Participation Type
Discussion
Session Title
Session 10.17 Economic Development
Presentation #1 Title
A vision of economic transition from the grassroots: The “Economic Transition Listening Project” of the Alliance for Appalachia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This roundtable discusses a project to build better national support systems for regional economic transition. In 2013, the Alliance for Appalachia conducted a Listening Project to learn from people who are already building a sustainable and just economy in Central Appalachia. The project reached out to grassroots networks across Appalachian WV, KY, VA, and TN to listen to lessons learned about what works in their communities, and what people seek over the long term. After the listening phase, the project analyzed and shared findings, and brought people together for a regional Economic Summit to develop action plans for economic transition. The project has four goals: 1) to find locally successful projects and to share their success stories; 2) to listen to people’s visions for community-driven economic development, and to learn what relationships would support those visions; 3) to build support systems for new economic visions, by building relationships with national labor organizations and federal agencies, as well as, relationships among local Appalachian organizations; 4) to assess the potential for new federal legislation, policies, or programs that would provide an appropriate matrix of support for economic transition in Central Appalachia. The Listening Project involved dozens of interviews, a listening tour, and meetings in DC with federal agencies (such as, ARC, USDA, Dept of Labor, OSM) and national leaders in the labor and green economy movements. The panelists serve on the Economic Transition Committee of the Alliance for Appalachia (a coalition of 15 grassroots groups). This committee coordinated the Listening Project.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Betsy Taylor is a cultural anthropologist who has worked with numerous participatory research projects in central Appalachia and India. She is currently a research faculty member of the Dept of Religion & Culture, Virginia Tech http://vt.academia.edu/BetsyTaylor .
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Dan Taylor is the organizer & Project Coordinator of the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition’s clean election campaign and their renewable energy/energy efficiency campaign. He has served as a VISTA volunteer, a labor organizer, and a lead organizer in the Occupy Huntington movement and the Jewel City Solidarity Network (a workplace and tenets rights organization). He currently serves on the board of Create Huntington, which promotes economic development and the arts in Huntington, WV.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Andrew Munn has worked with Coal River Mountain Watch, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, and other anti-strip mining efforts as a community organizer and project coordinator, including Appalachia Rising and the March on Blair Mountain. He is currently working with the West Virginia Land Study, an informal group of organizers, advocates, scholars, and citizens investigating patterns of land ownership in West Virginia.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Bill Price has spent most of his life living and working in Appalachia. He currently works with the Environmental Justice and Community Partnerships program of the Sierra Club. He works with the Beyond Coal to Clean Energy campaign and believes that economic transition from the grassroots up is possible.
A vision of economic transition from the grassroots: The “Economic Transition Listening Project” of the Alliance for Appalachia
Harris Hall 236
This roundtable discusses a project to build better national support systems for regional economic transition. In 2013, the Alliance for Appalachia conducted a Listening Project to learn from people who are already building a sustainable and just economy in Central Appalachia. The project reached out to grassroots networks across Appalachian WV, KY, VA, and TN to listen to lessons learned about what works in their communities, and what people seek over the long term. After the listening phase, the project analyzed and shared findings, and brought people together for a regional Economic Summit to develop action plans for economic transition. The project has four goals: 1) to find locally successful projects and to share their success stories; 2) to listen to people’s visions for community-driven economic development, and to learn what relationships would support those visions; 3) to build support systems for new economic visions, by building relationships with national labor organizations and federal agencies, as well as, relationships among local Appalachian organizations; 4) to assess the potential for new federal legislation, policies, or programs that would provide an appropriate matrix of support for economic transition in Central Appalachia. The Listening Project involved dozens of interviews, a listening tour, and meetings in DC with federal agencies (such as, ARC, USDA, Dept of Labor, OSM) and national leaders in the labor and green economy movements. The panelists serve on the Economic Transition Committee of the Alliance for Appalachia (a coalition of 15 grassroots groups). This committee coordinated the Listening Project.
