Catamount Earth Institute

Catamount Earth Institute’s June 2013 Newsletter

Catamount EcoChallenge Report 
EcoChallenge participants generated less waste, ate a healthier diet, used less energy and more public transportation. This was an inspiring two-week experiment prior to Earth Day, April 22. Have a look at the comments under the blog at the  Catamount EcoChallenge for Challenge adventures. Thanks to the Co-op Food Stores for food treats for the celebratory potluck and to King Arthur Flour for its $50 gift certificate raffle, won by Wendy Judge, who joined the EcoChallenge through the South Royalton Market’s outreach.

Northwest Earth Institute’s 20^th Anniversary’s Founder’s Award goes to Barbara Duncan
At its 10^th anniversary, NWEI awarded its founders, Dick and Jeanne Roy with a Founders Award. This May for NWEI’s 20^th anniversary, the organization again celebrated a Founders Award. The Award went to Portland super-volunteer Betty Shelley and to Catamount’s Barbara Duncan. Catamount Earth Institute is one of 27 NWEI partner organizations across the country.

The Intel Corporation was presented NWEI’s first Change for Good Award.
The Change for Good Award is given to an organization that has integrated sustainability principles into the core of their operations and, working in partnership with NWEI, has helped make its surrounding community a healthier, richer place to live. More than 400 Intel employees around the world have participated in NWEI discussion courses. In 2011, 35 Intel volunteers took the NWEI discussion course program into 20 local high schools, with these volunteers’ efforts rippling out to reach 4,500 people.

To learn more about NWEI, its discussion courses and EcoChallenge, see www.nwei.org or contact Catamount Earth Institute for help starting a local discussion group. See NWEI’s new web section Where Change Happens for examples of how NWEI’s discussions courses are being used in workplaces, centers of faith, higher education, and community groups and organizations. Start a discussion group this fall!

Efficiency Vermont’s Home Energy Challenge Incentives
Efficiency Vermont is offering a seasonal promotion of an additional $500 completed job incentive to its customers participating in its Home and Building Performance programs.  The offer will be extended to qualifying home owners and businesses completing jobs by August 31^st, and sending in their paperwork (completed signed incentive form) by September 30^th.  This bonus incentive is on top of the $100 audit discount and usual incentives ranging up to $2,000 for installed improvements. Along with the customer bonus incentive, a contractor incentive of an additional $100 per completed job will also be offered. Contact Customer Support Department, Efficiency Vermont at 888 921 5990 with questions.
More info: http://www.efficiencyvermont.com/homeperformance.

Upper Valley Sustainability Events Calendar

All programs are free and open to the public (unless otherwise noted)

Tuesday, June 4, 5:30-7 pm, WRJ Community Garden, Ratcliff Park, Latham Works Lane
Community Garden Workshop: Companion Planting

Tuesday, June 4, 7 pm, Mayer Room, Howe Library, 13 South St., Hanover
Tim Matson, local expert on earth ponds and creator of the bestselling Earth Ponds series of books and videos, will discuss how to build and maintain an earth pond in a way that accommodates our changing climate.
Mr. Matson’s talk will include a question-and-answer session for participants to discuss their own projects. Copies of some of Mr. Matson’s books will be available for sale at the event.

Wednesdays, June 5 & 12, 6:00-8:00pm, COVER Building – 158 South Main Street, WRJ
Introduction to Solar for the Home  
Cost: $20-$40, sliding scale, financial aid available

Monday, June 10, 6 pm, Hartland Public Library
Writer Janisse Ray will read from her book The Seed Underground. 
The book highlights seed saving efforts across the country, and includes a chapter about Hartland resident and seed saver Sylvia Davatz.
Across the country, a renaissance of local food, farming, and place-based culinary traditions is taking hold. And yet something small, critically important, and profoundly at risk is being overlooked in this local food resurgence: seeds. We are losing our seeds. Of the thousands of seed varieties available at the turn of the 20th century, 94 percent have been lost – forever.
Writer, naturalist, and activist Janisse Ray is a seed saver, seed exchanger, and seed banker, and has gardened for twenty-five years. Info: Library director Amy Wisehart at 802-436-2473.

Wednesday, June 12, 6:00-8:00pm, COVER Building – 158 South Main Street, White River Junction
Introduction to Solar for the Home  
Cost: $20-$40, sliding scale, financial aid available

Thursday, June 13, 3-9 pm, South Royalton Green
BALE Fest: A Celebration of All Things Local… on the South Royalton Green, Big farmers market, huge tent, workshops on rotational grazing and making kombucha, demonstrations on rain barrels, controlling invasives and more, lots of music (Sayon Camara Drumming and Royalton Town Band), launch of the Vermont Digital Economy Project, and lots of great, locally-sourced food (crepes, pizza, tapas, sushi, spanakopita). For info: info@balevt.org or 802-498-8438.

