Check out these awesome newsletters and bulletins courtesy of green organizations both local and national! There’s tons of great information, including local events and even some job opportunities!
Vermont Community Garden Network:
Vermont Community Garden Network
September 2014 Newsletter“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature.
To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.”
– Alfred AustinSeptember is an exciting month for gardeners all over the state as we celebrate the summer growing season and enjoy the delicious harvests. Join VCGN’s Garden Harvest Party at the end of this month or host an event at your garden to share the bounty! In this issue of our monthly newsletter we have updates from gardens around the state and tips for receiving feedback about your garden before the end of the season. We hope you enjoy the final weeks of summer and those beautiful crops!
Upcoming Events
EATxNE -Sept 19-21, Oakledge Park, Burlington
This FREE 3-day celebration of VT Food includes music, seminars, and kids events. Its also a fundraiser for local organizations – including VCGN! More info and ticketsVCGN Harvest Party – Sept. 28
Celebrate the end of the season with fellow gardeners and friends, Sunday, Sept 28, 3:00-6:00pm, at Winooski Valley Park District’s Ethan Allen Homestead. There will be free veggie burgers and Ben &Jerry’s ice cream, kids’ activities, bike smoothies, trail and garden tours, and more! All gardeners and friends welcome. Bring your favorite garden side dish to share or a suggested donation of $5. Event put on by Vermont Community Garden Network in partnership with Burlington Area Comm unity Gardens, Winooski Valley Park District, VNA Family Room, New Farms for New Americans, Grow Team O.N.E. and City Market. More InfoFall Grow it! Workshops
Join community and school garden leaders from your region for this unique training series. Learn strategies to support growth, boost your garden programs, share stories and ideas, and celebrate this growing movement.Fall Workshop Dates and Locations:
Burlington, Sept. 23 – Ethan Allen Homestead, Winooski Valley Park District: 1 Ethan Allen Homestead, Burlington, VT 05408
Pittsford, Sept 29 – Lothrop Elementary School: 3447 U.S. 7, Pittsford, VT 05763
Bellows Falls, Oct 2 – The Retreat House: Immanuel Episcopal Church: 20 Church St., Bellows Falls, 05101
North Bennington, Oct 8 – The Village School of North Bennington: 9 School St., North Bennington, VT 05257
*All locations take place from 4:00-7:00pm and include a light mealFor more information, contact us at (802) 961-4769 or email Libby at libby@vcgn.org. Click here to register.
The Toolshed: Tips for Garden Leaders
September is a great time to gather information from gardeners, volunteers, and others about their experiences before the cool weather starts to push garden thoughts out of focus. Here are a few tips to learn how your garden is doing and to help shape your plans for next year:
Celebrations: End-of-season potlucks or gatherings are a great way to bring people together and to share favorite memories, accomplishments, stories, and ideas for next year.
Surveys: Anonymous surveys invite open and honest feedback about the season.
Interactive Evaluations: Come up with your own fun and creative ways to get feedback from visitors along with those involved in your garden.
Plan for next year: Consider working assessment into your season’s plan in order to see how your garden is doing in the beginning, throughout, and again at the end of the season.
Whenever and however you’re collecting this valuable information, don’t forget to celebrate the season, your gardeners, and all of the great things you’ve accomplished this year!For the full “September Toolshed Tip” and more info,
click here.Garden Spotlights
Morgan Spring Community Garden – Bennington
This summer we spent several days visiting community and school gardens in Southern Vermont. After chatting with site leaders at the Morgan Springs Community Garden, we were impressed with their work to bring together community partners and passion to improve food security and food education. Read more about their story here.
New Discovery Garden – Burlington
The New Discovery Garden is located at the Winooski Valley Park District’s Ethan Allen Homestead and is one of 14 gardens managed by the city of Burlington’s Parks & Recreation Department. This garden, previously focused on children’s education, underwent a major renovation throughout this spring and early summer to increase the garden’s size and number of plots. New features include: a significantly larger fenced in area, inclusion of smaller half plots, a new compost system, plots specifically reserved for the food shelf, and even two cherry trees! Read more…
New Discovery Garden – Burlington
The New Discovery Garden is located at the Winooski Valley Park District’s Ethan Allen Homestead and is one of 14 gardens managed by the city of Burlington’s Parks & Recreation Department. This garden, previously focused on children’s education, underwent a major renovation throughout this spring and early summer to increase the garden’s size and number of plots. New features include: a significantly larger fenced in area, inclusion of smaller half plots, a new compost system, plots specifically reserved for the food shelf, and even two cherry trees! Read more…
Since 2001, the Vermont Community Garden Network (formerly known as Friends of Burlington Gardens) has worked with community and school groups to start, sustain and grow gardens, building strong local food systems and vibrant educational sites.The monthly VCGN Newsletter provides garden-based news, resources, and events to more than 2,000 gardens and garden leaders all over the state.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Send your garden news and events to info@vcgn.org. For even more current information and updates, connect to VCGN and other gardens on Facebook and Twitter.
