Breaking the Stigma: Making Solar Affordable for All

By: Mickey Snowden, Communications Specialist at The Collider in Asheville, NC - July 2021

Solar CrowdSource reduces the cost of solar energy for all through group purchasing, philanthropy, and investor funding.

Although you may have never heard of them, Solarize campaigns have been around for more than a decade. Solarize campaigns utilize group purchasing power to significantly reduce the costs of solar energy and storage for a community. If you want to implement solar on a community-wide scale, starting a Solarize campaign brings stakeholders together and provides a platform to generate the necessary momentum to increase solar installations.

Collider member Solar CrowdSource (SCS) is a startup company based just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, that facilitates the Solarize concept through leveraging resources and experiences gained from other communities. SCS simplifies the community solar purchasing process from start to finish by involving community partners. The company was founded in 2016 by Don Moreland, a former Chair of the Georgia Solar Energy Association and solar industry veteran, with the mission of making solar affordable for every community.

www.solarcrowdsource.com

Ken Haldin, SCS’s Development Partner (left), Don Moreland, SCS’s Founder (center), and Brad Camrud, donor of Solarize St. John grants (right), present their Solarize St. John campaign in 2019. Photo courtesy of Solar Crowdsource.

One of the greatest benefits of SCS is that it doesn’t extend any costs to its participating communities, governments or utilities. “Solar CrowdSource’s model is self-funding because it utilizes a small portion of any Solarize campaign’s sales,” explains Ken Haldin, SCS’s Asheville-based development partner. “There are no upfront costs. It’s just a matter of everyone involved in a community agreeing to go through a bulk-purchasing process together.”

Solar panels cover hillside homes in St. John. Photo courtesy of St. John Tradewinds.

Moreland found that it’s very difficult for an individual or group to start and fully manage a grassroots Solarize campaign on their own. SCS makes it easy for organizations, governments, NGOs, and resident groups who want to implement a Solarize campaign but don’t have the experience, tools, and platform needed to do so. Haldin puts SCS’s role simply: “Solar CrowdSource creates more [Solarize] campaigns faster with less burden on the community, which is what we all want.”

Lowering the Cost

From its inception, SCS had been offering its platform to any community that desired to implement a Solarize campaign. More recently, SCS has begun adding to this model by developing approaches to assist low- or moderate-income (LMI) citizens within communities to “go solar.” SCS’s model already works to bring down the cost of solar through bulk purchasing, but the company has begun to use crowdfunding and other philanthropic methods to further reduce costs for LMI residents who would otherwise be unable to afford solar and battery installations.

“It’s clear that if you don’t have the means to purchase solar, even at a discount, you’re on the sidelines. Our efforts as of 2019 are to extend deeper and wider to participants by bringing in outside capital,” Haldin says.

SCS’s crowdfunding model can be fueled by donations and/or charitable investments, depending on the campaign. Haldin says individual investments haven’t been injected into a campaign yet but they are “the next frontier.” He says there are likely plenty of donor organizations that may want to pool their money and reduce the cost of solar energy.

The US Virgin Islands: A Case Study

Solar CrowdSource implemented its first donation-based campaign on St. John in the US Virgin Islands (USVI) in early 2019. The USVI is located in a very high-cost energy setting, with a per capita energy usage averaging seven times higher than in the contiguous US. Income is lower in the USVI and energy is significantly more expensive, which means the energy burden that low-income families face is more than twice as much for electricity as mainland families. A seed donation of $55,000 from one generous individual provided grants that enabled four St. John-based solar installer companies to significantly discount their products and services. To date, this campaign enabled 22 island residents to have solar and battery equipment more affordably installed in their homes.

In just a year, SCS created $438,000 in clean energy infrastructure on St. John, including 200,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of solar energy per year and nearly 294 kWh of battery storage. These installations will prevent 261,500 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere annually and is equal to more than 3,800 trees cleaning the air.

SCS’s solar installations on St. John have also made their residents energy independent, increasing their resilience to future storms. In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria decimated the island, damaging almost 75 percent of LMI homes. Residents were left without power for months because St. John’s electricity distribution grid was nearly destroyed. The 294 kWh of battery storage ensures people will have a backup power source in case another disaster strikes.

Solar CrowdSource is extending their Solarize St. John campaign into 2020, offering a new round of 10 grants of up to $2,750 each for local residents and property owners on the island. As in 2019, a donation has catalyzed the 2020 campaign. The island is working with local nonprofits to help identify eligible LMI participants and projects.

Western Area Power repairs downed power lines in the wake of Hurricane Maria in the US Virgin Islands. Photo courtesy of Western Area Power via Flickr.

Solarize in the Age of COVID-19

While COVID-19 has shaken up just about every facet of our lives, Solar CrowdSource has continued to thrive. A large reason for this is because residents feel safe collectively purchasing solar power with their neighbors and with the involvement of community groups and nonprofits they know and trust. Haldin says this trust accelerates the purchasing process and removes its uncertainties.

The pandemic has raised significant attention around improvements in air pollution and environmental quality, but it has also raised speculation about where environmental policy will fit into post-COVID recovery. Haldin is hopeful that solar energy will proliferate in the coming years. “We are not seeing a significant drop off in interest due to COVID-19,” he says. “In fact, we suspect that some people are more interested in solar and storage during these uncertain times.”