Friday, June 21, Upper Valley Food Co-op
Swing by and donate food items or plants. 
We will be accepting donations to benefit the Upper Valley Haven. Plants will find a home at the White River Junction Community Garden on Saturday, the 22nd. These plots will be maintained by garden members and crops will be donated to the local food shelf over the course of the growing season.

Sat, June 22, 10am – 12pm, WRJ Community Garden, Ratcliff Park, Latham Works Lane
Community Garden Workshop

On Your Own Time
SANDRA STEINGRABER on MOYERS & COMPANY
Sandra Steingraber speaks about fracking, toxic chemicals, climate change, and more.
Watch it here: http://billmoyers.com/segment/sandra-steingrabers-war-on-toxic-trespassers/

FOR THE GROWING SEASON:
The Willing Hands garden at Cedar Circle Farm in East Thetford, VT is looking for garden volunteers for the summer. Work sessions will be Tuesday mornings 9-11am and Thursday evenings 5:15-7:15.  Can you help?  Contact volunteer@willinghands.org

To receive the UV Localvores e-newsletter contact mcgovern.patriciaATgmail.com.
This Upper Valley Sustainable Living Network update was written by Barbara Duncan.

Thanks for events from the VT Interfaith Power and Light newsletter, transitiontownwrjATgmail.com

Catamount Earth Institute, POB 470 Hanover, NH 03755
603-643-0328 (Nov.-April)   802-333-3664 (May-Oct.)
catamount@valley.net     www.catamountearthinstitute.org
Contact catamount@valley.net  if you do NOT want to receive these occasional updates.

Catamount Earth Institute’s Late February E-Newsletter

Hungry for Change Discussion Group

BALE has organized a Hungry for Change community discussion group that starts Tuesday, March 5 in South Royalton. Here’s the announcement from www.balevt.org.

            “Interested in digging deeper into a discussion about our food system and changes that can be made, both on a personal and systemic level? “Hungry for Change: Food, Ethics and Sustainability” is a six-part series hosted by BALE, South Royalton Market and the Vermont Law School’s Food and Agriculture Law Society this winter in South Royalton. The program starts Tuesday, March 5 and run for six consecutive Tuesday evenings (5:15 p.m.), starting out at BALE’s community space  (35 South Windsor Street). In collaboration with the Catamount Earth Institute, participants will explore such issues as: the interconnected nature of food systems and our relationships to them; the impact our food choices have on our health, the health of others and the health of our planet; and the ethical and political implications of our current food system and our personal food choices. Sound interesting?… chris@balevt.org or 802-498-8438.”

Home Energy Challenge
The Home Energy Challenge is a state-wide Efficiency Vermont program to weatherize 3 percent of Vermont homes by the end of 2013.There are twelve Upper Valley towns participating in the Home Energy Challenge:  Bradford, Fairlee, Hartland, Norwich, Randolph, Sharon, Strafford, Thetford, Topsham, Tunbridge and Weathersfield and Woodstock.
This is a perfect time to take the Home Energy Challenge and weatherize your home. There are $150 discounts for energy audits. Efficiency Vermont provides up to $2,000 in assistance to homeowners who install energy improvements through this Home Performance program. For more information about the program, see Sustainable Energy Resource Group (SERG) or Efficiency Vermont.
Start by taking Efficiency Vermont’s Pledge to Save Energy. Your pledge helps your town win community prizes. Following through with a pledge to weatherstrip your windows and doors, or work with a certified contractor to seal air leaks will save you money, energy, and give you a more comfortable home. These 12 towns can use volunteers to reach out to neighbors. Contact Bob Walker of SERG at bwalker@serg-info.org for your local Town Energy Committee contact. Contact me at barbara.duncan@valley.net to help in Fairlee.

Catamount EcoChallenge
The second challenge is the Catamount Earth Institute’s Eco-Challenge. Catamount’s parent organization, the Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI) has an annual two-week EcoChallenge the first two weeks of October. We thought we’d try out this Challenge in early April. Participants choose a category: water conservation, energy efficiency, food, alternative transportation, or trash reduction, and challenge themselves to live more sustainably. We’ll celebrate our achievements on Earth Day, Monday April 22^nd. See Catamount EcoChallenge for challenge ideas. We encourage you to form a team from a former discussion group, friends, neighbors or workmates.

