Feature Photo—A Breath of Fresh AIRE

On Friday, April 3, the public got its first taste of AIRE’s new office space at the nonprofit’s grand opening celebration at The Greenhouse, downtown Boone’s first green office building located at 164 South Depot Street. The Appalachian Institute for Sustainable Energy (AIRE) is an initiative of the Appalachian Coalition for Just and Sustainable Communities, a Boone-based nonprofit organization, and was formed to promote strong economies and healthy environments throughout Central and Southern Appalachia.
This month, AIRE will launch the first community-owned solar project in Boone when ASU Appropriate Technology graduate students install a 2.5-kilowatt photovoltaic solar electric system on the roof of The Greenhouse. The project, Boone Community Solar, is an experiment in AIRE’s greater effort to develop community-owned solar energy for residential, commercial and public buildings in Boone.
During the event on April 3, more than 100 visitors listened to speeches by Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson and AIRE member Ged Moody (left photo), and heard about AIRE’s initiatives and The Greenhouse’s sustainable features from AIRE members, including (right photo, from left to right) Matt Cooper, Steve Owen, Paul Capua, John Mena, Jeffrey Scott, Jeff Deal, Ged Moody and Casey Pond. Photos by Ken Ketchie













