Schools Note Earth Day with Blue Ridge Electric Donations
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383 ext. 3213; Pager: 1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
Lenoir, North Carolina (May 1, 2006) – Earth Day is a time set aside each year to raise environmental awareness. As part of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation’s commitment to protecting the environment, the cooperative recently teamed up with local schools to help celebrate Earth Day by donating environmentally themed books to school libraries.
The book “Go Wild in New York City”, by author Brad Matsen, was donated to all K-8 schools in the cooperative’s primary service area as well as to local public libraries. The book discusses the environmental “riches” of New York City and shares a side of city life that may be surprising for young readers to learn.
Each year, Blue Ridge Electric works with local media coordinators to select books that will capture their students’ attention and are academically appropriate. Blue Ridge employees then personally deliver the books to all elementary schools.
In addition to Earth Day book donations, Blue Ridge Electric also supports local education through their annual Bright Ideas teacher grant awards for innovative classroom projects, scholarships for teachers and students advanced education opportunities, and leadership development opportunities for rising high school seniors.
Affiliated with the national network of locally owned, community focused Touchstone Energy electric cooperatives, Blue Ridge Electric is a member-owned cooperative providing reliable electricity to some 69,000 consumers in Ashe, Caldwell, Watauga, Alleghany, Wilkes and Alexander counties.