Upper Valley Sustainability Events Calendar

All programs are free and open to the public

Wednesday, February 27, 6:30-8:30 Thetford Center Community Building
Home Energy Challenge Forum for Thetford Residents. Learn about your neighbors’ home weatherization successes. Meet local energy auditors and contractors. Learn about financial incentives for weatherization projects. More info: bwalker@serg-info.org

Thursday, February 28th, 2013, Norwich Public Library
“How to Maximize Your Vegetable Production Without Breaking Your Back”
Garden writer Henry Homeyer offers simple organic methods to increase your yields and minimize the time it takes to bring in a good harvest. Dealing with weeds, bugs, drought or fungi doesn’t need to take over your life – or your garden. Henry will also answer your questions, and have his gardening books for sale after the talk. Bio: Henry Homeyer is the author of 4 gardening books, writes a weekly gardening column for 12 New England newspapers, and has been a UNH Extension Master Gardener for more than 10 years.

Mar 1 – 2, 2013, Laconia Middle School, 150 McGrath Street, Laconia, NH (map)
NOFA-NH Winter Conference
March 1st will be a Pre-Conference Intensive for Farmers and those interested in farming.
March 2nd will be the Winter Conferences, NHs Largest Organic Agriculture event of the year.
Highlights: Keynote speakers, Interactive Workshops, Tractor Demo, Organic Potluck, Green Market Fair, Community Building Networking.  Conference coordinator: Jo Russavage, 508-330-1034, joruss13@yahoo.com  For more information: http://nofanh.org/education-events/winter-conference/

Sat, March 2, 11am – 2pm, Sustainable Farmer 71 Artisans Way Windsor, VT 05089 (map)
Mozzarella Making – Beth Carlson and Heather Gallagher
Mild and milky, smooth and silky: any way you stretch it, we love fresh mozzarella! And in this hands-on crash course we’ll teach you how to make it at home. First we’ll set you straight on coagulation as we tell you how milk turns from fluid to firm curds. Then we’ll all roll up our sleeves to turn curds into the beautiful balls that we know as fresh mozzarella. Taste several samples of fresh pasta filata (pulled curd) style cheeses (think Mozzarella, Bufala, Burrata, oh my!), enjoy a glass of beer, and bring home your own mozzarella masterpiece.

Monday, March 4, 6:30 pm, Upstairs Colatina Exit, Main St. Bradford, VT
1st Monday film is Twin Sides of the Fossil Fuel Coin: the Truth About Climate Change with Guy McPherson.
Dr. McPherson delivers an urgent and terrifying update on the most current news from climate scientists from around the world. After the video, Dr. McPherson will join us for a live Q & A session via Skype. Dr. McPherson is professor emeritus of Biology at the University of Arizona.
The film is free and open to the public. Donations appreciated. Come early if you’d like to purchase supper or a drink. It’s sponsored by the Bradford Conservation Commission.

Tuesday, March 5, 3:30 pm, Spanos Auditorium, 100 Cummings Hall, Thayer School, Dartmouth College
Seminar on photovoltaics research by Dr. David Mitzi, a world leader in advancing technology for generating electricity from sunlight

Tuesday, March 5, 5:15-6:45, BALE’s community space,35 South Windsor Street, South Royalton
Hungry for Change, 1^st of a 6-session discussion series on food, ethics and sustainability.
Register and buy a discussion guide from Chris Wood at BALE, chris@balevt.org or 802-498-8438.

Wednesday, March 13, 9- noon, Norwich Congregational Church
Vermont Residential Energy Code Workshop
This 3-hour workshop is intended for builders, architects, realtors and other housing professionals, but is also appropriate for other motivated individuals intending to build in Vermont.    The workshop will provide attendees with the information needed to understand and comply with the code.  No previous experience with the energy code is required. The workshop is FREE and qualifies for 3 BPI and AIA continuing education credits.  Pre-registration is required at: http://serginfo.wufoo.com/forms/vermont-residential-energy-code-workshop/

Thursday March 14th   6:30-8:30  Montshire Museum
“Eye Witness Report From Fukushima, Japan”
Talk and slide show by Chiho Kaneko about the nuclear power plant melt down
Sponsored by the Sierra Club and the League of Women Voters of the Upper Valley

Saturday, March 16; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Montpelier High School
Global Warming Conference; What climate change means for Vermont
Senator Bernie Sanders and Vermont/national environmental leaders. Sponsored by UVM’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, VNRC, VPIRG, NWF, Lake Champlain Committee. Free, lunch provided. RSVPs requested. RSVP HERE

March 18, 2013, Flavors of the Valley registration deadline for your Farm or Food Friendly Business
Register by clicking http://vitalcommunities.org/Agriculture/flavors/flavors_information.htm

To receive the UV Localvores e-newsletter contact mcgovern.patricia@gmail.com.
This Upper Valley Sustainable Living Network update was written by Barbara Duncan.

Catamount Earth Institute, POB 470 Hanover, NH 03755
603-643-0328 (Nov.-April)
catamount@valley.net     www.catamountearthinstitute.org
Contact catamount@valley.net  if you do NOT want to receive these occasional updates.

Happy New Year!

