Leading with Innovation and Sustainability in the Coalfields with Jacob Hannah

Jacob Hannah grew up in a coal mining family in West Virginia. He saw the slow loss of coal jobs in the area, as well as the costs associated with mining and extraction in communities and the broader region. Jacob moved through his own journey – leading with curiosity – to working with communities, creating new opportunities for projects leading with innovation and sustainability, and building resilient communities based on the vision and ideas of local leaders. Jacob talks about listening to people as they are the experts in their own community, and building relationships and trust to create life-sustaining jobs and regenerative ecosystems.

Jacob Hannah is the Chief Conservation Officer at Coalfield Development, which is based in Huntington, West Virginia. This innovative organization is working to rebuild the Appalachian economy from the ground up, and Jacob is a core part of this precedent setting work in Central Appalachia. 

Jacob graduated as a first generation student in Business Management from Garrett College and holds a Bachelor degree in Management for Sustainability from Bucknell University. Jacob also studied cultural sustainability in France and Scotland, and spent 3 years testing triple-bottom line sustainability concepts for coal towns in central Pennsylvania, and social sustainability programs in Western Maryland. He enjoys spending his time writing music on his guitar and piano, getting lost in the woods, spending time with his family, and harvesting fresh dank memes from the internet.

“Scarcity creates value. The less you have of something, the more exclusive it becomes.”

Topics:

(5:00) What led Jacob down the path of becoming a conservation officer from growing up in a coal mining family

(12:10) How Jacob’s background helps him see renewable energy solutions from a both/and perspective

(16:50) The best way to let people’s expertise come to the surface instead of pushing your ideas onto them

(21:05) Shifts in the Appalachia community that have strengthened the bond between community members

(32:20) Jacob’s vision and hopes for Appalachia in the next 10 - 50 years

(40:22) Quick roller questions for Jacob

Links mentioned:

• Coalfield Development: https://coalfield-development.org/

• Jacob Hannah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-hannah-9b608642

• The Yes! We Rise podcast is produced by Dialogue + Design Associates: https://www.dialogueanddesign.com

• Music by Drishti Beats: https://drishtibeats.com/music/

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