About
Mission
ACORN is a cooperative response to an energy-constrained future. Our mission is to revitalize our local economy to help our communities provide sustainable sources of food, water, energy, employment and other essential resources, and to promote conservation and a healthy environment.
Members
Though the organization is young, ACORN has attracted a wide variety of members. Among the ranks of ACORN are farmers, small-business owners, journalists, engineers, students, and renewable-energy experts. All are welcome to join ACORN’s efforts: the potential of ACORN lies in the diversity of its membership!
Projects
The Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN) was formed in late 2005 by county residents concerned about the possible effects of an energy-constrained future (“Peak Oil”). While the original intent of ACORN’s founding members was to explore means of both promoting energy conservation and producing community-managed, renewable energy, ACORN has evolved into an umbrella group where people meet to discuss and serve a variety of local needs. Other areas of group interest include local food supply, healthcare, local employment, local currency, and town planning.
The ACORN Network has facilitated and enabled the formation of new, locally-based initiatives whose goals are consistent with the Network’s mission. Ideas for new activities may either originate within the ACORN Network or be brought forward by local individuals or groups who wish to“flesh out” their ideas and develop an action plan.
Each project aims at achieving concrete, measurable change and also at spreading knowledge and awareness that will help build this critical movement towards relocalization. As such initiatives mature, they are free to “spin off” (like the ACORN Energy Co-op) and evolve into completely independent and distinct entities while retaining an informal, collaborative relationship with the ACORN Network.
As ACORN continues to evolve, it will serve as a broad coalition looking for creative ways to revitalize the local economic and social networks. Current projects are listed here.