Catamount Earth Institute’s January E-Newsletter
 

            Here’s an invitation to participate in a Choices in Sustainable Living discussion series sponsored by the Quechee Library and VINS. It will start Thursday, Jan. 10 and run for seven consecutive Thursdays. This series covers ecological principles, food, purchasing, economics, and building a sustainable community. This is a brand new edition, with books available on loan from the library. For more information call the Library at 295-1232 or contact Kate Schaal at kate@quecheelibrary.org. Read Session One for Jan. 10.

            Vermont’s Midstate Library has sets of 10-12 Northwest Earth Institute books that may be borrowed by local libraries for patron’s discussion groups. Contact librarian Greg McCandless at 802-828-2320 for more information.
Here are the available books, number of sets, number of sessions and description:
            Choices for Sustainable Living (1 set, 7 sessions on sustainable living)
            Menu for the Future (2 sets, 6 sessions on healthy agriculture and healthy diets)
            A World of Health (3 sets, 6 sessions on connections between human and environmental health)
            Voluntary Simplicity (1 set, 5 sessions on living simply and our relationships to money, stuff, time)

            Catamount Earth Institute is excited about two challenges. The first is the Home Energy Challenge to weatherize Vermont’s homes. This Efficiency Vermont project has Town Energy Committees and other local partners competing with other towns within their region to see which town can get the most homes weatherized in 2013. Each town will try to weatherize 3% of the homes. See more at Efficiency Vermont for more information. You can also contact Bob Walker of SERG at bwalker@serg-info.org to learn about taking on a Home Energy Challenge in your town.
            The second challenge is the Northwest Earth Institute’s Eco-Challenge. The Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI) has an annual two-week EcoChallenge the first two weeks of October. We thought we’d try out this Challenge in early April. Participants choosea category: water conservation, energy efficiency, food, alternative transportation, or trash reduction.
            Here’s an example of one participant’s EcoChallenge: “This year, my EcoChallenge is to get out of the car. I will use only human-powered transportation (my legs and my bike) from Oct. 1-15.” In October 2012, NWEI had 192 EcoChallenge teams. To learn more about the NWEI EcoChallenge click here. There are blogs, participant videos and a Q & A section. Upper Valley Localvore leader Pat McGovern took on the challenge this fall and saved all of her trash for 2 weeks. See Pat’s EcoChallenge with a photo of the (very small amount of plastic) trash at Pat’s blog. Stories of other’s EcoChallenges are at the NWEI October 2012 blog. Contact barbara.duncan@valley.net or mcgovern.patricia@gmail.com if you’d like to participate in the April Challenge.

Upper Valley Sustainability Events Calendar

Most programs are free and open to the public

Monday, January 7, 6:30 pm, Upstairs Colatina Exit, Main St. Bradford, VT
1st Monday film is “Bidder 70″ about Tim DeChristopher.

The film is free and open to the public. Donations appreciated. Come early if you’d like to purchase supper or a drink. It’s sponsored by the Bradford Conservation Commission.
  Here’s background information from the film’s website (www.bidder70film.com)
            On December 19, 2008 (University of Utah economics student) Tim DeChristopher disrupted a highly disputed Utah BLM (Bureau of Land Management) Oil and Gas lease auction, effectively safeguarding thousands of acres of pristine Utah land that were slated for oil and gas leases. Not content to merely protest outside, Tim entered the auction hall and registered as bidder #70. He outbid industry giants on land parcels (which, starting at $2 an acre, were adjacent to national treasures like Canyonlands National Park), winning 22,000 acres of land worth $1.7 million before the auction was halted.
            Two months later, incoming Interior Secretary Ken Salazar invalidated the auction. DeChristopher, however, was indicted on two federal felonies with penalties of up to 10 years in prison and $750,000 in fines. Patrick Shea, former BLM Director for Clinton, represented DeChristopher pro-bono.
            With the threat of prison looming, DeChristopher stepped up his activism and evolved into a charismatic and ingenious climate justice leader. He co-founded Peaceful Uprising, a grass-roots group dedicated to defending a livable future through empowering non-violent action. After two years and nine postponements, his trial began on February 28, 2011. Outside the courtroom, hundreds rallied in solidarity with Tim. Inside, Judge Dee Benson disallowed every defense his lawyers put forth. After a five-day trial, DeChristopher was found guilty. On July 26, 2012 Tim was sentenced to two years in federal prison.
Thursday, January 10, 6:30-8pm Quechee Library, Main St. Quechee, 295-1232
Choices for Sustainable Living, 1^st of 7 sessions, Register and borrow a discussion guide at the Library, Read Session One for Jan. 10

Tuesday, January 15, 4-5:30 Dowd’s Inn, Lyme
Janisse Ray, Author of Ecology of the Cracker Childhood, winner of the American Book Award.
This book combines memoir and natural history writing, particularly descriptions of the ecology of the South’s vanishing longleaf pine forests. Ray is the author of four books, is an environmental activist, and teaches creative writing at Chatham University. This talk is sponsored by the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT). The program is a celebration of  25years of service by UVLT’s president, Jeanie McIntyre. The program is open to the public. Admission is $10, with proceeds going to support the work of the UVLT.

