Energy Co-ops: People Sharing, Prospering and Conserving
When Franklin Roosevelt 75 years ago signed into law the Civilian Conservation Corps in my hometown he was challenged by his critics. FDR responded that when the unemployed started to plant trees and become vested in other environmental improvements in their communities they become shareholders in saving their land. Energy co-ops are not only saving their land, they are also creating a necessary, new paradigm for investing in local economies at a scale that functions to revitalize other aspects of community. Fostering energy co-ops creates many, complementary economic and environmental benefits. Shareholders lessen their energy bill by investing in small-scale energy production and conservation. This, in turn, incrementally lessons our nation’s dependence on imported foreign oil and our overall carbon footprint. By investing in and lending to small, local businesses, they also contribute to the creation of new “green” jobs and re-circulate money within the community, which has bee