Valley Futures

Do you know:

• That there is a compost-powered hot water system experiment currently underway in Fayston?

• That a study was completed of the total valley-wide electrical energy use for 2006, 2007 and 2008?

• Where the Efficiency Vermont “Button-Up” workshops are being held this fall?

All of these topics and many more may be found on the Mad River Valley Energy Wiki, a new website found at mrvenergy.org.

This new website is envisioned as a community-created “living document” to serve as the go-to reference for energy information in the Mad River Valley. Think Wikipedia, except focused on energy in the Mad River Valley.

Like Wikipedia, the website is intended to be “community-powered” in order to overcome the common challenge faced by many websites and information sources that become quickly outdated with no effective way to update the information.

In the case of the MRV Energy Wiki, anyone at all can easily update an existing page or create a new article for the site. After some initial editing and adding of pages on the site, Waitsfield resident and town energy coordinator Dennis Derryberry said, “After last night’s adventure on the wiki, I’m now feeling like it’s very, very easy to use.”

Topics covered on the website include grant funding and money-saving opportunities, active energy projects within The Valley, future project ideas for the community, a list of upcoming local events, and information on energy subcategories including solar, wind, energy efficiency, heating, biomass and more.

The website was launched on October 8. Over a dozen people have already contributed to the website. Jesse Stowell, a wind project development consultant who lives in Warren, said of the new Energy Wiki, “It is a central place where people can put their contributions. It’s a great start.”

As Stowell points out, the information on the website is just getting started. The Energy Wiki needs wide participation and sustained community involvement to help it flourish and deliver its community-powered vision. Students, energy professionals, energy committee members, town planners, event organizers and energy enthusiasts are all invited and encouraged to contribute to the site.

Interested? Check out the Wish List on mrvenergy.org to see how to help or bring energy ideas and knowledge to the site.

There will be a live demonstration and discussion of the Mad River Valley Energy Wiki as a part of the next Valley Futures Network Energy Group meeting on Tuesday, November 3, at 6:30 p.m. at the Wait House in Waitsfield.

Learn more at mrvenergy.org or contact Stan Ward at stan [at] mrvenergy [dot] org

Stan helps lead projects that combine sustainability and information technology. He is active with the “Localvolts” Valley Futures Network Energy Group.

Tags: Announcements, Energy by Rob Williams
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Please join us and others around the world on Saturday October 24th (the International Day of Climate Action) to raise awareness about climate change.  We’ll take over Route 100 with a Bike for the Planet event:  meet at Lareau Park at 3:50pm and bike to the General Wait House and back.  We’ll stop at the Big Picture Theater to pose for a photo which will be posted on the 350.org website along with others from around the world.  To show our support of and participation in the global 350 campaign, we’ll have “350″ signs on our backs (provided). 

350 parts per million is considered the safe upper limit for CO2 in the atmosphere.  Currently, the concentration in the atmosphere is approx. 387 ppm.

MORE INFORMATION

On October 24, people from around the Mad River Valley will gather to cycle for change—leading a “Bike for the Planet” event on Route 100 in Waitsfield—as part of the largest global day of climate action ever. The event—one of more than 3,700 rallies in more than 160 nations—is coordinated by 350.org to urge world leaders to take fast and effective action on global warming. This is the first global campaign ever organized around a scientific data point: 350 parts per million CO2 is the safe upper limit for the atmosphere according to the latest scientific data.

WHO:    All are welcome to join—please wear bright colors and a helmet.  Sponsored by the Friends of the Mad River, the Valley Futures Network, the Mad River Path Association, and the Mad River Valley Planning District.

WHAT:    Participants will lead a Bike for the Planet from Lareau Park to the General Wait House, where there will be a rally and refreshments.  The Bike Parade will then return to Lareau Park.  Participants will stop at the Big Picture Theater to take a photo for posting on the global 350 campaign website.

Simultaneously, people in every corner of the world will be taking similar action, from climbers with 350 banners high on the melting slopes of Mount Everest to government officials in the Maldive Islands holding an underwater cabinet meeting to demand action on climate change before their nation disappears.