Wednesday, January 16^th, 7 pm, Downstairs, Kimball Library, Randolph
Talk by Andy Simon of 350.org on How BIG OIL Threatens Vermont
Sponsored by the Randolph Area Justice and Peace Coalition and the Sustainable Living Network

Winter Farmers’ Markets
Bradford, Grace United Methodist Church, hellobradfordfarmers@gmail.com
Enfield Community Center, Route 4, 2^nd Saturday, 10-1 pm
Lebanon, Lebanon United Methodist Church, 3^rd Saturday, 10-1 pm
Norwich, Tracy Hall, Saturdays, 10-1 pm, Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 9, April 13
Sharon, Between The Sharon Academy Middle School and the Town Offices, Saturdays, 10-1 pm
   Sharon Sprouts food and activities at the Sharon Elementary School
Windsor, Windsor Welcome Center , 1^st and 3^rd Sundays, noon-3

To receive the UV Localvores e-newsletter contact mcgovern.patricia@gmail.com.
This Upper Valley Sustainable Living Network update was written by Barbara Duncan.

Catamount Earth Institute, POB 470 Hanover, NH 03755
603-643-0328 (Nov.-April)
catamount@valley.net     www.catamountearthinstitute.org
Contact catamount@valley.net  if you do NOT want to receive these occasional updates.

Catamount Earth Institute Late November E-Newsletter

            The Quechee Library and VINS will again sponsor a Northwest Earth Institute discussion course. It will be Choices in Sustainable Living and will start Thursday, Jan. 10 and run consecutive Thursdays. This series covers ecological principles, food, purchasing, economics, and building a sustainable community. The books will be available on loan. For more information, contact Kate Schaal at kate@quecheelibrary.org or Hannah Putnam at hputnam@vinsweb.org.  More discussions are in the planning stages by the South Royalton Market and BALE, (Building a Local Economy) also located in South Royalton.

The Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI) has a fun Eco-Challenge in October in which people make up personal or group challenges to reduce their waste, energy use, vehicle miles and other ways of shrinking their ecological footprints. See the NWEI blog for a story and about UV Localvore Pat McGovern and her challenge to reduce her waste.

We’d like to draw your attention to the Vermont Home Energy Project, an exciting project of Efficiency Vermont, VECAN (Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network), and regional energy groups such as SERG (Sustainable Energy Resource Group). Here’s some information from Efficiency Vermont: “ Under the Challenge, town energy committees and other local partners will compete with other towns within their region to see which town can get the most homes weatherized within a one‐year period. Each local partner will have a target of weatherizing 3% of the homes within their community. … The Challenge is designed to mobilize many more Vermonters to take action and help Vermont reach its statewide goal of 25% energy savings in 80,000 homes by the year 2020.” Efficiency Vermont has many programs to help local groups to meet and exceed this weatherization goal. Are you a member of a town energy committee? Would you like to participate in this Challenge in your Vermont town? Contact Bob Walker of SERG at bwalker@serg-info.org for more information. Please note that VECAN and SERG are sponsoring a day-long, statewide conference about community energy action at the Lake Morey Inn on Saturday, December 1. This is a good way to learn more about the work of town energy committees. More information about the event and to register, click here.

Upper Valley Sustainability Events Calendar

All programs are free and open to the public

Wednesday, November 28, 7 pm, Mayer Room, Howe Library, 13 South St., Hanover
Our Oceans, Ourselves
Dartmouth professor D. G. Webster and UNH professor Jonathan Pennock discuss their research on oceans and the ways in which human cultures and behaviors impact ocean ecology. This program is part of the Howe Library’s Everyone’s Reading 2012 program that features Moby Duck by Donovan Hohn. It was rescheduled from October 30.

Wednesday, November 28, 6:30 pm, Hartland Public Library, 153 Route 5
Talk by Ben Hewett, author of The Town That Food Saved
Hewett tells about the many ways that local agriculture and food production has boosted the economic and social health of Hardwick, Vermont. Info: 802-436-2473

Thursday, November 29, 6:30 p.m., Montshire Museum, Norwich
Presentation by Bob Walker, director of SERG, and Vermont State Legislator Margaret Cheney about renewable energy programs in Germany
Bob and Margaret will report on what they learned from their recent renewable energy trip to Germany as guests of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. The trip, which was designed for policymakers and advocates who are advancing renewable energy, included seven other Americans from around the U.S. The group spent the week traveling around Germany to meet with members of Parliament, government officials, cooperative organizers, technical consultants, and farmers, all of whom are rapidly helping to make Germany the world’s leader in renewable energy development. Bob and Margaret will share lessons from their trip and discuss how government policies, financing mechanisms, and local involvement can stimulate the growth of renewable energy, create business opportunities, and strengthen the regional economy.
Light refreshments will be served.
Sponsored by SERG. Co-sponsors: VNRC, UV Sierra Club, Catamount Earth Institute, Vital Communities, League of Women Voters, Co-op Food Stores and Upper Valley Co-op.

