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 

Homegrown HideAways is more than just a farm. Located in the Appalachians of Berea, Kentucky, the 100-acre holler welcomes more than 2,000 guests per year and has more than a dozen listings on Airbnb. When Jessa Turner and her partner opened the center, they had plans of adding a solar panel to their community facility but the price of making their farm sustainable was a barrier they needed assistance to overcome. 

Snowmobiling is a sport that the local economy in Northern Vermont depends on. Each year, thousands of out-of-staters travel to experience the snowy mountain trails and amazing views. Freshly groomed trails make the snow smooth and are essential for winter sports and activities.

Shaniko Wool Company and its partners have been raising sheep for 128 years. Over the last several years, the company has emerged as a leader in the wool textile industry, becoming the first RWS-certified company in North America in 2018. 

“We felt this was an opportunity to showcase good practices, earn a premium for the wool, and draw apparel brand partners to us for U.S. manufacturing,” founder and owner Jeanne Carver said.  

Agriculture innovation has changed over the years and one organization is using technology to educate and spark interest in the farming community.  

“Discovery Park of America is a world class museum and heritage park located in a very rural area of Tennessee,” said Director of Development Mary Nita Bondurant. “Its founder, Robert Kirkland, wanted to bring experiences to the people in this region that they might not otherwise have since this is an economically suppressed region.” 

Geoff Marietta found out just how expensive it can be to heat a 12,000-square-foot, 100-plus-year-old building.

The building, located on the corner of 2nd and Main streets in downtown Corbin, Kentucky, sat vacant from 2005 until Marietta bought it in 2017. He immediately started renovating it in order to turn the building into an event space, and part of that renovation included adding an electric furnace.

Family is important to Johnny Murdaugh. When raising his own in Orangeburg, South Carolina, he had to travel outside of his community to enjoy fun activities with his children. Frustrated with the lack of access to entertainment centers and amusement parks, he decided to do something about it. 

“The most important thing for our children is for them to have something to do,” he said. “Children and parents need something to do, and this built a family structure that was not there in a long time.”