WHEN:        October 24, 2009 at 3:50pm

WHERE:    Begin at Lareau Park in Waitsfield, bike to the General Wait House for a short rally and refreshments, then return

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Photos from the event will be available at: http://www.FriendsoftheMadRiver.org
Photos from events happening all over the world will be available for free use at: http://350.org/media
For more information on the global 350 campaign, please visit www.350.org or contact Cosa Bullock in New York, cbullock@mrss.com.

ABOUT 350.ORG
Founded by author and environmentalist Bill McKibben, 350.org is the first large-scale grassroots global campaign against climate change. Its supporters include leading scientists, the governments of 89 countries, and a huge variety of environmental, health, development and religious NGOs. All agree that current atmospheric levels of CO2—390 parts per million—are causing damage to the planet and to its most vulnerable people, and that government action at the Copenhagen climate conference is required to bring the earth’s carbon level swiftly down.

Tags: Announcements, Energy by Joshua Schwartz
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VFN Monthly Meeting Minutes of 10/9/09

Attendees: Dennis Derryberrry, David Dion, Sue Klein, Rob Williams, Chip Sawyer, Jared Cadwell, Ginny McGinn, Gregor Barnum, Jared Cadwell, Beth Schoellkopf, Dave Johnson, Susan Johnson, Tom Barefoot, Stan Ward, Joshua Schwartz, Charlie Hosford, and John Donaldson

1) First time attendees – Tom Barefoot is with Universal Micro Systems and is also involved with the Gross National Happiness American Project which “envisions a sustainable future, based on the use of a comprehensive set of social progress indicators that reflects our American values and truly supports life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (see gnhusa.org). Tom will cover the GNH efforts at next month’s meeting. Dave and Susan Johnson have recently moved to Duxbury from Brooklyn and are interested in sustainable energy, local currency initiatives and others.

2) Update on Local Community Initiatives Class taught at UVM – Josh and Chip provided an update on the activities to date (see last month’s minutes for a more detailed overview of the projects). Plans are for the students to participate in the November 1 Retreat and make final presentations of their projects on the evening of either December 2 or 9.

2) Energy Working Group Update – Stan gave a demonstration of the newly launched Energy Wiki (mrvenergy.org). This site created and maintained by the community will be the go-to resource for all things related to energy in the Valley. The goal is to keep this fact based, not opinion based and to keep it up to date. Among the many way cool features is “watchlist” which creates a RSS feed to send updates of any topics desired. All are encouraged to provide feedback and update the site. Several ideas surfaced during the discussion – getting Harwood students involved, using the wiki model for other working group projects or VFN as a whole, and sharing this facility with other communities.

Dennis mentioned the next Energy working group meeting will be November 3 at 6 pm at the Wait House.

3) VFN half day retreat – Ginny described plans for this November 1 afternoon retreat in the basement of the Waitsfield Church. It will start with a bag lunch and end with a potluck meal. It will include the UVM students, VFN “alumni” (i.e. prior retreat participants who should already have received an email invitation) and other active VFN participants and perhaps others. Attendees are encouraged to invite a guest who might be an interested future VFN participant but hasn’t attended any prior events. One of the objectives of the retreat will be to think of how to intentionally engage members of the community who can’t or won’t participate in the more formal VFN retreats, events, etc. Tracy Tsugawa, a facilitator from Vermont, will be helping. The agenda is still being finalized. Ginny would like a couple of volunteers to spend a few hours in the week of 10/26 to be a sounding board for agenda ideas.

4) Local currency working group update – Rob said this initiative will be built around “time banking”, like the Onion River exchange. Jen Higgins and the Rootswork board have tentatively volunteered to spearhead this effort.

5) Media working Group update – Rob and Gregor have formed the “Mojo Posse” (i.e. Mobile Journalism) which is hosting celebratory videos on a Youtube platform (see http://www.youtube.com/user/ValleyFuturesNetwork ). The first meeting of this group is November 6 at 7:45 am at the Big Picture.

6) Possible community potlucks – Sue mentioned the Warren and Waitsfield churches are interested in facilitating an ongoing Community Potluck to be held early evening one Sunday each month, starting after the New Year.

Next meeting is Friday 11/13 at the Green Cup.

Submitted by John Donaldson

Tags: Announcements, VFN Monthly Minutes by Rob Williams
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This fall marks the beginning of a new relationship between the Mad River Valley and the University of Vermont’s Department of Community Development Applied Economics. An undergraduate service learning course, titled “Local Community Initiatives,” will analyze and participate in a handful of the Valley’s community organizations.

