham aspires to make that easy for you. Their neighbor-to-neighbor program connects volunteer trainers in Durham neighborhoods with those seeking help to save money and energy in their homes.
Clean Energy Durham was started in 2005 by Judy Kincaid as an advisory committee for the Durham County Cooperative Extension Service. Two years later, the committee became a non-profit with Mrs. Kincaid as Executive Director. They now have a staff of eight employees and always have a number of volunteers assisting in the office. The organization is primarily volunteer-driven and...
Kristen Powers, a rising senior at Chapel Hill High School definitely lives up to her name. She has been a powerful force for good since she arrived in Chapel Hill 4 years ago. Though she was excited to see how far along the green/sustainability movement already was in Chapel Hill, she jumped right in where she saw an opening. Kristen started a Green Teen Club at McDougal Middle School as an 8th grader and then the Green Tigers Club at Chapel Hill High (CHHS) as a freshman.
The first initiative at CHHS involved getting a community garden up and running. The Green Tigers have started to address energy conservation by purchasing and having installed 2 motion sensor lights in the...
Tell Mimi Shankin that you don’t think something really has much chance of happening, and she will find a way to not only make it happen, but she will make it fun and invite a whole lot of other people to the party as well. As Director of Sustainability and Development at Avant Staffing in Durham, she convinced her somewhat skeptical boss, Kevin Griffin, that sustainability is not a trend, but an ethical way to do business that can positively impact the bottom line. After spending a year initiating, improving and documenting Avant’s sustainability policies and programs, they became a certified B Corporation.
B corporations are a new class of corporation that use the power of business to create public benefit and solve social and environmental challenges. Six states have...