Here are a few of the company’s campaign highlights during the pandemic:

• Solarize Athens, GA: At the end of April 2020, SCS had 21 contracts signed, totaling 107kW of solar energy and 81kWh of battery storage.

• Solarize Decatur-South DeKalb, GA: As of June 2020, this campaign had 12 contracts signed, totalling 92kW of solar energy and 27kWh of battery storage. The first installation was in the Mayor of Decatur’s house.Thankfully, Haldin says, permitting and solar installations haven’t been severely impacted since the services needed to implement solar are considered essential. He also says that stakeholder meetings and launch events have increased in size via Zoom.

Next Steps

Solar CrowdSource started in Georgia and expanded to the Caribbean, and now Haldin says they have their sights set on the Carolinas, where there’s already huge interest. “Thanks to The Collider, we have really been able to rapidly meet and network with people who have similar missions and interests instead of cold-calling to introduce ourselves, which has meant all the difference,” he says. “Ultimately, we want to help every community, government, business, and organization meet their renewable energy targets.”

By Dr. Anne Waple:Five years ago this month, The Collider officially opened its doors in Asheville.

By: Dr. Ann Waple, CEO of Earth’s Next Chapter & Member at The Collider - April 2021

Conceived as a co-working space and accelerator for climate-related businesses and organizations, it’s beautiful floor-to-ceiling west windows looked out on a great view in 2016: the Western North Carolina mountains, and a growing membership dedicated to solving our most pressing global problem while bringing economic opportunity to our town.

So, how has that view changed over the last five years? And how might it change in the next five years?

In 2016, The Collider was already a product of more than 10 years of grassroots organizing around economic opportunity, sustainability-focused local development, and philanthropic support. This effort was driven in part by the growing recognition and reputation of Asheville as a center of climate change expertise. Since 1953, Asheville has hosted the world’s largest repository of weather and climate information (run by NOAA), and by 2016, was contributing ever-more important and visible expertise to national and global climate research, data management, and climate services.

In 2021, it’s safe to say that private sector climate services are growing rapidly in number and importance, and looking back, it seems like a natural step to support this growth right here in Asheville alongside the federal climate data center. But a decade or more ago, the industry’s growth was by no means obvious. The Collider in 2021 is very much rooted in the creativity, foresight, investment — and dedication — of a handful of local troublemakers! And still, there has been significant evolution in the last five years since its official inception, and the Collider has had to weather (pun intended!) multiple challenges.

So, with the backdrop of a growing climate industry, what are the main ways the Collider has already played a role in supporting the local and not-so-local members of the climate services community, and where might it be in another five years?

A Thriving Network

The collaborative nature of the Collider has always been the cornerstone of its philosophy — understanding that the knowledge about and the solutions for climate change are bigger than any one sector can generate. Plus, collaboration is just more fun and creative (both necessary elements for solving climate change), and the members have always had a positive, generative network in mind. In 2020, the Collider got even more serious about creating a generative network, and the members themselves began providing the bulk of the strategic direction. While the network has strengthened throughout the last five years, the hope is that it will very much continue to grow and evolve as our response to climate change does the same.

This network is intended to support the members that are scattered all over the US, but in particular, promote the growth of climate services right here in Asheville, as well as to serve our partner organizations in town.

The collaborative nature of the Collider has always been the cornerstone of its philosophy — understanding that the knowledge about and the solutions for climate change are bigger than any one sector can generate.

In another five years, the hope is that more businesses and organizations choose to locate their HQs in Asheville, and that both the local and the national scale of The Collider’s network will be recognized as an authoritative hub for climate solutions across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

Local Economic Contributions

As the number of businesses and organizations increase and as many of those businesses have become more successful, the Collider has provided an increasing positive local economic impact.

Although the Collider hasn’t tracked the specific revenue of its businesses and organizations (something to consider for the next five years!), it’s estimated that the Collider members have grossed between $5–10m, not including the government contracts or NOAA’s Cooperative Institute, which is part of the UNC system. This is a baseline number and is projected to rise quite sharply in the next several years. Obviously, this helps the local economy directly, but there is also more indirect support to help make sure that Asheville’s economy can be a sustainable and climate-resilient one, with lots of local expertise to draw on.

Asheville on the National Climate Stage

As a collaborative network, Asheville is getting significant recognition as a hub of climate expertise, so much so that Asheville has started to be referred to as Climate City. In addition, several of the businesses and organizations in The Collider work at national and international levels and have their own impressive reputation.

For example, Climate Interactive, a nonprofit, regularly contributes its climate scenario graphics and analysis to the New York Times, and to international discussions, such as at the Paris Conference of Parties — the meeting at which the Paris Accord was signed. NEMAC-Fernleaf has been the main developer on the US Climate Resilience Toolkit — a key resource for cities and businesses looking to prepare for climate impacts. The US National Climate Assessment has benefitted from several Collider member contributions, and companies such as EcoBot are generating investment capital to serve clients all over the US with how to monitor, manage, and safely use wetlands.

