Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Triad Communities Plan Climate Change Rallies

Debra Demske
Members of 350 Winston-Salem.org will join other environmental groups and other community members for a climate convergence rally in the city on Thursday.

Cyclists from different points in North Carolina will converge on Raleigh this weekend to draw attention to climate change issues. Winston-Salem and Greensboro, will host rallies to support the cyclists during their journey.

Debra Demske is with the organization 350 Winston-Salem. She is working with Harvard Ayres, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Appalachian State University to coordinate Thursday's event in Winston-Salem.

She says several guest speakers from local universities and environmental groups will talk about ways to improve environmental sustainability in the state.

“In addition to the speaking events, we are going to be participating in the Dear Duke campaign, where we will be allowing people to send different messages to Duke Energy. The company is going through some rate hike hearings, so we will give them a chance to voice their thoughts and concerns,” says Demske.

Demske added, “Basically, it will be an afternoon of information, meeting and learning about the different environmental groups in Winston-Salem and hopefully we will educate people who don't think much about climate change.”

The event in Winston-Salem begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 18 at the Old Winston Social Club.  The climate change rally in Greensboro will be held at Noon on Friday, April 19 in Center City Park.

Demske says the cyclists will ride in circles around the state capital building in Raleigh on Sunday, April 21 to take their message to lawmakers.

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate