Bill has spent most of his adult life either in the pursuit of knowledge about the Earth and its peoples or in sharing with others what he’s learned and observed. He’s taught at every academic level from primary through tertiary but my most memorable educational experiences have been teaching in newly liberated and developing nations in Central America and Africa. It was while working on development projects in Nicaragua in the 1980s that he began to appreciate the necessity for renewable energy, localized resource conservation and sustainability in food production. These experiences guide his present activities and vision in relation to self-sufficiency in production of food and energy as well as maintenance of health, wellness and the building of community and a culture of sustainability.
Most recently, his wife and daughters built (with more than a “little help from our friends”) an off-grid home in the Appalachian region of north Georgia. Not without its challenges, the experience has been deeply positive and empowering and has set him on a course to share their experiences, mistakes and successes to enable others to homestead in a way that both provides present material gain and independence while preserving resources for the next generation.
An effective step towards growing this vision has been developing the solar expo and sustainability fair, The Get Off the Grid Festival as a forum, a meeting ground of sorts where people can come together to share, teach and learn about renewable energy and how to approach self-reliance in agriculture, health and community. The event is situated in traditionally underserved rural communities and are commitment to holding these gatherings in a different locale within the Southeast Appalachian region every two years. Next year’s event will take place at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, NC and an introduction, aka charrette, of the festival is happening September 30, 2018 at the Salvage Station in Asheville, NC as an opportunity to hear from the residents of the Asheville area their suggestions and vision for a sustainable future. The festivities begin at noon and there will be live music, local vendors, and a solar and sustainability expo.
Enjoy this one-hour Living Well episode with Bill who has a lot of interesting and insightful things to share about living well through sustainability and community.
Living Well with Bill Fleming on AshevilleFM, September 17, 2018
