Special Town Forum on Renewable Energy and Energy Co-Ops to be held Saturday, November 17 in Mount Airy, Maryland at Town Hall from 1:30 to 3:30 pm.

The Town of Mount Airy is hosting a special public workshop addressing raising energy costs and the feasibility of producing renewable electricity. The Forum has been organized by several small businesses and a community environmental group. The moderated workshop will include a U.S. Congressman, a Town Councilman, a local utility executive, and renewable energy specialists.

"Rising electrical utility costs, skyrocketing home oil heating prices, the onset of winter, and global instability are combining to motivate consumers and businesses to seek ways to control costs and to produce more of their own clean power," said Rebecca Rush, one of the Forum's organizers. "Energy co-ops can offer creative ways for people to band together to buy and even to produce more renewable energy."

Mount Airy, a community of 9,000+ located near Baltimore, Maryland, is investigating ways that it can be in a leadership position in both locally produced energy and emergency preparation. "Mount Airy sees renewable energy production and local distribution as a way to be prepared in the event of a regional emergency, especially if there is a power failure and the grid goes down," said Tom Williams, founder of Freedom Energy Solutions.

U.S. Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, who represents the Sixth Congressional District in Maryland, is a staunch advocate of renewables as part of America's energy strategy, is scheduled to make remarks concerning US and State-wide initiatives inreaching energy independence.

The Forum will commence at 1:30pm and will be a moderated workshop forum. After the workshop, at roughly 2:30pm, there will be an extensive question & answer period. Mount Airy's Town Hall is located at 110 South Main Street. The phone number is 301-829-1424.