Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Community Energy + Land Protection Volunteer Researchers Needed

Keeper of the Mountains Foundation (K.o.t.M.)
Community Owned Renewable Energy Research Volunteer
Position Description

Term: September, 2011 to December, 2011
Compensation: Volunteer, Direct Program Expenses will be Reimbursed
Estimated Weekly Time Commitment: 5 - 10 hours
Person: ?

Keeper of the Mountains Foundation Mission Statement:

The Keeper of the Mountains Foundation aims to educate and inspire people to work for healthier, more sustainable mountain communities and an end to mountaintop removal. We believe a better future in the coalfields requires everyday people to come together and recognize their power to make long-term, lasting change. We envision an organization, led by West Virginians, with real power in West Virginia. We support communities that want to move beyond a coal-based economy and put in its place an economy that values people, land, and mountain heritage.


Importance of This Position

The Keeper of the Mountains Foundation is actively working to protect the health of our mountains and people so that we can develop a just and local economy. We envision an economy that actively improves the health of Southern West Virginians and want that economy to benefit Southern West Virginians as much as possible. We want to see community owned renewable energy operate as a major driver for this developing economy and we want to organize people together to put this vision into action. This research is the important first step so that all in our organization can understand what different ownership options there are for community owned renewable energy before we start to actually work to put it into place.


Goal of this Volunteer Position:

The central goal of this position is for all people actively engaged in developing and eventually implementing the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation's vision of a healthy Southern West Virginia economy with community owned renewable energy as a driving force to understand the different ownership options for community ownership. This volunteer will produce the written material necessary for Keepers' staff and volunteers to understand our options so that we can discuss and choose which is the primary model we want to implement.


Responsibilities:

- Produce an Overview of Different Models of Community Owned Renewable Energy Document for KOTM use that explains how each model works as well as the potential for implementation in the current policy & regulatory structures of West Virginia. This document may also explain difficulties in implementing community owned renewables as well as the needed policy changes.

- Produce a 1 page (front & back) overview of what different relevant options there are for community owned energy and a definition + brief description of each

- Produce a written overview of existing community level renewable energy leaders' experiences who KOTM already has contact with.  There may be other experts that are identified to talk with to learn from their experience with community level renewable energy, but these are the people with the necessary experience to start with.

- Research and Summarize existing models of community renewable energy ownership that are being used in different areas of West Virginia and the United States. Examples will be provided.

- Communicate at least Weekly with the Operations Director of the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation.

- Write at least one blog post for the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation's website at the beginning of the position to outline your goals and why you're doing the work and one blog post at the end of your position to outline what progress was made, the importance of your work, and why you are doing it

- October 15th Report with a Progress Evaluation & Update to Keeper of the Mountains Foundation


To Apply:

Contact Danny Chiotos at Danny@MountainKeeper.org

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Keeper of the Mountains Foundation (K.o.t.M.)
Land Protection Research Volunteer
Position Description

Term: September, 2011 to December, 2011
Compensation: Volunteer, Direct Program Expenses will be Reimbursed
Estimated Weekly Time Commitment: 5 - 10 hours
Person: ?


Keeper of the Mountains Foundation Mission Statement:

The Keeper of the Mountains Foundation aims to educate and inspire people to work for healthier, more sustainable mountain communities and an end to mountaintop removal. We believe a better future in the coalfields requires everyday people to come together and recognize their power to make long-term, lasting change. We envision an organization, led by West Virginians, with real power in West Virginia. We support communities that want to move beyond a coal-based economy and put in its place an economy that values people, land, and mountain heritage.



Importance of This Position

The Keeper of the Mountains Foundation is actively working to protect the health of our mountains and people so that we can develop a just and local economy. We envision an economy that actively improves the health of Southern West Virginians and want that economy to benefit Southern West Virginians as much as possible. We want to see community owned renewable energy develop on protected locally owned land we want to organize people together to put this vision into action. This research is the important first step so that all in our organization can understand what different protection options there are for legal land protection before we start to actually work to put it into place.


Goal of this Volunteer Position:

The central goal of this position is for all people actively engaged in developing and eventually implementing the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation's vision of a healthy Southern West Virginia economy with community owned economic activity on protected lands as a driving force to understand the different options of land protection. This volunteer will produce the written material necessary for Keepers' staff and volunteers to understand our options so that we can discuss and choose which is the primary model we want to implement.


Responsibilities:
- Produce an Overview of Different Models of Land Preservation Document for KOTM use that explains how each model works as well as the potential for implementation in the current setting of West Virginia's legal system. This document may also explain difficulties in implementing different models of land protection, as well as any needed policy changes.

- Produce a 1 page (front & back) overview of what different relevant options there are for legal land protection and a definition + brief description of each option

- Produce a written overview of existing land protection leaders' tips through conversations with known experts. There may be other experts that are identified to talk with to learn from their experience with legally protecting land, but these are the people with the necessary experience to start with.

- Research and Summarize existing models of land preservation that are being used in different areas of West Virginia and the United States. Examples will be provided.

- This Researcher may also, if there is the capacity and time, research the out of state land ownership patterns in the areas where we are likely to engage in land protection activity.

- Communicate at least Weekly with the Operations Director of the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation.

- Write at least one blog post for the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation's website at the beginning of the position to outline your goals and why you're doing the work and one blog post at the end of your position to outline what progress was made, the importance of your work, and why you are doing it

- October 15th Report with a Progress Evaluation & Update to Keeper of the Mountains Foundation


To Apply:

Contact Danny Chiotos at Danny@MountainKeeper.org