Appalachian Center For Economic Networks
Happy Holidays! 

As we enter the closing month of 2014, we are reflecting on a great year. Lets work together to make this last month count in our local economy. There are many local opportunities enjoy  to entertainment and get in you last-minute shopping. We hope to see many of you out doing your holiday shopping locally, and treating family members to dinner at local restaurants this season. 

Holiday Shopping: Shop Local this Season!

Local business owners have been working hard preparing for the holidays. The shop windows are decorated, and many business owners are making arrangements to extend hours to accommodate evening shoppers. If you aren't sure of a shop's hours, give them a quick call before you head over. For a listing of local shopping opportunities and places to find local food products in Athens and Nelsonville See More 

The Athens Visitors Center will be featuring a local gift idea each day of the month leading up to Christmas. Learn more about the 25 Gifts of Athens. 

North Pole Nelsonville  will be in full swing this month with businesses open for holiday shopping, rides on the Santa Train, and performances of the Appalachian Christmas Carol at Stuart's Opera House.  Enjoy the winter season! 
We are now on Instagram! 
 

ACEnet is excited to be upping our social media presence by joining instagram! The purchase of new tablets, grant funded through the Local Food Promotion Program, has allowed us to step fully into the 21st century. We will now be able to better support our clients and share our story with the broader instagram community.  

 

We will be working hard at honing our instagram skills then we will offer support to our clients who are wishing to diversify and expand their social media presence by joining instagram. 

 

If you would like to join us on this new journey, please follow us at our new handle acenetathens and tag us in your photos of local food produced at ACEnet. 


 

Be on the lookout for ACEnet on Pintrest as this will be our next new frontier. 
Energy Efficiency: Our Nelsonville Facility Upgrades

In the fall of 2012, ACEnet had the Nelsonville facility audited for energy efficiency through the AEP Ohio Savings and Instinctives program for  businesses. The upgrade involved replacing 20- year-old mercury vapor lights with energy efficient LED lights. In addition to providing better lighting for our Nelsonville tenants,  the upgrade also cut energy costs and decreased the environmental footprint of the facility.
 
We recently received data regarding the impact of the upgrades. The efforts resulted in a savings of 146,152.97 kilowatt hours or 113.51 Tons of CO2 annually. This is equivalent to the CO2 generated by 9.42 single-family homes! The energy usage reduction equals the impact of taking 21.68 cars off the road each year, or 2,644.78 seedling trees grown for 10 years. 

We are proud of the many Athens business owners and ACEnet clients who have taken their own steps towards business sustainability. We realize that there are still many improvements that we can make to decrease our footprint and increase the efficiency of our own buildings. We are currently in discussions about audits and upgrades for the buildings on our Athens Campus. 

Community Discussions on shopping for Healthy Food
Discussions on Health Benefits of Eating Local

This month ACEnet program staff visited residents of Chauncy and Nelsonville during our Savvy Shopping on the Cheap workshop series. Over local snacks, we discussed barriers to accessing fresh healthy foods, exchanged coupons, and nutrition information. 

 

The event was an opportunity to create awareness around existing opportunities for local shopping, while hearing from community residents about local food programs they would like to see available. Attendees also shared ideas about means of promoting food opportunities and events. 

 

We'd like to thank the Nelsonville and Chauncy libraries for hosting us, and thank our participants for voicing their ideas and hopes for local food in Athens County. We look forward to using the information to better serve our rural communities. 

 

Our Director of Finances, Larry Fisher attended a community event at the Hocking Valley Community Hospital November 13th to discuss health benefits of eating local food.  


 

During the discussion, lead by Jerry Iles from OSU extension, participants talked about how local produce and eating habits can help them achieve their health goals.

 

Larry  shared information about ACEnet's Food Venture Center and outlined the process of becoming a food producer at ACEnet and utilizing food business assistance.He also provided information about the products and producers who utilize

the space currently. 
Danielle Arenett, Hocking Valley Community Wellness Coordinator

 

ACEnet staff enjoy opportunities to talk to the community about our local food producers, and services. Thank you to the Hocking Valley Community Hospital for inviting us.
Airclaws begins construction on the Geothermal System
Village Bakery Awarded REAP funding for Geothermal System

Work has been completed on the new Geothermal system installed to handle Village Bakery's heating and cooling needs. Last summer, Village Bakery owner Christine Hughes, with the assistance of ACEnet and Appalachian Transition Fellow Carol Davey, applied for Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant funding to offset the costs of the project. 