We’d love to hear from you!
Jess Hyman, Executive Director
Libby Weiland, Program Manager
Ann Pearce, Volunteer Coordinator/Admin
Denise Quick, Community Teaching Garden Instructor
Dory Cooper, Communications Intern/Newsletter EditorThanks to the generosity of High Mowing Seeds, Clean Energy Collective, American Meadows, and Depot Home & Garden, VCGN distributed 10,722 packets of seeds to garden groups all over the state this year. Wow!
Here’s where the seeds went:
133 garden groups including:
– 84 schools
– 16 community gardens
– 12 childcare centers
– 11 workplaces
– 4 senior centers
– 4 food pantries
– 2 libraries145 garden leaders at Grow It! workshops
100+ low-income gardeners in Burlington
To donate seeds or funding to support the 2015 Seeds for Gardens program, please email jess@vcgn.org.
Lead Testing For Your community or Home Garden
Middlebury College’s Environmental Studies Program is conducting research on whether the soil of community and home gardens may be a potential pathway for lead exposure in Vermont. If you are interested in free soil testing, contact Diane Munroe at dmunroe@middlebury.edu or (802) 443-5925.
See the VCGN website for
Garden Grants
&
Garden Events
from around the state.Vermont Community Garden Network | 802-861-4769 | info@vcgn.org | https://www.vcgn.org
Chittenden Solid Waste District:
NewsFlash
September 2014Get tweets.
Follow @cswdvt.Green Mountain Compost now available by the bag at CSWD’s Burlington Drop-Off Center
We’re making it more convenient to complete the food loop in Burlington: When you drop off your food scraps (and recycling and trash) at CSWD’s Burlington Drop-Off Center, now you can pick up a bag of Green Mountain Compost’s Complete Compost to add to your lawn and garden.
You’re welcome to pop in and purchase some compost for your lawn and garden even if you’re not dropping anything off at the Drop-Off Center!
WHERE: Burlington Drop-Off Center, 339 Pine Street
WHEN: Wednesday 9:30-5, Thursday and Saturday 8am – 3:30pm.
Available there through October.
HOW MUCH: $6.99 (+tax) for a 20-quart bag.Complete Compost is made from a rich blend of leaves, wood chips, and local food scraps. We mature it for over a year to ensure your plants have everything they need to turn nutrients from the soil into a bumper crop.
Whether you’re prepping to plant a quarter acre of fall spinach, giving your lawn an end-of-summer green-up, or just want to show some TLC to your favorite potted house plant, we’ve got your soil covered.
Remember: You can always get your compost as well as topsoil and mulch from us right where we make it at Green Mountain Compost (1042 Redmond Rd., Williston; Monday – Saturday, 8am – 4pm) in bags, bag-your-own, or in bulk. We also have topsoil and mulch available in bulk!
The Rover is coming to your town!The Rover is the mobile household hazardous waste collection unit that hibernates during the winter at the Environmental Depot, CSWD’s year-round hazardous waste collection facility in South Burlington. While the Depot takes hazardous materials all year long, the Rover will stop once in each town, until mid-October.
The Rover accepts household hazardous wastes such as paints and stains, automotive fluids, hobby supplies, pesticides, fertilizers, household cleaners, and similar items with the words “Danger,” “Caution,” “Warning,” or “Poison” on the label. Rover services are free for households.
(NOTE: The Rover is available to Chittenden County households only.)The Rover Schedule:
September 13 Jericho Highway Garage 9:00 – 1:00
September 20 Richmond Drop-Off Center 8:00 – 3:30
September 27 Huntington Center Fire Station 9:00 – 1:00
October 4 Williston Drop-Off Center 8:00 – 3:30
October 11 St. George Town Center 9:00 – 1:00
October 18 Bolton Fire Station 9:00 – 1:00Need more info? Call our Hotline at 872-8111 or visit cswd.net.
