Rural Renaissance Roadshow Coming to Opelika, AL November 10-12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT INFORMATION:  

Sachs Media 

Sarah Jenkins 

SJenkins@sachsmedia.com 

Rural Renaissance Roadshow Coming to Opelika, AL November 10-12 Andrew Freear, head of Auburn University’s Rural Studio, to deliver  Opening Keynote on Design for Resilience 

OPELIKA, AL - The 2025 Rural Renaissance Roadshow is coming to Opelika, Alabama, November 10-12, bringing together more than 200 local leaders from across the nation focused  on rural resilience in energy, food, water, and healthy housing systems. Andrew Freear, Director  of Auburn University’s acclaimed Rural Studio, will kick off the conference with an opening  keynote address on resilience by design – the theme of this year’s Roadshow. 

Based in Alabama’s Black Belt as a part of Auburn University’s Schools of Architecture,  Planning and Landscape Architecture, Rural Studio has completed more than 220 community centered projects and educated over 1,200 students. Its mission educating citizen architects  combines hands-on student learning with research on sustainable and healthy rural living  through projects focused on housing and infrastructure. “I’m honored to be part of this year’s  Roadshow and to help highlight the creative, grounded work being done across rural America,”  Freear said. “Research-based design is a powerful force for resilience in all ways—from  residents’ health and stability to overall community well-being—especially when it grows from  the people and places it’s meant to serve.” 

“Rural towns and counties deliver the food, energy, water, and other resources America has  needed to grow, but the contributions of rural people and communities to our nation’s success  have been undervalued for generations,” added Michelle Moore, CEO of Groundswell. “The  Rural Studio is a powerful demonstration of a different way to work by serving our neighbors  through whatever we do.” 

Auburn University’s Rural Studio will also lead a special field trip for Roadshow attendees,  offering a firsthand look at both completed and in-progress projects. Highlights will include a  new community library, an innovative wastewater treatment system, and housing research  projects designed to enhance resilience to extreme weather and to support residents aging in  place. Attendees will hear directly from the architects, researchers, and community partners  bringing this transformative work to life.  

About the Rural Renaissance Roadshow 

Now in its third year, Groundswell’s Rural Renaissance Roadshow celebrates rural communities  and connects like-minded local leaders with good ideas, new investment, and each other to help build strength, prosperity, and resilience for their hometowns. The Roadshow features two-and a-half days of practical workshops and tours focused on building resilient rural energy, food,  water, and housing systems alongside joy-filled concerts, meals, and opportunities to get  outside. An all-access pass including meals is $100. Register today at ruralrenaissance.com. 

About Groundswell 

Groundswell builds community power to improve local resilience for everyone and cut electricity  bills in half for our neighbors who need savings the most. We use community solar, resilience  hubs, and energy efficiency to preserve affordable housing, strengthen the grid, and support  local economic development. Our people-centric and place-based programs are tailored to  deliver tangible benefits and align with the local priorities across the Heartland, Mid-Atlantic, and  Southeast. Groundswell leverages our SolMate^TM data platform to enable scale while ensuring  measurable success. We’re on track to deliver over $29 million in annual energy savings to  more than 36,000 families and deploy more than 40 resilience hubs across 12 states by 2030. 

BACKGROUND: 

RURAL STUDIO TOURS DURING THE RURAL RENAISSANCE ROADSHOW 

Tours of The Rural Studio locations will offer a tangible exploration of the Roadshow’s four  thematic tracks: Energy Systems, Food Systems, Water Systems, and Healthy Housing. Each  site visit will demonstrate how thoughtful, community-led design can strengthen resilience and  improve quality of life in rural areas: 

Energy Systems – Attendees will see how Rural  

Studio integrates both passive and active energy  

strategies into its designs, including a solar power  

array at the Rural Studio Farm and the use of earth  

tubes and solar chimneys in the Storehouse. These  

features reduce reliance on external energy  

sources and demonstrate how rural buildings can  

be designed to remain comfortable and functional  

while minimizing energy costs.

Food Systems – The Rural Studio Farm 

supports hands-on student learning and  

research into sustainable small-scale  

agriculture. Through food production on a  

farm designed for efficiency and resilience  

, the Farm helps meet their food needs  

while modeling how rural communities can  

increase food security through  

regenerative practices. 

Water Systems – Roadshow attendees will learn  

about an alternative wastewater treatment system 

developed for Newbern, a solution to the lack of  

public sewer access in many rural communities. In  

addition, Rural Studio has experimented with water  

conservation strategies such as rainwater harvesting  

and irrigation systems at the Farm to illustrate how  

rural areas can manage water more sustainably and  

protect vital natural resources. 

Housing & Health –Rural Studio’s  

research has long supported the design of  

high-quality, efficient homes that are  

affordable for individuals with limited  

resources. These homes support aging in  

place, climate resilience, and financial well 

being.