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REAP Adds Another Level of Sustainability to Bio-based Business
After serving in the U.S. Air Force, Bill Garmier returned to Ohio with nothing but starting a family farm on his mind. For years, his family would plant and harvest corn and soybeans, but when the market began to change Garmier knew he needed to find an additional source of… [Read More]
04.21.2023

REAP Funding Helps Pennsylvania Business Go Solar
Three Rivers Farm helps bring fresh, locally grown produce to the marketplace in a sustainable way. Nathan Holmes is the owner and founder of the business and knew early on that he wanted to help local farmers while fueling economic development in his community.
As a Pittsburgh… [Read More]
03.23.2023
Sustainability at the Core
For many, apples are a sweet addition to a balanced diet. For Eric Jorgensen, one of the founders of Finnriver Farm & Cidery, apples are a way of life.
Jorgensen and his partners started their small organic fruit and vegetable farm in Chimacum, Washington, on the state’s… [Read More]
03.15.2023

Going Solar in Fulton
Fulton is a small town in Missouri and the largest city in Callaway County, with a population of about 13,000 people. But for many rural towns, identifying and securing solar incentives can be a challenge. RD’s Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems &… [Read More]
02.08.2023

Luther Center Helps Local Businesses Go Solar
The Luther College’s Center for Sustainable Communities is working to improve local economies in the Midwest with the help of a Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Grant (REAP). When the two investor-owned… [Read More]
02.08.2023

Humboldt Community REAPs the Benefit of Webb Farm Solar
Located in rural Humboldt, Tennessee, Mr. Aaron Webb of Webb Farm Solar Systems Inc., owns and operates a minority owned solar farm. This farm has been in operation since 2012, with Photo-Voltaic (PV) Solar Systems on several farm properties.
It was in 2019, when Webb walked… [Read More]
01.11.2023

The Perks of Solar: Sustainability with Every Sip at Cape Cod Coffee
Many people have a passion for coffee. In fact, many of us cannot imagine starting our day without it. But for Pam and Jan Aggerbeck, owners of Cape Cod Coffee in Mashpee, Massachusetts, every cup of coffee is a part of their story of sustainability- And an opportunity to give… [Read More]
10.13.2022

Home repair loan helps family drastically cut electric bills
Keeping the electric on was crippling Toni and his family. Electric bills ranging from $300-$600 per month ate up the majority of the family’s fixed income.
HOMES Inc., one of Rural Development’s strong housing partners in Eastern Kentucky, led a project combining funding… [Read More]
12.15.2021

Rural Co-op Shines a Light on the Benefits of Solar Energy
Sustainability has been a fundamental tenant of the food cooperative movement since it began, and not only in terms of selling organic, sustainably-harvested food. Co-ops around the country are also turning to renewable energy. For the Astoria Co-op on the Oregon coast, that… [Read More]
06.03.2021

Practicing Sustainability on the Eastern Edge of Glacier National Park
In 2017, after years of planning, Sanford and Claire Stone realized their dream and broke ground on Park Cabin Company in Babb, Mont., an unincorporated farming and ranching community in Glacier County.
Their modern cabins are located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and… [Read More]
05.19.2021