The 14 UVM students in the course will partner with the Valley Futures Network and Mad River Valley Planning District to take an active role in local projects in the Mad River Valley. Through local project work, case studies, course texts, student research and class discussions, the students will learn about the different ways that community-members work together to identify challenges, resources and solutions and how they envision their future.

The students will break into groups to focus on three projects throughout the semester: a research-based analysis of the organizational structure of the Valley Futures Network, a similar analysis of the Mad River Path Association focusing on membership, and an inventory of renewable energy projects in the Valley. 

A dessert potluck kick-off event is schedule for Wednesday, 9/16, 6:45-9 PM at the Center for Whole Communities’ Knoll Farm. This is designed as an opportunity for the students to familiarize themselves with the Valley, meet members of the community, and initiate their student projects. All residents and visitors are encouraged to come and learn more about the work of the Valley Futures Network and the student projects.

The timing of the kick-off event is such to accommodate those that will be participating in the MRV Chamber’s Annual Meeting (5:30-7 PM on 9/16 at the Warren Town Hall). For more information contact the Mad River Valley Planning District’s Joshua Schwartz at 496-7173.

Tags: Announcements, Energy, Transportation, Uncategorized by Joshua Schwartz
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Wednesday, June 24
6-8pm

Big Picture Theater
48 Carroll Rd, Waitsfield

Free and open to the public

Vermonters face a critical decision on our energy future: Vermont Yankee, the state’s sole nuclear power plant, is scheduled to close down on 2012. Currently, the Vermont Legislature is considering whether or not to grant a 20 year license extension to continue operation of the plant through 2032.

Panelists will discuss the political, health, economic, and environmental implications of this decision. Come join the discussion and learn more about this critical issue.

Adam Greshin,
Washington-1(Waitsfield, Fayston, Warren) State Representative

Arnie Gundersen,
Vermont Yankee Oversight Nuclear Engineer

Nancy Chickering MD, MPH,
Physicians for Social Responsibility

James Moore,
Clean Energy Advocate, VPIRG

Lawrence Mott,
Managing Director, New Generation Partners

Moderator: Eugene Jarecki, Filmmaker, Author, Public Thinker

Co-sponsored by Valley Futures Network Energy Group, with support from Mad River Valley Localvores, Green Mountain Global Forum, Carbon Shredders, Friends of the Mad River, and Big Picture Theater.
For more information call (802) 496-4566

Tags: Announcements, Energy by admin
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Can one individual shape the future of our Mad River Valley?

We don’t think so either.

That is why we want to ask you two very personal questions.

What do you love most about the Mad River Valley?

What are your fears?

We believe your answers, and your willingness to hear other answers will provide an essential foundation on which to build a healthier future for our Mad River Valley.

Would you be willing to stay with us for a night at Knoll Farm’s Center for Whole Communities on July 10th and 11th?

Apply to attend the FREE July 10-11, 2009 Valley Futures Network retreat at Fayston’s Knoll Farm by visiting the Center for Whole Communities web site.

We promise you great food, a beautiful space, engaging neighbors, and thought-provoking conversation.

This opportunity is made possible by a grant from a generous donor; it holds no cost for the participants. It will also be hosted and guided by the staff at Center for Whole Communities, who will create a safe and inspiring place for all to participate.

Tags: Announcements by Rob Williams
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The compelling documentary, Garbage: The Revolution Starts At Home, will be shown for free on April 16th,  7 pm at the Barre Opera House. In addition, the Greenpeace’s Rolling Sunlight solar demonstration truck will be in Barre throughout the day on the 16th.

What if you had to live with every scrap of trash, pollution, and waste you created? Would you find uses for the garbage of your life, or be overwhelmed by it? Find out how one family lived with every scrap of garbage they created for three months, at a special FREE screening of “Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home,” presented by Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District, the Agency of Natural Resources, and Community for a Greater Barre. This powerful documentary skillfully and succinctly puts all the information in one place – from melting glaciers and oil slicks to our neighborhoods and into our homes – so anyone can connect the dots between our daily actions and the reactions that affect us and our planet.