Can’t make it to the Rover on any of these dates?
You now have two options:
1. If you are a Chittenden County household, bring it to the Environmental Depot any time of year–free of charge!
2. If you’re a resident of Vermont, and all you have to get rid of is architectural paint, (includes common paints, stains, coatings, etc. for use on stationary objects), you don’t have to wait for the Rover: Visit the PaintCare website to find a location near you that accepts paint year-round! Check first to see if your material is covered. PaintCare is a product stewardship program set up by paint manufacturers to provide plenty of convenient options for recycling architectural paint products.Environmental Depot
1011 Airport Parkway, South Burlington.
Wednesday-Friday 8-2; Saturday 8-3:30.
The fine print: The Environmental Depot is available only to Chittenden County residents (free) and businesses (some fees may apply).September is Hunger Action Month
VT Agency of Natural ResourcesWe talk a lot about composting as a great way to keep food scraps out of the landfill. But when it comes to figuring out what to do with extra food that can still be consumed by others, composting actually comes in third behind feeding our neighbors and feeding farm animals.
September is Hunger Action Month, a perfect time to crack into that concept.
One in four Vermonters experience food insecurity issues. Sit with that number for a moment. That’s 1 in 4 of your fellow Vermonters, according to a new study by the Vermont Foodbank and Feeding America.
About 18,700 people are served each week by programs supported through the Vermont Foodbank. That’s about 1.2 million visits over the course of a year.
What do all these numbers add up to? The need for us all to be more aware of how we choose to handle extra food. For example:
– If your caterer prepared more food than was handed out at your party or event, then that unserved food could potentially be donated to a food bank.
– Got more coming out of your garden than you have room for in your kitchen? Contact your local food bank and share your bounty with your neighbors.
– Is there a nearby farm whose animals could chow down on your food scraps? Here’s a chance to get to know your local farmers and see if what you have would work for their herds and flocks.
– Going shopping? Make it a habit to purchase an extra non-perishable item and drop it in the food-bank box at the grocery store. OK, that’s not extra food, but it’s a nice habit to cultivate!
– Want more ideas? Check out opportunities at the Vermont Foodbank. It could be that your most effective donation is your time.
– Want to do something easy? Start here:Food drive at the Milton Drop-Off Center
Usually, we ask you to make sure the cans, bottles, and boxes you bring into our Drop-Off Centers are clean and empty. We’re going to make an exception for two days in September, in honor of Hunger Action Month.
We’re partnering with the Milton Family Community Center (MFCC) to hold a food drive at CSWD’s Milton Drop-Off Center to help feed our neighbors. Right now, the shelves are looking pretty bare. You can help fill those shelves! Here’s the scoop:
WHAT: Food Drive
WHERE: CSWD’s Milton Drop-Off Center (36 Landfill Rd., off Rt. 2/7, across from the Apollo Diner)
WHEN: Three days! Friday & Saturday Sept. 19 & 20, 8am – 3:30pm; Monday, Sept. 22, 9:30am – 5pm
WHAT TO BRING: Nonperishable food: cans, boxes, and bottles of food and beverages that don’t need refrigeration, such as soup, beans, rice, pasta and sauce, tuna fish, peanut butter, canned fruit and vegetables. They’ll take pet food, too!
WHAT ABOUT A $$ DONATION: Yep! They’ll take that, too! Feel free to donate (cash or check made out to MFCC) when you check in at the Drop-Off Center booth, or give it to the Milton Family Community Center volunteer.Just wheel on in and you’ll see MFCC volunteers who will welcome your donation.
Can’t make it to the Drop-Off Center for the food drive? Visit MFCC’s website, or call 893-1457, for donation information. Thanks in advance for helping our neighbors!
Learn how to compost your own food scraps in your own backyard — FREE!Click here for a full list of dates & locations.
You’ve been thinking about it. You see your friends make it look so easy. You see others make it look so hard. It’s time to find out for yourself how to make compost happen right in your own backyard.
Join backyard compost guru Marge Keough as she hosts one of her popular compost workshops , where she’ll help you figure out the essentials:
What type of compost bin is best for you
Where to locate your bin
What to put into your bin (and what to avoid!)