Community Events and Education

Allied with the beautiful space on the 4th floor of the Wells Fargo Building, the Collider has hosted more than 150 events in its short history — from publicly-accessible ‘science pubs’, to large conferences (e.g. ClimateCon), to movie nights, hackathons and much more. Although COVID-19 has put a temporary halt to the in-person events, online meetings have still occurred and the Collider envisages opening the space back up to public events again later in 2021.

It is hoped that the Collider can become a local ‘go-to’ space for professional and public events alike. As the Asheville and surrounding communities drive towards their ambitious climate and sustainability goals in the next few years and decades, the Collider can become a place for locals and visitors to connect knowledge and action — becoming not only better educated about the world and our human systems, but also more inspired to participate.

A Focus on Opportunity

Much of the talk around climate change is…well, a little harrowing if we’re honest. Certainly the problems loom large and the changes required can seem a little daunting. However, change is already occurring rapidly — globally, nationally, and most obviously, at city and state scales. Asheville and The Collider is already building a reputation for being at the forefront of supporting positive change, and we see this only growing. Technological innovation, climate service models, data and scientific support, communications expertise, are all housed in organizational members of the Collider.

Reports in recent years (e.g. from investment giants such as BlackRock, and Bank of America, or from US-based nonprofits such as GreenBiz and CERES) have all indicated that industries and organizations that fully include climate change in their planning and operations are going to do better financially (and obviously also have a more positive impact on climate). Federal investment in renewables, and sustainable infrastructure is about to take off, and states and cities have already made bold commitments that will ensure the demand for climate services will grow in the next five years and beyond.

As the Asheville and surrounding communities drive towards their ambitious climate and sustainability goals in the next few years and decades, the Collider can become a place for locals and visitors to connect knowledge and action.

We think that the Collider couldn’t be better positioned to help bring the needed creative solutions to the challenge of climate change, AND increase the financial and reputational well-being of its members and the Western North Carolina region.

Dr. Anne Waple is the founder and CEO of Earth’s Next Chapter, with more than 20 years experience working in the public and private sector of the climate industry. She has been a member of The Collider since its founding.

DailyBreath launches on App and Google Play Stores

Michael Neugebauer/the Jane Goodall Institute

Asheville, NC - April 2021

When Eric Klos, CEO of DailyBreath, LLC, envisioned developing a platform for delivering environmental insights to patients with respiratory conditions, it started with a foundational hypothesis. The confluence of weather, allergens, and irritants uniquely impacts each individual and this confluence could be ascertained in relation to a person’s symptoms to provide insights that would support efforts to reduce or avoid potentially preventable asthma attacks. To validate the hypothesis, Eric needed a partner, an expert in climate science, that would do a literature review of study-based evidence to show increased asthma incidences when specific weather and environmental thresholds were met.

“Once I realized my need for climate science expertise, because of my background working with the federal government, I was aware of NOAA’s National Climate Data Center, now called the National Center for Environmental Information, located in Asheville, NC,” Eric stated.

He further elaborated,  “I knew that Asheville was the place to start if I was going to connect with climate expertise and correlate our changing climate with environmental factors that impact respiratory health.

With only a reach out to Marjorie McGuirk of CASE Consultants International, Eric was able to find his climate science expert. The foundation for the DailyBreath Forecast is climate science research by CASE Consultants International, that informed development of the DailyBreath Risk Index.  While DailyBreath has iterated through a prototype and now a product widely available, climate change impacts on respiratory health daily are being more understood and extreme weather events like wildfires or flooding are having residual impacts that ultimately cause problems for those with respiratory conditions.

“As I engaged the climate science community through The Collider, including a workshop on Climate and Respiratory Health in late 2017, the discussion of climate change, environmental factors, and respiratory health made it clearer and clearer that climate adaptation and preventative health and wellness are joined at the hip”, Eric stated. People are increasingly aware of their indoor and outdoor air quality and its impact on their health and wellness. They have also linked their own personal experience outdoors with the local environmental conditions in their community. They understand that efforts to curb pollution and support clean air are important for creating healthier communities. DailyBreath, in conjunction with CASE Consultants International, continues to explore Climate and Health as the Collider explores sector impacts of climate change and supports the translation of climate science into solutions that will mitigate climate change, create climate resilient communities, and help every individual adapt to our changing climate.

DailyBreath has been a Collider member since its inception and continues to partner with both Collider members and Asheville technical resources to foster the emerging climate solutions leadership of ‘Climate City’. DailyBreath and the Collider continues to seek academic partnerships, corporate partners, and climate entrepreneurs to collaborate on innovative climate solutions for our changing world.

Minding the Tragic Gap: COP26 left me reeling in the gap between possibility and reality.

By: Written by Allison Whitaker, Marketing Director for With Many Roots & Collider Member - Dec 2021

“By the tragic gap I mean the gap between the hard realities around us and what we know is possible — not because we wish it were so, but because we’ve seen it with our own eyes.” ~ Parker J. Palmer

“How was COP?” is the wrong question I think. There are a million and one different ways to experience it and far too many events to keep track of.

“How was your COP?” is the more accurate question, so that’s the one I’ll answer.

In a few words, my COP was: validating, exhausting, inspiring, and disappointing.

First, some history. What’s the purpose of COP and what does the 26 stand for? In 1992 the UN realized that nations of the world would have to work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists had linked these gasses with warming global temperatures and the gasses were being released at exponential rates. I was 5 years old. They met at the Earth Summit in Rio De Janiero in ’92 which led to the 1994 creation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). By then, I was 7. Every year since, with the exception of 2020, delegates from countries around the world have met to agree on commitments to address climate change. That’s where the 26 comes from, it’s simply the number of meetings. Previous COP achievements include The Kyoto Protocol signed in ’97 which ran from 2005–2020. It was the first time countries began to put in place the things they agreed to. In 2015 the Paris Agreement picked up where the Kyoto Protocol left off and notably included a temperature target. The way it’s written “to keep the rise in mean global temperature to well below 2 °C (3.6 °F) above pre-industrial levels, and preferably limit the increase to 1.5 °C (2.7 °F)” is indicative of the nuanced language these negotiations grapple with.

If you followed the math, you’d know I’m now 35. I’ve spent most of those years thinking that because I’m not a politician or scientist, I didn’t have much influence. That began to shift when I realized that my skillset — communications — was actually quite useful in helping people understand climate science. But still, I wasn’t sure if I should go to COP. I’m not a delegate, it’s still a pandemic, and I wasn’t quite sure how it all worked. Then I began to think about historical movements for social change. If I’ve learned anything from them, it’s that numbers matter. Conversations matter. Showing up matters. So that’s how I ended up on a train to Glasgow in November 2021. It would be a COVID COP, which meant daily rapid tests and proof of negative results were required to get into most events. Masks were mandatory.

I spent most of my time in events arranged outside of the official COP26 hubbub. There were so many events to choose from and the fear of missing out lead to my colleague and me creating a detailed spreadsheet. Despite the hard work, I’d gone rogue by day 2. My week started with a morning at the COP26 Coalition People’s Summit for Climate Justice learning the 101 on intersectionality. That was followed by an inspiring afternoon with the Climate Interactive team and fellow Ambassadors. Tuesday morning morphed into an entire day at the She Changes Climate Champions of Solutions event, Wednesday was a day full of awe and inspiration at The New York Times Climate Hub, Thursday and Friday were spent at the COP26 Green Zone checking out the exhibits and spreading climate education with The Climate Fresk. It was a full week of inspiration, I wrote more about it here. By Saturday, I was home again. I sat absolutely exhausted physically and mentally, in a bouldering gym and watched the final proceedings on a smartphone screen. It took a week to regain my energy and process what felt like whiplash too.

The agreements had come in strong and fast in the first week. Methane reduction pledges — a great high-impact solution. A pledge to end deforestation by 2030 by some key players including Brazil, steward of the Amazon rainforest. The president of Barbados delivered a powerful speech; Boris Johnson compared climate change to a Bond villain; David Attenborough rallied us all. There were appearances by Prince William, President Obama, and Emma Watson. But by the final day, the most binding agreements were weakened at the last minute, triggering a heartfelt apology from COP26 President, Alok Sharma.

The commitments made in Glasgow are estimated to put the world on track for 2.4 °C temperature rise. A world this much hotter will see island nations at risk of disappearing, stripping the citizens of their homes, their history, and their way of life. In fact, around 275 million people will be displaced as their homes will be below high tide. The ocean will be more acidic, dissolving plankton shells causing ripples felt all the way up the ocean food chain. This will have a huge impact on the 3.3 billion people who rely on the ocean for 20% of their average intake of protein. Food on land isn’t safe either. This level of warming will cause more than 3x lower corn and wheat yield, and 2 times lower rice yield. There will be more potent hurricanes and tornadoes. Extreme heat will account for 2.5 times as many deaths worldwide as it does today. It’s not just the humans that will suffer, wildlife will too. Insects, the unpaid labor of agriculture, will lose 31% of their range. Mammals, our closest genetic relatives, will lose 13%. Data from En-ROADS. The overall impacts in the examples above are still less bad than the “head in the sand” scenario. Good, but not good enough. We are capable of more.

I’m not sure if it was optimism or naivety, but I expected this year to be the one that brought about radical change. Of course, it didn’t happen that way. And frankly, I’m realizing that the radical change that’s needed never could come about from the way these agreements are made. They are decided based on consensus allowing the bar to be set by the least ambitious parties. This is where a framework I’ve been thinking about a lot recently becomes relevant. Taking a look at the bigger scheme of things where do governmental pledges lie? I think the triangle of inaction does a pretty good job at revealing the role of different change entities. It posits that governments alone won’t (can’t) move fast enough; citizens alone can’t individually make the changes needed, and corporations are using the wrong metrics for success. The easy thing for each of these entities to do is point the blame at each other. Or, if you flip it, each of these entities can push the others to do more.

My time at COP had been spent in spaces full of inspiration, hope, and stubborn optimism. My idea of what was possible had stretched based on the sheer number of committed people who’d shown up, arranged events, and talked about it. I’d spent time with activists, young people, and change makers, but I hadn’t spent time with the decision-makers. So what are the metrics for success for a COP? Is any forward movement worth celebrating? For me, the answer is yes, it’s something even if it’s still not enough. Celebrate today, push tomorrow.