The event will also feature a visit from the Greenpeace’s Rolling Sunlight solar demonstration truck. The Sunlight carries a bank of working solar panels that will power an educational activity for area school kids following an early matinee showing of the film and will store the extra power in batteries to power coffee makers and other appliances to serve refreshments for evening showing attendees.

The Sunlight will be touring Vermont all April as part of Greenpeace’s local work to support the development of renewable energy in Vermont, and the on-time closure of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant in 2012.

Tags: Announcements, Energy, Transportation by Joshua Schwartz
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Ever thought about what happens when wood chips and other plant-based “waste” products become high value resources?  Will the growing demand for renewable power compete for those resources against the increasing use of composting to achieve healthier farming?  And what does it all mean for climate change?

If these questions interest you, consider attending the Vermont Organics Recycling Summit on March 31st at Vermont Technical College.  See additional info below.

Third Annual Vermont Organics Recycling Summit
From Waste to Resource: The Future of Organics

Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Vermont Technical College, Judd Gym
Randolph Center, Vermont

Keynote: Bob Spencer, AICP
Environmental and compost site planning consultant, contributing editor to BioCycle Magazine.

Organic residuals are rapidly emerging as valuable resources to meet many community needs. At VORS 09 we will look at the existing uses of organic residuals, competing markets for these materials, and current and emerging technologies.

Visit www.compostingvermont.org for details and to register. Contact: Vicky.viens@state.vt.us or 802-241-3448

This event is a project of the Composting Association of Vermont (CAV) and the ANR Department of Environmental Conservation.

Tags: Agriculture, Announcements by Joshua Schwartz
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Free Worm Composting Workshop
Presented by Melissa Jordan, president of the Wormpost Northeast

Are you concerned about solid wastes and recycling? Join Melissa Jordan, president of the Wormpost Northeast to find out how to use worms to turn food scraps and other waste into compost.

Known as vermiculture, all it takes is a small bin, a of bit “bed” starter such as leaves shredded newspaper, died grass, hay or other organic materials and about a pound wrigglers. The yield of worm castings to volume of organic matter put in will vary from about 1:4 to 1:10. A household of two could easily process their veggies through a small worm bin, with the end result of keeping that waste out of your garbage. Another benefit is the nutrient rich, pH balanced compost produced that can then be used in your garden.

“This is an amazing interdisciplinary activity as well as a great home business,” said Jordan. “You can teach and learn so many different disciplines – math, shop, science. It can be so many different things to so many people.”

The workshop will feature a functioning worm bin as well as information and a demonstration of how you can make worm composting work for your family and the environment.

The free workshop will be held March 18, 2009 at the River Arts Building on Pleasant Street in Morrisville. We encourage Farmer’s Market visitors to stop by the workshop as well. Call Melissa Jordan at 802-888-4364 for directions and more information. For more information about the Farmers and Artisans Market, which is scheduled every Wednesday from 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., call Amy Walker at 802-888-3242 or visit http://riverartsvt.org/events/.

WHAT: Free worm composting (vermiculture) workshop
WHEN: March 18, 2009
WHERE: River Arts Building, Pleasant Street, Morrisville

Tags: Agriculture, Announcements by Joshua Schwartz
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One of the compelling visions often shared at Valley Futures Network gatherings is of a future in which our community largely feeds itself with food grown by our neighbors, on the rich farmland in our Valley.

Please join friends and neighbors this Wednesday, February 18 at the Big Picture Theatre and Cafe from 6-9 pm to take a leap towards this vision of our future.  A community potluck and fundraiser will kick off the final phase of the Vermont Land Trust’s campaign to conserve the Kingsbury Farm in Warren and the Bruce Farm on Route 100B in Moretown.

The conservation of these farms will lead to their revival as food-producing farms. The Kingsbury Farm will pass into the hands of the Vermont Foodbank and the Bruce farm will be affordable to an energetic couple eager to grow fresh vegetables and offer eggs and meat, particularly to those at the northern end of our Valley.

We have less than two months to raise the money needed to leverage over $278,000 in State and Federal Funds.   Visit http://www.vlt.org/MRVcampaign.html to learn more about the Mad River Valley Two Farm Campaign.  Spread the word and help make our future happen!

Contact Liza Walker at 496-3690 or Liza@vlt.org with questions.

Tags: Agriculture, Announcements by Liza Walker
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