The Village Bakery received an award of nearly $10,000 and construction of the project completed in the fall by Airclaws heating and cooling. The geothermal system is the latest step in the bakery's history of striving for environmental responsibility. In a note written by Bob and Christine reflecting on nearly 13 years of business, they state, "Our commitment to bringing you the freshest, most delicious sustainably grown ingredients has never waned. Our menu will always reflect what's in season in Southeast Ohio, so you will taste a connection to the farms around us no matter when you visit. As demand for good, clean, and fair food increases, our ability to find new sources to meet our need also grows." 

In addition to a commitment to local, environmentally raised food ingredients, the business as also made a series of updates to reduce their energy usage. Energy for the business is provided by solar, wood, geothermal energy, and wind and the owners are determined to be free of dependency on fossil fuels. To reach this point they have worked with four local businesses; Third Sun Solar for the installation of solar panels, Airclaws for the geothermal installation, Fox Natural Builders for the wood-fired oven and sustainable building, and Pear (wind) Energy.

Congratulations Village Bakery, on the REAP award as well as for setting an excellent example for sustainable small business! Many thanks to the Ohio Rural Development office and to Director Tony Logan and is ever helpful staff. 

Upcoming Events! Hope to see you there! 

 

Sustainable Living Network - Geothermal Heat Pumps

Sunday, December 7,  2-4 pm at the Village Bakery 268 East State St Athens

 

Ryan Tevis of AirClaws, an Athens based heating and cooling company, will show the Village Bakery's newly installed geothermal space and water heating system. Village Bakery's Bob O'neil will talk about the PV system and other efficiency measures practiced over time in the bakery business. After the tour attendees will assemble inside to discuss future plans for the Sustainable Living Network. For more information contact Ed Perkins at sassafras2233@earthlink.net.

 

Season Creation Worksnop 

December 11, 10:00 am- 4:00 pm at Green Edge Gardens 

Farmers, educators, and community members are welcome for a day of learning about season extension and high-tunnel crop production!  For more information, or to register, contact tomr@ruralaction.org. 


 

2014 Farm Bill Discussion 

Dec. 18, 7:00 PM at the Waterford High School 

If you are still unsure about changes in the 2014 Farm Bill, OSU Extension is holding a meeting to discuss the farm bill as it relates to crop producers. Topics explained will include Price Loss Coverage, Agriculture Risk Coverage. Extension agents will also help analyze options about acreage allocation and yield. To register contact Levi Morrow at 740-376-7431 or email at morrow.169@osu.edu
Join Community Efforts to Support Employees, Businesses &Residents Affected by Union Street Fire

Last month we were saddened to see the loss and damage caused by the Union Street fire. The community has come together to help minimize the loss of wages for the workers and loss of business for the owners and to show support for some of Athens's iconic uptown businesses.. Jackie O's will be utilizing the ACEnet kitchen in order to continue making breads and some of their menu items. We are glad to be in a position to be able to help stabilize businesses during hardship. Many creative partnerships are surfacing including guest bar tender appearances at Tony's happy hour giving shifts to bar tenders from The Union. Uptown bars have also joined together to take over bookings of bands formerly scheduled to preform at The Union. 

Here are some of the many ways to get involved in the relief efforts for businesses, workers, and displaced student residents: 

Union Street Fire Employee Relief Fund - Started by fellow Young Athens Professionals, Pete Shooner and Bailey Wagner, has set a $40K goal to provide financial assistance to the many people who woke up on Sunday morning without a job.


 

Help The Union Recover - Started by Young Athens Professional o-organizer, Tiffany Chapman, has set a $50K goal to help The Union Bar & Grill rebuild itself.


 

Rise of the Phoenix: A Benefit To Help Rebuild The Union, hosted by Hil Hackworth. The proceeds of this benefit will go directly to The Union Bar & Grill.


 

Union Street Strong T-Shirt Campaign - Traxler Tees co-owned by Zachary Traxler. Buy one of these and all proceeds go to the affected businesses.

 

Texas Roadhouse Fundraiser for the Victims of the Union Street Fire - If you're in the mood for steak, go get a meal at Texas Roadhouse and 10% will go to benefit victims of the fire.


Support The Students Who Lost Their Homes - Around 40 OU students lost their homes and all of their belongings in this fire. Laptops, clothes, and personal mementos. OU has set up a funding source on their website to make sure these students continue as smooth as possible with their campus life.

 

Sigma Kappa Senior Fire Relief  - 6 Sigma Kappa sisters, including one of 12South Music's own, have had their home devastated by the tragic fire on November 16th, 2014, losing all of their possessions. They are raising funds to help replace some of the items lost, and to help them through the hard times.
Sincerely,
Myra Morrison
ACEnet 94 Columbus Rd
Athens, OH 45701 
94 Columbus Rd, Athens, OH 45701 
740-592-3854
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