Friday, November 30, 7 p.m., Hartland Public Library, 153 Rt 5, Hartland Three Corners
Persepolis,
Persepolis is the story follows a young Iranian girl as she comes of age against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution.
Sponsored by State of the World Films, Free admission and popcorn. Info. 802 738-0215

Saturday, December 1, 9-4 pm. (Registration starts at 8 a.m.)
 Lake Morey Inn, Fairlee
VECAN’s Annual Vermont Community Energy and Climate Action Conference 
The theme of this year’s energizing event is “Getting to 90 Percent Renewable by 2050.” There are over a dozen timely workshops, hot-topic roundtable discussions and unparalleled networking opportunities. This year the keynote speaker is economic researcher and futurist Chris Martenson. Dr. Martensen speaks around the world on the interconnection of the “Three E’s” — the economy, energy and the environment — in a resource-restricted world. Cost for the day is $30 ($25 until Nov. 25) and includes a largely locally-sourced lunch. Visit www.regonline.com/2012VTEnergy for all the details and to register.

Monday, December 3, 6:30, Colantina Exit, 2^nd floor, Main St. Bradford
Earth Days -1^st Monday documentary
Earth Days looks back to the dawn and development of the modern environmental movement through the extraordinary stories of the era’s pioneers — among them Former Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, biologist/Population Bomb author Paul Ehrlich, Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand, Apollo Nine astronaut Rusty Schweickart, and renewable energy pioneer Hunter Lovins.
Sponsored by the Bradford Conservation Commission
Free, donations welcome, Come early if you want to order drinks and supper

Thursday, December 13^th, 5 pm, Upper Valley Food Co-op
Upper Valley Seed Savers monthly meeting
For more information:  http://uppervalleyseedsavers.pbworks.com/w/page/50320963/FrontPage

Winter Farmers’ Markets
Norwich, Tracy Hall, Saturdays, 10-1 pm, Dec. 1 (10-2), Dec. 15, Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 9, April 13
Lebanon, Lebanon United Methodist Church, 3^rd Saturday, 10-1 pm
Enfield Community Center, Route 4, 2^nd Saturday, 10-1 pm
Sharon, Between The Sharon Academy Middle School and the Town Offices, Saturdays, 10-1 pm
Sharon Sprouts food and activities at the Sharon Elementary School

To receive the UV Localvores e-newsletter contact mcgovern.patricia@gmail.com.
This Upper Valley Sustainable Living Network update was written by Barbara Duncan.

Catamount Earth Institute, POB 470 Hanover, NH 03755
603-643-0328 (Nov.-April)
catamount@valley.net     www.catamountearthinstitute.org
Contact catamount@valley.net  if you do NOT want to receive these occasional updates.

            Please check out the NWEI discussion courses at www.nwei.org and choose a topic you might like to discuss with friends and neighbors. Some of the series’ discussion guides are available for loan thanks to the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation; others may be purchased. I’m happy to help you set up a discussion group.

            This calendar attempts to cover a range of environmental issues. The Howe Library’s Moby Duck series and the DHMC’s symposium on connections between human and environmental health offer a fine complement to Catamount’s 2012 discussion course Healthy People, Healthy Planet.

Upper Valley Sustainability Events Calendar

All programs are free and open to the public

Monday, Oct. 22 to Fri, Oct. 26 is the Way to Go Commuter Challenge.
How do you get to work? Could you take the bus or carpool? I love riding my bike to get around, but the cars need more of us to encourage drivers to share the road. For more info. contact Megan@vitalcommunities.org

Thursday, Oct. 25, 7 pm, Howe Library, 13 South St., Hanover
Source to Sea Cleanup, a Talk by Ron Rhodes
This talk about stream clean up is part of the Howe Library’s Everyone’s Reading 2012 program that features Moby Duck by Donovan Hohn. This entertaining book looks at plastics and ocean pollution, shipping, global trade and much more. The book was based on container ship traveling from China to Seattle that lost many of its containers, including one filled with rubber duckies, in a severe storm.

Friday, October 26, 3:30 pm, Spanos Auditorium, Cummings Hall, Thayer School of Engineering
A Profile of Dartmouth’s Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Programs
Stephen Shadford, Energy Program Manager, Dartmouth College will present Dartmouth’s Energy Program to achieve an energy reduction of greater than 20% by 2015.