There’s a concept for this “not enough” space, it’s called the tragic gap. It is holding the tension between what is and what’s possible. Imagine stretching a rubber band between two hands.

According to Parker Palmer, founder of the Center for Courage and Renewal, the tragic gap is what’s happening when we’re standing between hard reality and what we know is possible. It means holding the discomfort, regenerating our resilience, reveling in the good, sowing seeds for the future we want. Minding the gap means taking care not to fall out on either side. On one side, there’s cynicism — we’re so screwed. On the other side, idealism — everything is going to be fi-i-i-ne. Palmer argues that while these two positions may seem to be opposites, they’re actually quite similar. Both positions take us out of the action — out of the Tragic Gap. The challenge is finding our own way to hold what might be two radical opposites and continue to move forward step by step. To stay in the action. Managing to hold this space doesn’t guarantee that we’ll fix it all tomorrow. Rarely in history have the people standing in the tragic gap seen the final resolution. This is a long game.

For me, standing in the tragic gap is saying: this COP didn’t fix everything but it did move some things forward. Can you believe 30,000 people showed up in Glasgow to add their voices? What an incredible world we could create by implementing solutions shared here? How might I create longing for the world that’s possible?

I’ve come to realize that I occupy the tragic gap a lot. In my work, I bring robust data, packaged in story, delivered with empathy to decision-makers who want to better understand the science and solutions. The impacts and challenges of climate change are hard realities to grapple with. I’m seeing, however, that understanding can be a bridge to see the other side of the gap — the possibility. Almost everyone I spoke to in Glasgow had moments where everything shifted and they started to understand what could be. So I’ll continue to mind the gap, and work to bring about longing for the world that is possible.

Founding Story

The Collider was founded in 2012 to serve as a hub for a diverse network of climate organizations. The original vision was for a work and meeting space, in the heart of downtown Asheville, that would help forge connections between organizations in the climate industry, inspiring innovators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders to solve climate challenges. The Collider offered multiple support channels to its early community members, including internal communication channels, networking events, fostering collaboration, and more.

The Collider is inspired by:

A generative social impact network. A social impact network is defined as a group of individuals or organizations that aim to solve a complex problem in society by working together, adapting over time, and generating a sustained flow of activities and impacts. A generative social impact network is also mutually beneficial. It engages its members and adds value to their work; in exchange, members add value to the network through their work and engagement.” (Plastrik, et al. 2014)

Some examples of Collider members work include developing innovative technologies, focus on climate and health, wetland delineation applications, and interactive climate modeling tools. These contributions and others are used by leading policy-makers. Other members specialize in providing essential services like ecological consulting, climate-smart community training , and climate advising. With members across the world aligned under a common vision of combating climate change, The Collider is truly a unique organization.

The Collider also partners with local businesses and organizations to host events on topics pertinent to our community such as local food, walkable cities, climate-resilient architecture, urban forestry, and more.

The Collider officially opened its doors in March 2016 in Asheville, North Carolina – Climate City. We invite you to join in celebrating a great first year by taking a look back at some of the milestones. Thank you for your continued support.

January-February 2016: The Collider begins to take shape

• The long-held dream of a space where public, private, academic, and nonprofit businesses and organizations can “strategically collide” to develop market-driven solutions for climate begins to take shape.

• Following President Obama’s State of the Union address, The Collider announces its readiness to answer the challenge for private investment in climate action., a story that was picked up by the publication Southeast Green, among others.

• Along with other partners in climate services and the Economic Development Coalition of Asheville-Buncombe, The Collider participates in touting Asheville as “Climate City” at the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society.

• While our building remains under construction one of our inaugural members, UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling & Analysis Center, is featured on UNC-TV prior to their move to The Collider.

March 2016: Featured in Forbes, among other media, The Collider opens its doors with U.S. Secretary of Transportation as keynote

• Before we officially open our doors, a crowd of more than 100 joins the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority (which awarded The Collider with grant monies from the Tourism Product Development Fund) for an event on March 3 at The Collider.

• The Collider hosts our official launch on March 11 (the birthday of visionary and founding philanthropist Mack Pearsall) with keynote speaker U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx.

• The launch event, attended by some 230 members of the climate services community along with business, civic, academic and elected leaders, garners significant media coverage, including Politico(with the header “Coworking to save the planet”), Bloomberg Government, and even a TV station in Hawaii.

• The Collider is featured in a Forbes commentary that says, “…The community that is emerging around The Collider sees climate change as an opportunity, one that can put this growing network of climate innovators and scientists smack in the middle of a growing $1 trillion dollar industry.”

• The Collider hosts a two-day retreat for 35 members of the Data Access Branch of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

• A New York City-based tech blog mentions The Collider as part of its spotlight on Asheville’s startup and innovation scene.

• The Asheville Citizen-Times publishes a front-page Sunday profile of The Collider’s founding philanthropist Mack Pearsall with the headline, “Asheville’s ‘impatient philanthropist’ sets sights on climate jobs.”

