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Fall 2006 Newsletter

In this issue:

Mast General Store - NC GreenPower's newest partner

NC GreenPower has a new partner in its quest to increase renewable energy generation in North Carolina. Mast General Store, the popular mercantile family of stores headquartered in Valle Crucis, N.C., has announced that they will sponsor the NC GreenPower program at the Partner level.

Mast General Store, serviced locally by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, will purchase 3,600,000 kWh per year from renewable energy sources through NC GreenPower. The purchase will help to offset the electrical usage of their stores. By offsetting the electrical consumption of their stores with green power, Mast General Store is creating important reductions in emissions and providing positive benefits to the environment.

Their participation in the NC GreenPower program is consistent with their commitment to preserving the natural and cultural heritage of Western N.C. and surrounding regions. Established in 1883 in Valle Crucis as a general mercantile, Mast General Store carried goods ranging from plows to cloth, and even caskets. The store quickly earned the saying among customers that “If you can’t buy it here, you don’t need it.” That tradition continues today, not only in the Valle Crucis original store, but also in other Mast General Stores in Boone, Waynesville, Hendersonville and Asheville. Additional stores have also been opened out of state in Greenville, South Carolina, and Knoxville, Tennessee.

Since its beginning, Mast General Store has been a part of the communities that it has served.  In addition to selling goods, it has functioned as a community gathering place for more than a century, as well as a post office and doctor’s office. In the 1970’s, Mast General Store was named to the National Register of Historic Places, representing one of the last examples of a working old country general store.

Today, Mast General Store continues their tradition of offering a variety of quality mercantile goods, clothing, footwear and outdoor gear for visitors and residents who frequent North Carolina’s High Country. The store is also committed to serving the community and protecting the region’s natural heritage. The store annually engages in conservation education and activities including their Land Trust Day, which works to educate consumers on land issues and raise money for the preservation of America’s land heritage.

Mast General Store’s sponsorship of NC GreenPower continues the traditions which began more than a century ago. The store’s annual purchase of renewable energy will offset approximately 750,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, which would have been emitted from a coal plant producing the same amount of power. Environmentally, the annual reduction of this potent greenhouse gas is equivalent to planting 57,000 trees or more than 900,000 miles not driven by automobiles in the state. Mast General Store’s contribution to NC GreenPower will also support the growth of renewable energy supplies across the state as well as the industries that support them. Their efforts to promote cleaner energy alternatives through NC GreenPower are not only improving the environment, but helping to preserve the past by protecting the future.

Find out more online about how your organization can become an NC GreenPower sponsor or contact Martha Gettys, NC GreenPower’s corporate development manager, for more details. You may also call 866-533-NCGP for more information.