Friday, October 26, 7 p.m., Hartland Public Library, 153 Rt 5, Hartland Three Corners
In the Land of Blood and Honey
In a land where people of different faiths and cultures coexist, there was a brief moment when hope blossomed. Then violence tore through the nation, pitting neighbor against neighbor. A haunting film about faith, religion and conflict.
Sponsored by State of the World Films, Free admission and popcorn. Info. 802 738-0215

Tuesday, October 30, Mayer Room, Howe Library, 13 South St., Hanover
Our Oceans, Ourselves
Dartmouth professor D. G. Webster and UNH professor Jonathan Pennock discuss their research on oceans and the ways in which human cultures and behaviors impact ocean ecology. This program is is part of the Howe Library’s Everyone’s Reading 2012 program that features Moby Duck by Donovan Hohn. (See Oct. 25 program at the Howe Library.)

Thursday, November 1, Mayer Room, Howe Library, 13 South St., Hanover
Dr. Perovich, of the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, will speak on Arctic exploration, sea ice, and ongoing environmental changes. This program is part of the Howe Library’s Everyone’s Reading 2012 program that features Moby Duck by Donovan Hohn.

Monday, November 5, Colatina Exit, 6:30 p.m., Main St., Bradford, VT
The 11^th Hour, First Monday Film
This powerful film by Leonardo DiCaprio is about climate change and a convergence of crises
Sponsored by the Bradford Conservation Commission
Free, donations welcome, Come early if you want to order drinks and supper

Wednesday, November 7^th, 7 p.m., Vernon Elementary School, Vernon
Public Service Board Public Hearing on Vermont Yankee re-licensing

Thursday, November 8, 7 p.m., Murray Room, Howe Library, 13 South St., Hanover
Moby-Duck Book Discussion with Howe Library staff

Wednesday, November 14, 7 p.m., Mayer Room, Howe Library, 13 South St., Hanover
The Howe’s Everyone’s Reading series based on the book Moby Duck concludes with a lecture by the author Donovan Hohn.

Wednesday, November 14, 7-9 p.m., Filene Auditorium, Moore Hall, Dartmouth College, Maynard St.
Ninth Annual Great Issues in Medicine and Global Health Symposium Keynote Address:
Exposing Environmental Dangers: Human Health Implications
Richard Delaney, President and CEO, Center for Coastal Studies; Kristen Welker-Hood, Director Environmental Health Consulting; Kathryn Cottingham, Professor, Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College
Info: www.d-h.org/great-issues-symposium

Friday, November 16, 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., Auditoria E & F, Rubin Building, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
“Are the Kids Alright?” Hazards in the Child’s Environment
Medical Grand Rounds by Dr. Alan D. Woolf, professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, as part of the Ninth Annual Great Issues in Medicine and Global Health Symposium
Sponsored by the Department of Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and Department of Pediatrics, DHMC.

Monday, November 19^th, 7:00 Public Service Board comments about Vermont Yankee Re-licensing via Vt. Interactive TV.
You can read more about the hearings, the case, and interactive TV locations at the state’s website:  http://psb.vermont.gov/docketsand%20projects/electric/7862

November 29, 6:30 p.m., Montshire Museum, Norwich
Presentation by director of SERG, Bob Walker, and Vermont State Legislator Margaret Cheney about energy efficiency programs in Germany. Bob and Margaret and 7 other Americans recently traveled to Germany for meetings and tours including the 4th Congress on 100% Renewable Energy.

To receive the UV Localvores e-newsletter contact mcgovern.patricia@gmail.com.
This Upper Valley Sustainable Living Network update was written by Barbara Duncan.

Catamount Earth Institute, POB 470 Hanover, NH 03755
802-333-3664 (May- Oct.)  603-643-0328 (Nov.-April)
catamount@valley.net     www.catamountearthinstitute.org
Contact catamount@valley.net  if you do NOT want to receive these occasional updates.

When I first encountered the Northwest Earth Institute (NWEI), our Vermont non-profit was looking for a means to encourage people to live lighter on the planet. The NWEI was and still is, in my opinion, the most inspiring organization in providing information and empowering individuals and groups to take action as environmental stewards. In the past two years hundreds of Upper Valley residents came together for discussion groups about healthy food and on the connections between human and environmental health. NWEI has twelve discussion topics. Check them out at www.nwei.org . Perhaps you’ll choose a topic that you’d like to discuss with friends and neighbors. I can help you set up a group discussion. Some of the discussion guides are available for loan thanks to the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation; others may be purchased.

Here’s one issue that I became aware of thanks to information shared in NWEI readings and group discussions: The Farm Bill is set to expire on September 30. The House hasn’t voted yet and according to the Center for Food Safety, its riders seek to erode USDA oversight of Genetically Engineered crops. See the Center for Food Safety website for more information and to contact your Congressional Representative.