• Thought leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators gather at The Collider to discuss the growing tech ecosystem in the Asheville community as part of an Innovation Economies event with a Silicon Valley venture capitalist.

• The Raleigh News & Observer and the Charlotte Observer tout The Collider as a place where “Asheville entrepreneurs are making a business out of climate change.”

April 2016: Dignitaries, climate scientists, and celebrating Earth Day

• Climate scientists from around the globe, including Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, England, Ireland, Japan, China, and France, conduct a series of meetings over four days at The Collider.

• The Collider welcomes University of North Carolina President Margaret Spellings and UNC Asheville Chancellor Mary Grant for a tour of The Collider.

• Public, private and academic leaders participating in Leadership North Carolina spend a full day at The Collider for their Environment Session.

• Graduate and undergraduate students in the NOAA/NASA DEVELOP program present project results at an event at The Collider. The Asheville Citizen-Times reports with the headline, “Collider-related programs already yielding new Asheville jobs.”

• The Asheville chapter of the American Meteorological Society conducts a public program on “The Story of Climate” at The Collider.

• The Board of Directors of the American Institute of Architects – North Carolina meet at The Collider and hear a report on a 2015 symposium organized by The Collider and AIA – Asheville on Climate Resilient Design and plans for another such event in 2016.

• The Climate Listening Project hosts a sold-out Earth Day celebration at The Collider and premieres their new project video.

• A handful of Collider cowork members meets for an informal coffee hour later dubbed the “PercCollider.”

• Community leaders with Asheville HUB Alliance meet at The Collider for a presentation on Asheville’s potential for economic development in the environmental and climate services cluster.

May 2016: Venue rentals range from Leadership Asheville to east coast sales management training for a national corporation

• Members of the 34th Class of Leadership Asheville make their final group presentations at a Graduation Day event at The Collider. (LA 35 returns to The Collider in January 2017 for a full-day focus on economic development.)

• UNC Asheville Magazine features a story on the university’s National Environmental Modeling & Analysis Center (NEMAC) and its new location at The Collider.

• Meanwhile, Business North Carolina magazine publishes a story on The Collider in its 35th anniversary edition.

• The London-based CEO of Acclimatise, which has its North America office at The Collider, speaks in The Netherlands at the largest ever climate change adaptation conference.

• The Dogwood Alliance, a national, Asheville-based nonprofit focused on forest protection, conducts a staff retreat at The Collider – the first of several events the organization holds at The Collider.

• The start of a two-day tour of the area’s technology cluster takes place at The Collider, organized for economic developers and site selectors by the Economic Develop Coalition of Asheville-Buncombe County.

• Among the venue rentals for major events this month are a three-day sales management conference involving businesspeople from up the Eastern Seaboard and a private evening reception hosted by a local company for their top customers.

• The weekly PercCollider continues to grow, with Collider members joined by university students, special guests, and others interested in learning about The Collider. (As many as 75 individuals have been known to join in, sometimes with a special presentation or sponsor as part of the event.)

JUNE 2016: Trillions magazine describes The Collider as “the beginning of a revolution in how to deal with the biggest problem the world has ever known…”

• Trillions magazine publishes an article about The Collider that starts like this: “Right in the middle of downtown Asheville, North Carolina, is a somewhat ordinary-looking building. Inside, however, is something far from ordinary. It is the beginning of a revolution, in how to deal with the biggest problem the world has ever known – climate change, and in how to bring together a group to help solve it.”

• Both public radio station WCQS’s Board of Directors and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center Western Region’s Advisory Committee conduct meetings at The Collider.

• A professional development panel discussion with NASA DEVELOP Interns from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, the University of Virginia Wise County, and the University of Georgia takes place at The Collider.

• Inaugural Collider member FernLeaf Interactive is one of 15 companies selected for Elevate, an elite mentoring program developed by Venture Asheville that targets businesses with potential to service national and global markets.

• Thanks to the efforts of the nonpartisan Citizens Climate Lobby, U.S. Congressman Patrick McHenry, serving the 10th district of NC, tours The Collider and learns about the work of our members and Asheville’s climate services community.

JULY 2016: NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Dr. Kathy Sullivan tours The Collider

• NOAA Administrator and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere Dr. Kathy Sullivan, with NOAA Chief Scientist Dr. Richard W. Spinrad, tour The Collider and meet personally with some of our members.

• With the headline “Globe Turning to Asheville’s tech to help assess flood risks,” the Asheville Citizen-Times reports on UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling & Analysis Center (NEMAC), located at The Collider, winner of the “Special Achievement in GIS Award” from Esri, a world leader in geographic information system technology.

• The Citizen-Times follows that article with an editorial titled “Asheville continues rise as climate science powerhouse.”

• A Mountain Xpress cover story about Asheville’s climate services industry features The Collider and several of our members and partners, complete with archival photos of the early days of NOAA in Western North Carolina.

• The Center for Weather and Climate, part of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, moves its monthly State of The Climate briefing to The Collider, where it continues to be held each month.

• Among the groups using our venues at The Collider is Dixon Hughes Goodman, conducting an executive briefing on sustainability best practices for 40 corporate CEOs, and the NC Department of Transportation, conducting a statewide meeting.