How to manage your bin
Troubleshooting
Harvesting your compost
Alternatives to a backyard bin (pick up service, or drop-off composting)WHERE: Green Mountain Compost, 1042 Redmond Road, Williston
WHEN: 5pm – 6pm
Monday, Sept. 15
Tuesday, Sept. 16
Monday, Sept. 22
Tuesday, Sept. 23
… and more!
REGISTRATION REQUIRED: Click here to register — Sign up early! These classes fill up quickly!Discover the benefits of “closing the loop” with your own household food scraps in this interactive, hands-on demonstration of a healthy compost system.
Remembering recycling pioneer Milly ZantowWe’re all familiar with those little numbers on the bottoms of plastic bottles — but did you ever wonder how they came to be?
Back in the dark days before recycling really took hold, it took a lot of good ol’ determination and stubbornness to set up any kind of system for keeping valuable materials out of the landfill.
One of the earliest recycling pioneers was Wisconsinite Milly Zantow, who was inspired to start her own recycling program from scratch. She ended up becoming the go-to resource for others around the country, and was instrumental in getting the plastics industry to come up with a numbering system to enable recyclers to divert many types of plastics from the landfill.
Milly passed away this August at the age of 91.
It all started with a trip to Japan in 1978. She observed that the Japanese were recycling extensively and wondered how to set up a system in her home state. She asked a milk-bottling plant what they did with flawed milk jugs. Once she found out that they just melted them back down and started over, she knew she was onto something.
Flash forward about a decade. When she wanted to expand her program to include other plastics, she hit a wall: Manufacturers said there were too many types of plastics for large-scale recycling. She and other fledgling recyclers urged the Society of the Plastics Industry to come up with the numbering system that helped jumpstart the recycling of many different types of plastics.
Milly is truly an inspiration. Read the full story here and you’ll meet a woman who helped change the way we think about the resources we use, and who helped shape the industry that enables us to use those resources more wisely.
CSWD seeks Facilities & Equipment Maintenance SupervisorVermont’s leading public solid waste management organization is seeking a skilled maintenance supervisor to oversee maintenance and repair of all vehicles and equipment and supervision of 3+ employees. Computer skills necessary. You should be highly motivated and a technically-oriented individual who can work independently.
Class B CDL, 2 yrs exp. in operation of heavy equipment and roll-off truck, and one year minimum supervisory exp. Full time position. Compensation: $23.60/hr ($49,088 annually), excellent benefits. Job description available at www.cswd.net/about-cswd/job-openings.
Email cover letter and resume to Amy Jewell at ajewell@cswd.net by September 24.
Set your unused bike or sewing machine free!Got a bike or a sewing machine languishing away at home? If you haven’t used them in the past couple of years, set them free! Bring them to the annual Pedals for Progress collection. For some people, a sewing machine or a bicycle could be a life-changing gift.
WHEN: Saturday, September 27th, 9am – 1pm
WHERE: Champlain Valley Fairgrounds, Route 15, Essex Junction
DONATION: It costs upwards of $40 per bike to repair them and get them into the hands of those who need them in developing countries. A tax-deductible $10 donation with each bike or sewing machine will help defray the cost of shipping.Where do bikes go and how are they used? A few examples:
– Transportation to school for students who might otherwise face a 5 -10 mile walk at the beginning and end of the school day. Students with bikes are far more likely to continue their education past the primary grades.
– Bikes provide a more efficient way for subsistence farmers, craftspeople, and vendors to get their products to markets, or ferry people around in pedicabs.
– Bikes allow health care workers to spend more time with patients and less time walking from village to village, and they help rangers to patrol the coastal areas where endangered sea turtles nest, to prevent poaching.Where do sewing machines go and how are they used? A few examples:
– In Moldova, which has the highest rate of young women victimized by human trafficking in Eastern Europe, sewing machines are part of a project to provide young women with the skills to earn a living locally.
– In Kyrgyzstan, sewing machines were used to create a cooperative where unemployed women can learn to sew. The co-op produces and sells household linens in the community.
– In Honduras, secondary school students are required to buy a uniform. This cost prevents some students from continuing their education. Local sewing groups make uniforms at a fraction of the cost, allowing more students to attend school and providing the women with a marketable skill.For more information, contact Joanne Heidkamp, Pedals for Progress Volunteer, 802-238-5414. Make checks to Pedals for Progress.
