Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 7.06 Environment and Ecology
Presentation #1 Title
Ethical Energy: Fair Trade, the End of Exploitation and the Move to Renewable Resources
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Issues of energy security and reliability have plagued the United State for decades. Efforts to expand domestic energy resources and become independent of foreign sources have had unintended consequences especially for Appalachians who live in extractive areas. Improved methods of extraction and a transition to renewable resources are essential to creating an energy future that is both secure and sustainable. In this paper I discuss my proposal to use the methods employed by the fair trade movement to educate energy consumers on where their electricity comes from and the effects it may be having on their fellow Americans. Ultimately I suggest the creation of an Ethical Energy Coalition which would advocate for changes to energy policy and certify ethical energy products and companies. Such a coalition would work with activists in the anti-mountaintop removal and anti-hydraulic fracturing movements as well as towns and churches. Together they would build a system of ratings for energy companies, information on the origins of one's electricity and a labeling protocol for products and companies associated with renewable energy.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Sheila Westfall is a fourth year doctoral student at Virginia Tech in the Planning, Governance and Globalization program. She is a West Virginia native and a graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Protection and a Master's of Public Administration.
Ethical Energy: Fair Trade, the End of Exploitation and the Move to Renewable Resources
Harris Hall 136
Issues of energy security and reliability have plagued the United State for decades. Efforts to expand domestic energy resources and become independent of foreign sources have had unintended consequences especially for Appalachians who live in extractive areas. Improved methods of extraction and a transition to renewable resources are essential to creating an energy future that is both secure and sustainable. In this paper I discuss my proposal to use the methods employed by the fair trade movement to educate energy consumers on where their electricity comes from and the effects it may be having on their fellow Americans. Ultimately I suggest the creation of an Ethical Energy Coalition which would advocate for changes to energy policy and certify ethical energy products and companies. Such a coalition would work with activists in the anti-mountaintop removal and anti-hydraulic fracturing movements as well as towns and churches. Together they would build a system of ratings for energy companies, information on the origins of one's electricity and a labeling protocol for products and companies associated with renewable energy.
