On August 31, SACE and the Sierra Club hosted the “Wind Works: For Jobs, for Georgians” rally on Tybee Island. The Tybee Pier and Pavilion, where the rally was held, proved to be a great spot for the event. We were able to reach out to about 300 people – substantially from the coastal community – and promote the development of wind energy jobs in Georgia. Thanks to everyone who came out!
Georgia has about 14.5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy potential, which is enough to provide a third of the states electricity. There are already approximately 500-1,000 Georgians working in the wind energy supply chain and it is estimated that by building just 1/10th of our state’s offshore wind energy potential, we could create 20,000 more wind energy jobs in Georgia. However, offshore wind energy will need the support of the coastal community and elected officials before we can start to see progress on our states wind front.
Rally attendees showed their support for offshore wind energy by signing petitions in favor of offshore wind energy, and I am proud to say that over 170 petitions were signed! These petitions are being shared with elected officials at various levels of government in the hopes that they will pursue favorable policies to promote offshore wind energy development. If you are interested in signing a petition please click here.
Attendees also had the opportunity to hear a live performance by The Train Wrecks, make pin wheels with the kids, tell us why they support offshore wind energy in the photo area, win door prizes, and listen to excellent speakers. Elected officials that spoke at the event included State Senator Lester Jackson, Mayor Jason Buelterman of Tybee Island, and City Councilman Paul Wolff of Tybee Island.
This event was made possible by the following sponsors: Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Georgia Sierra Club, Brighter Day, Coastal Solar Power Company, Good Vibrations Health and More, Papa’s Bar-B-Que and Seafood, Tybee Island Social Club, The Sentient Bean, and Well FED Magazine.