Aleutian Islands A-Team: leading the way in alternative energy planning.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: ENERGY

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As the United States seeks to free itself from its reliance on fossil fuels, many states are beginning to explore alternative sources of energy. Alaska, with its wind, wave and geothermal resources, is the perfect place in which to try to harness these forces of nature as a way to reduce not only its need for traditional sources of fuel, but its own carbon footprint.

One area that is leading the way in alternative energy planning is the Aleutian Islands, where the A-Team, made up of leaders from Aleutian regional organizations such as the Aleut Corp., Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (APIA) and the Aleutian Pribilof Islands Community Development Association (APICDA), are working in collaboration with a number of community organizations to find better, more affordable energy sources. The A-Team, which was created approximately two-and-a-half years ago, was originally designed to review the various services provided to shareholders throughout the Aleutian region.

"We realized that many of the services that are provided by various entities in our region overlap; for example, the Aleut Corp.'s foundation and APIA both offer burial assistance," said Chris Lace, administrative manager, Aleut Corp. "We created a service directory that helps people figure out where to go for the resources they need, and our shareholders love it."

According to Lace, a member of the APICDA then asked the A-team to focus on the issue of energy.

ENERGY ESSENTIALS

"Our second project was a two-day Energy Summit, which was attended by 80 people who flew in from all over the Aleutians," Lace said. "The timing was just right--if we'd held this meeting even five years ago, there would have been very little interest."

Today, the energy arm of the A-Team is still going strong, the result of which is that there is now an alternative energy project under way in almost every Aleutian community.

"When people have to choose between eating and heating, they come on board pretty quickly," said Lace of the A-Team's success. "When you can't afford to live here, you need to get pretty creative in your solutions. Alternative energy is allowing people to stay in the Aleutians and not pay such high prices for fuel."

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Bruce Wright, senior scientist for the APIA and an original member of the A-Team, says he is pleased with the organization's progress.

"By combining the efforts of a lot of separate groups, we've been able to take a more...