The City of Fayetteville recently received a $245,040 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. In addition to this grant, the Department of Energy has approved the placement of a fully-funded EECBG Community Energy Fellow assigned to support Fayetteville’s planning efforts.

Kameryn Sessoms, Fayetteville’s EECBG Community Energy Fellow and Southeast North Carolina Native, joined Fayetteville in August to help the city move forward in energy efficient and sustainability efforts.

The EECBG Program helps communities pursue place-based projects that reduce climate pollution, enhance energy efficiency and conserve energy. This fully-funded DOE initiative pairs recent graduates and mid-career clean energy professionals with selected local and Tribal governments for 18 months, providing fresh perspectives and hands-on support. 

In this role, Sessoms will collaborate with city leadership to establish local, state and regional partnerships to better understand clean energy and sustainability. She will also engage with the Fayetteville community to educate residents on how they can contribute to the city’s efforts in advancing energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives. 

"This fellowship provides a unique opportunity to support Fayetteville's vision of a more energy efficient and sustainable future,” Sessoms shared in a press release. “I look forward to identifying the gaps and helping improve the quality of life for local residents by promoting long-term environmental benefits and reducing the city's carbon footprint.” 

There will be public engagement opportunities to gather feedback from residents as the city moves forward with creating sustainable and energy-efficient goals and defining what success looks like in these areas. 

A community online survey is available for community members to provide feedback to assist in developing the city’s Sustainability Action Plan.