• Mack Pearsall, founding philanthropist of The Collider, with his wife Janice, establish an apprenticeship program in honor of Dr. Tom Karl, upon Dr. Karl’s retirement as Director of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. The first two student interns in the program start their work at The Collider in January 2017.

• A delegation from Kazakhstan travels to The Collider to meet with member Eyes on Earth, a company that uses satellite observations to monitor water resources, crop development, and predict yields around the world.

August 2016: New CEO; first Beer City Science Pub; and journalists from the Southeast and beyond learn about the business of climate

• James McMahon is named the new CEO of The Collider. Most recently serving as senior advisor to Dr. Tom Karl, the Director of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, James is recognized as a “boundary expert” with experience as a climate scientist in the public and academic settings, as well as a business executive, having held leadership positions in companies ranging from small startups to a Fortune 500 corporation.

• The Collider hosts the project results of high school students in the City of Asheville Youth Leadership Academy and of university students and young professionals in the NOAA/NASA DEVELOP research program.

• Public radio WCQS and the Asheville Citizen-Times interview climate scientist Dr. L. DeWayne Cecil, whose office is located at The Collider, about his role in an upcoming expedition to locate Amelia Earhart’s aircraft.

• In partnership with Asheville Museum of Science, The Collider hosts its first Beer City Science Pub,focused on the Amelia Earhart expedition, resulting in the largest attendance ever, to-date for the AMOS event. The partnership continues monthly with lectures on a variety of science-related topics and craft beer donated by local breweries, continuing to draw large, enthusiastic crowds.

• Collider members CASE Consultants International and FernLeaf Interactive partner to develop a new online tool showing areas where the environmental conditions are right for the mosquito that can carry the Zika virus, garnering significant media coverage.

• Supported by a grant from the National Association of Science Writers, a climate conference for journalists organized by Duke University and The Collider, along with a host of other institutions, draws reporters across the Southeast and from as far away as Washington DC, Delaware, Cincinnati, and Louisville KY to explore “The Business and Science of Climate in the Southern Appalachians.” The event includes an evening at The Collider to meet with our climate solution providers.

• Among the organizations using The Collider space this month for executive retreats are a national company with expertise in vehicle data systems and a regional health education organization.

September 2016: Lectures on coffee + climate change and health + climate change, along with a visit by Chelsea Clinton on clean energy

• The campaign for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton contacts The Collider seeking to bring daughter Chelsea Clinton to Asheville to host a clean energy event at The Collider. The event draws nearly 300 supporters and regional media outlets. Local media coverage includes public radio WCQS (also here), WLOS-TV (also here) and Asheville Citizen-Times.

• In a cover story titled “A Catalyst for Change,” WNC Magazine’s innovation issue focuses on The Collider and our partners in the climate services industry, and why experts are looking to Asheville for solutions to climate change. The magazine hosts a launch party at The Collider to celebrate the edition, attended by more than 100 leaders in business and climate services.

• Managers with NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information conduct a four-day retreat at The Collider.

• Renowned sustainability leader and president of the Cradle to Cradle Institute Lewis Perkins speaks at The Collider as part of Krull & Company’s annual lecture series.

• The Collider hosts a lecture on the impacts of climate change on the coffee industry, which the Asheville Citizen-Times details in a cover story.

• In partnership with Physicians for Social Responsibility, The Collider hosts an evening with Dr. Alan Lockwood, an author and physician speaking on the impact of climate change on personal health. Public radio WCQS interviews Dr. Lockwood in advance of the event.

• Climate Connection, offering radio programming through Yale University, broadcasts a story about The Collider that airs across the country.

• A book called Preparing for a World that Doesn’t Exist – Yet: Creating a Framework for Communities of the Future mentions The Collider in a chapter on “Creative Molecular Economy” (chapter review here).

• Collider member Bitwater Farms, whose innovations could revolutionize sustainable farming, is profiled in a cover story in the Asheville Citizen-Times.

• Middle school students with Asheville City Schools’ “In Real Life” program begin a weekly after-school career development program at The Collider, where they work with global climate experts to explore climate change solutions.

• The Collider and several of our member organizations have a significant presence at the Carolinas Climate Resilience Conference, serving as speakers and panelists, as well as exhibiting and presenting posters.

October 2016: TEDx, World Climate Week, and a new Executive Director – plus, a cross-city visit from the InnovateNC communities

• The Collider is the site of a sold-out crowd for the return of TEDx Asheville.

• During World Climate Week, Collider member Climate Interactive conducts a lively simulation of climate negotiations, held at The Collider with more than 50 individuals of all ages participating.

• Megan Robinson is named Executive Director of The Collider, responsible for day-to-day operations and internal strategic development of programming, membership, cowork, and events, having previously served as program and policy analyst for the Deputy Director of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

• A New York City cowork organization ranks The Collider #10 among all the cowork spaces across the Carolinas.

• North Carolina municipalities awarded designation as InnovateNC communities gather at The Collider for a two-day cross-city visit to hear about Asheville and The Collider’s emerging innovation ecosystem in the climate services.

• Among the groups using space at The Collider for educational and training events are a company that produces software for the healthcare industry and Western North Carolina Nonprofit Pathways.

