A new kind of neighbor: the podcast.
Sometimes, the best way to really understand a story is to hear about it through others. The proposed Mackeys Lane solar project is one of those instances. To do this, we decided to create a podcast focused primarily on telling the stories of the residents of Donaldsburg and Mackeys Lane and their thoughts on the proposed solar project. In this we simply share our interviews with the neighbors we met in this process. We wanted to share the raw, unfiltered experience of what runs through a person’s mind when they hear about a neighbor they never expected. Our podcast entitled A new kind of neighbor: shared solar in agricultural Rockbridge is available through Spotify or you can click the link below to play the episode.
Episode 1: First Impressions
This is the story that is growing across the nation that might come to define a generation. Alternative, renewable energy is currently a constant topic of conversation, and in in Rockbridge County, Virginia, it seems like forms of renewable energy could the horizon – quite literally. One solar project is already in the works and there is another one that is being considered by the planning commission. The one that is being considered off of Mackeys Lane is the heart of our story. In this podcast we hope to share thoughts on the project through the voices of the community. All we have talked to say they believe there is a place for solar energy, it is just not here.
Episode 2: Was it fate
The Carlucci family like to say the way they found Rockbridge is like something out of a movie, but the idea of solar panels shining right in their sightline off of their front porch is more like a nightmare. In this episode we hear from Nick and Jennifer Carlucci and Jennifer’s parents and neighbors Tom and Erma Kirby. They are the first family we met on this project, but their sentiments reign true for other members of the community as well.
Episode 3: A farm and a proposed solar farm meet
Leeann Gibson lives with her husband Kent and their three children on Morning Star Meadows Farm on Mackeys Lane. She was not raised on a farm, but she understands the necessity for food security and the importance of working hard for your food, something many Americans have lost sight of. To ensure the nutrition of her family, Gibson’s farm raises American Milking Devons, cattle, as well as a few other animals like chickens just for the family. She is worried what the proposed shared solar project will do to her property’s value, her livestock and her life.
Episode 4: Wildlife worries
Sheila Gallagher loves that she can see the sunrise and the sunset from her property. Behind her home she and her husband have birdfeeders and a perfect view to see wildlife, and if this project goes through, the solar panels. Tears well up in Gallagher’s eyes to think of what this beautiful place she loves will look like and what will happen to it.
Episode 5: Still knocking, still waiting
On May 11, the Rockbridge Planning Commission met as they do every month. This time, just as the month before, the members present at the meeting heard about the shared solar project on Mackeys Lane. The choice they made on that Wednesday evening still has our old friends that you have met throughout this podcast series reeling.