Orry McDonald

Orry has spent many hours educating himself along with creating committee goals and objectives for his school and community. He has volunteered in the community education booths, city and school board meeting presentations and was the chairman of the committee who established our school’s first recycling project, which is one of ten schools in our state selected to receive the Good Sports Always Recycle 2007 Award.

Orry was selected by his fellow club members to accept a state award from the Tennessee Energy Education Network for their tireless efforts to provide low income families and our local county shelter free CFL bulbs. To date over 1,500 CFL light bulbs have been placed in our community and another 350 will be placed in the center’s Christmas baskets.

Our Community is preparing to open its first battered women’s shelter known as The Hope House. Orry helped to raise the funds to purchase 50 CFL light bulbs for the shelter. If that is not enough our local school Board passed its first energy policy during the meeting where Orry presented the school energy audit data. Orry personally met with a school board member who volunteered to provide the club a trailer for aluminum recycling. Orry also met with the city Mayor who provided the club an opportunity to appear before the city Board who voted to join the TVA Green Power Switch allowing us to pursue funding to establish a solar energy project and become a 100% green power campus.

If that is not enough, the local police chief has requested help to acquire funding to make energy upgrades at the police station and the county has requested our energy conservation presentation before the county commission. The local Neighborhood Watch program has invited the club to attend their first community block party where Orry will continue to educate the community about CFL bulbs and provide each family a CFL for their front porch to help offset energy cost to leave their front porch lights on as requested by the local police chief.

The far reaching impacts of this fine young man's efforts are to be commended. We have over 400 pledges signed by families who commit to change a bulb in their home take a serious look at energy conservation.