November 2016: UN Climate Change Convention in Marrakesh, plus visits from BlackRock and the ‘Dean of North American Building Science’

• The CEO of The Collider travels to Marrakesh, Morocco for an event associated with COP 22 – the United Nations convention on climate change – to appear on a panel “Turning Climate Risks into Private Opportunities.” He is later interviewed about his experience for an international podcast.

• The Collider hosts a presentation for members and invited guests on the market opportunity for addressing climate change, featuring the head of climate solutions at BlackRock, Inc., the world’s largest asset management company.

• Collider member Climate Interactive, having recently returned from COP 22 and recognized nationally and even internationally as experts on climate policy, is interviewed by several major media outlets about the implications of the Trump presidency for climate action.

• The Collider hosts “Where Building Science Meets Climate Science,” a professional education symposium with more than 75 members of the American Institute of Architects and other building design professionals from across the Southeast and Eastern Seaboard. One of the most acclaimed and influential building scientists in modern history (described by Wall Street Journal as the “dean of North American building science”) serves as keynote speaker.

• The City of Asheville with help from Collider member NEMAC – UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center – drafts a climate resiliency plan, which is presented to the public and City Council members at an event at The Collider.

• Seasoned event planner Leah Donatelli joins the staff as Office & Events Manager, rounding out The Collider’s team of CEO James McMahon, Executive Director Megan Robinson, and Director of Communications Kathi Petersen.

December 2016: ‘Investing in Climate Resilience,’ plus a visit from the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force

• The Collider partners with the Inter-American Development Bank and London-based climate consultancy Acclimatise on a daylong workshop, “Investing in Climate Resilience,” providing Collider members the opportunity to present their climate solutions and introducing investors in North and South America to the growth potential in the emerging asset class of climate resilience ventures.

• Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Miranda A.A. Ballentine tours The Collider as part of a visit to Asheville.

• In a story called “Collider Sees Its Mission Take on Greater Importance with Trump Win,” public radio station WCQS conducts an extensive interview with the CEO of The Collider following his travel to the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakesh.

• The New York Times publishes an interactive “data story” with Collider member Climate Interactive that helps illustrate how President-Elect Trump can influence climate change.

• A crowd of nearly 150 gathers at The Collider to hear a discussion on the connection between climate change and the recent wildfires that burned more than 150,000 acres throughout the southeast.

• The Laurel of Asheville’s monthly sustainability feature story focuses on “The Collider: Meeting Place for Innovative Climate Ideas.”

• One of the largest ever PercCollider coffee hours takes place when local STEM educators join in on the networking, organized by our downstairs neighbor and partner, Asheville Museum of Science.

Looking Ahead: 2017 & Beyond

As of March 2017, one year after The Collider opened its doors:

• More than 40 businesses and organizations are working from our beautiful top-floor headquarters in downtown Asheville, also known as “Climate City.”

• More than 6,000 individuals have attended events at The Collider, not including personal meetings among staff, members, and their guests.

• The Collider has hosted and/or organized an average of 15 events per month in our venue space.

• The Collider is expanding beyond the four walls of our building, welcoming members, supporters, and sponsors that may be located up the street, across the country, or around the world — not just down the hallway.

• We’re looking forward to more opportunities to provide space for conferences, meetings, receptions, and an array of special events – from the monthly Beer City Science Pub with Asheville Museum of Science, to our climate and environmental film series with Oskar Blues Brewery, to our climate education seminars for professional industry groups such as the American Institute of Architects.

• We’re thrilled about helping to bring astrophysicist and New York Times best-selling author Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson to Asheville on June 13 – just days after hosting Rear Admiral Dr. David W. Titley, retired from the U.S. Navy and now an advisory board member of the non-partisan security and foreign policy institute, The Center for Climate and Security.

• And for 2018….We’re already at work organizing Asheville’s first conference devoted to innovation in climate solutions – that is, the business of climate. Featuring activities for businesses, students, and the general public, ClimateCon, taking place in March 2018, will provide unequivocal proof of Asheville’s deserving global status as “Climate City.”

‘Climate City™’

In 1951, the Federal Government moved all weather records to Asheville, North Carolina, where the archives at the U.S. Weather Bureau, Air Force, and Navy combined to form the National Weather Records Center (NWRC).

In Asheville, the Federal Government was already using one of the largest buildings in the South, the Grove Arcade. It was a desirable location to house millions of pages of weather observations and a rapidly expanding database of computer punch cards. Asheville was also relatively isolated and inland thereby protecting these critical records from both foreign enemy attack, and hurricanes, which were more likely to impact coastal locations.

The organization was incorporated, with all civil weather entities, as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1970. That same year, the NWRC changed its name to the National Climatic Center. In 1982, 12 years later, the organization was renamed the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The National Climatic Data Center moved into its current location, the Veach-Baley Federal Building, a block from the Grove Arcade, in 1995.

In 2015, NOAA consolidated three data centers to create the National Centers for Environmental Information, with the Asheville facility serving as headquarters and managing data from the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the sun.

The Collider launched in 2016 with the opening of its headquarters in downtown Asheville, North Carolina — also known as Climate City™.