A fall NWEI activity is its EcoChallenge! Each year NWEI gets several thousand people to commit to changing a habit for the Earth over the span of two weeks (October 1-15^th). You can sign up at www.ecochallenge.org and pick your own action (no fundraising required!!). During the EcoChallenge, participants choose one action to reduce their environmental impact and stick with it for two weeks. Ecochallengers pick a category—water, trash, energy, food or transportation—and set a goal that is fun, stretches their comfort zone and makes a difference for themselves and the planet. My family’s challenge is to have a vegetarian diet. What low impact action works for you? The NWEI EcoChallenge helps us move from “I should” to “I can” and it’s fun. Join the challenge with NWEI enthusiasts from around the country.!

Please also check out the NWEI discussion courses at www.nwei.org and pick one you might like to do with friends and neighbors. Some of the series are available for loan thanks to the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation; others may be purchased. I’m happy to help you set up a group discussion.

Upper Valley Sustainability Events Calendar

Friday, Sept. 21, 7 pm, Bradford Academy Auditorium, Main St., Bradford, VT
VT-made film The Summer of Walter Hacks
Fundraiser for the VT Farm Disaster Relief Fund.  Suggested donation:  $5.
There will be live music by Stovepipe Mountain Band and fresh food prepared by local vendors from 4:30-6:45. This film was made almost exclusively in Vermont. Come and meet the film’s professional writer and director, George Woodard, who is also a farmer in Waterbury Center, VT. This is a fictional story of a Vermont farm family in the 1950s featuring 11 year Walter Hacks and his older brother. To learn more about film, see www.pastureproductions.com.

Monday, September 24, 5:30- 7:30 pm
Upper Valley Food Co-op, White River Junction
Learn about some homemade gift ideas. Choose from several gift projects. The Sew-op has sewing machines for your use during class.
$20 fee for members, $25 for non-members

Thursday, September 27, 7 p.m., Mayer Room, Howe Library, 13 South St., Hanover
The Appalachian Trail: Celebrating America’s Hiking Trail
Talk byJerry Monkman, a photographer and contributor to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s new book, The Appalachian Trail: Celebrating America’s Hiking Trail.
Info: Howe Library, 603-643-4120, Co-sponsored by the Hanover and Norwich friends of the  Appalachian Trail

Tuesday, October 2, 4- 5:30 pm, Montshire Museum, Norwich
Invasive Plants and their Native Alternatives: Best Practices for Vermont and New Hampshire
Free and open to the public

October 9, 16, 23, 25, Oct. 30, Nov. 1, 6, 8, 14, Howe Library, 13 South St., Hanover
Discussions and lectures related to Moby Duck, Howe’s Everyone’s Reading 2012 book by Donovan Hohn. Copies of Moby-Duck are available for checkout at Howe Library by any Upper Valley resident, with or without a Howe Library card. For more information about all of these events see http://bit.ly/EIR2012 .

Here’s a little information about the book from the Howe Library’s website:
“Donovan Hohn was a high school English teacher when one of his students wrote an essay about a shipment of rubber ducks that tumbled overboard in the north Pacific Ocean and subsequently began washing up on beaches hundreds of miles away. Intrigued, Mr. Hohn set out to trace the journey of the toys. Along the way, he visited Alaska, Hawaii, and Hong Kong; went beachcoming, sailed through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and took a container ship across the Pacific Ocean; spoke with beachcombers, environmentalists, factory owners, and scientists; and completed his journey with a trip through the Northwest Passage. Part environmental treatise and part travelogue, Moby-Duck touches on an eclectic combination of topics, including plastics pollution, global warming, oceanography, beachcombing, globalization, and literature; it is a lighthearted but serious-minded testament to the joys – and travails – of one man’s attempt to satisfy his curiosity.”

Thursdays, October 18- November 8, 6 pm to 9 pm (Registration deadline October 5)
Master Composter Course
Upper Valley Interactive TV Locations: White River Junction, Springfield, Randolph
Cost: $40
Info: (802) 656-9562, master.gardener@uvm.edu, www.uvm.edu/mastergardener

Thursday, October 11, Hartland
Seedsavers October Meeting, Potluck and program
For more information contact Sylvia Davatz at sdav@valley.net

To receive the UV Localvores e-newsletter contact mcgovern.patricia@gmail.com.
This Upper Valley Sustainable Living Network update was written by Barbara Duncan.

Catamount Earth Institute, POB 470 Hanover, NH 03755
802-333-3664 (May- Oct.)  603-643-0328 (Nov.-April)
catamount@valley.net     www.catamountearthinstitute.org
Contact catamount@valley.net  if you do NOT want to receive these occasional updates.