BOONE — UHaulCarShare and Appalachian State University have teamed up to provide access to North America’s most advanced car-sharing service. Through the partnership, students, faculty and staff will have transportation options allowing them to maintain a sustainable lifestyle in one cost-effective, convenient package.

Three vehicles parked in the Legends parking lot on campus (one Ford Focus and two Toyota Prius Hybrids), are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for rent to drivers 18 years of age and older who meet UHaulCarShare’s safe driver requirements.  Rental rates are as low as $4.95 per hour (plus 49 cents per mile), $8.50 per hour with 180 free miles, or a flat rate of $60 a day. A membership is required to participate in the rental program...

In addition to UHaulCarShare, the university offers ridesharing through Zimride, a ridesharing social network that helps people share commutes or one-time rides. The…

For Immediate Release:

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Marshall, NC 

January 25, 2012

Advantage West, French Broad Vignerons, and Warren Wilson College Sponsor Sustainable Viticulture Conference

With a month left before the conference several organizations have provided support in several ways. Advantage West is providing some sponsorship funding to the 2nd Annual North Carolina Conference on Sustainable Viticulture to be held Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at Warren Wilson College. Matthew Raker, Vice President Entrepreneurship & AdvantageGreen, said “Viticulture supports a diversity of expanding industries in Western North Carolina such as wine, natural products and tourism. AdvantageWest is excited to be able to support this conference bringing together nationally recognized leaders in sustainable viticulture and serving as an annual focal point for our region’s grape-based…

Summary: The NC Community Development Initiative (“the Initiative”) and Green Opportunities want to share what they have learned about building strong green job training programs in low-income communities. They are co-sponsoring a multi-day training retreat for community-based development organizations and their partners in Asheville on April 17-19, 2012.*

The NC Green Jobs Training Retreat will provide participants with the opportunity to fully learn about GO’s approach to community empowerment, green training, services, collaboration and sustainability. It will also provide community teams with the opportunity to tailor this model to work in their own communities. Community teams are essential to making the GO model work so applicants must apply and attend in teams of two to six participants. We are now accepting applications from NC teams to participate in the all expense paid retreat. We will select teams from up to…

DURHAM, N.C., January 23, 2012 — Taking steps to improve energy efficiency and reduce its overall carbon footprint, the City of Asheville has initiated North Carolina’s first large-scale deployment of LED street lights. There are 3,643 LEDway® street lights from Durham-based manufacturer Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) being installed, with projected savings of $260,000 annually.



In the initial phase of the project, completed in June 2011, 730 street lights in Asheville’s River District and Kenilworth neighborhoods were replaced with 67-watt to 195-watt LEDway luminaires, estimated to save the City $45,000 in annual energy costs. An additional 2,913 LEDway street lights are currently being installed, and the City anticipates saving 50 percent of current energy use and maintenance costs due to the LED upgrade.



“Upgrading to LED street lights allows us to decrease energy consumption, increase energy efficiency and contribute to the sustainability of our community,” said…

When Gary Ball of Candler-based Balls Machine and Manufacturing Company was approached by BioWheels Responsible Transportation Solutions (RTS), a local renewable energy and alternative transportation start-up, to build the structural components for the innovative Brightfields™ solar power generating electric vehicle charging stations, he didn’t hesitate to say yes.

“We’ve been looking to grow our capacity to support the needs of the renewable energy sector for years,” says Ball. “Manufacturing durable electric vehicle charging stations that integrate solar power production is the type of project we can get excited about.”

He’s not the only one excited. Early this year, BioWheels RTS was awarded a sizable grant from the North Carolina Green Business Fund—a fund established by the State to encourage green…

From the Alleghany News:

On Nov. 18 a wind turbine system called the "Skystream 3.7 Residential Power Appliance" was installed near the athletics field at Alleghany High School. The work was funded in part through a Wind for Schools Program grant.

Full article here.