Good news for reusing old shoesFall is tip-toeing towards us. It’s a good time to clean out the closets and evaluate what stays and what goes. Here’s a way for your old shoes to keep doing someone some good when you’re through with them: Donate them to the South Burlington Rebel Booster Fundraiser! Your old shoes could help raise money for the South Burlington Athletics and club sports and provide affordable shoes for those in need. Here’s the scoop:
Acceptable shoes: Gently used, still-wearable pairs of men’s, women’s and children’s athletic shoes, sneakers, dress shoes, work boots, sandals, heels, and flats.
NOT acceptable shoes: NO singles, heavy winter boots, skates, blades, flip-flops, or slippers. NO holes in the soles and no wet or mildewed pairs.
How to donate: Drop your gently used shoes during school hours in bins located at these schools:
South Burlington High School (550 Dorset St., So. Burlington, Mon-Fri 8:30am – 3:30pm)
Fredrick H. Tuttle Middle School (500 Dorset St., So. Burlington, Mon-Fri 7:30am – 5:30pm)
Rick Marcotte Central School (10 Market St., So. Burlington, Mon-Fri 8am – 3pm)Collections will also be accepted at the South Burlington High School Ski Swap on September 26 & 27th, 9am – 4pm, and at home football games, at the concession stand.
The South Burlington Boosters are partnering with Shoebox Recycling to keep shoes out of the landfill and in use for as long as possible.
CSWD Calendar
Visit our website for the full CSWD calendarSept-Oct: Check the Rover story above for dates when the CSWD hazardous waste mobile collection unit visits a town near you!
Compost workshops: 5pm – 6pm at Green Mountain Compost (see story above)
Monday, Sept. 15
Tuesday, Sept. 16
Monday, Sept. 22
Tuesday, Sept. 23
VT Interfaith Power and Light
GREEN MOUNTAINS, BLUE WATER:
Earth Care News from
Vermont Interfaith Power and Light (VTIPL)
September 2014
In this newsletter:
VTIPL Conference on 9/27: Register Now!
People’s Climate March – NYC
Not Going, But Not Silent
Faithful Call to Address Climate Change
Season of Creation: September 1 – October 4
Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change
Heat Pumps: Another Tool in the Energy Efficiency Kit
VTIPL CONFERENCE on 9/27: REGISTER NOW!
VTIPL’s conference, “Renewing Our Energy: People of Faith
and Spirit Empowered to Act,” is on Sat., Sept. 27 at Grace
Congregational Church in Rutland. Register online or print
the form at the website and mail it. Please register by 9/19.
The Rev. Dr. Jim Antal will be the Keynote Speaker and will
also lead a workshop on divesting. Rev. Antal is Conference
Minister and President of the Massachusetts Conference of
the United Church of Christ, and is a climate activist. The
other workshops will be about paths to net zero energy, theo-
logical foundations for creation care, and from People’s Climate
March to local action. Music by the Spoon Mountain Singers,
book tables, lunch, and displays by conference sponsors round
it out. Register now! Go to: www.vtipl.org/node/277
For those who plan to attend People’s Climate March, VTIPL’s
conference will be a great place to network and plan further
activities in your congregations and communities to keep the
momentum going!
PEOPLE’S CLIMATE MARCH – NYC
Next Sunday, September 21, the largest climate march the
world has yet seen will be happening in New York City. The
Vermonters going will fill 16 buses and many cars. In NYC,
the “Faith Contingent” will gather on 58th Street between 8th and
9th Avenues. Enter from 9th Ave. since the 8th Ave. end will be
closed. A prayer service will be held in this block, beginning
at 11 am. Religious leaders from many faiths will participate.
So that all can hear, a stage and sound system will be provided,
and there will be music. Look for VTIPL; we’ll have a banner
and we’d love to have you join us! The link below for the faith
page on the People’s Climate website has much information
about the Faith Contingent – e.g. when we’re expected to begin
marching (later than the 11:30 start of the march) and much
more. Go to: https://peoplesclimate.org/faith/
If you want to take part in a Vermont event on 9/21, consider
joining the march in Strafford – from the upper village to the
UU Church in South Strafford. Outside the church, people will
make short stump speeches (literally) along with other activities.
For details, contact Fred Wolfe at 4kibwolfe@gmail.com or
call 802-765-4295. If you haven’t done so yet, please REPLY to
this message to let VTIPL know if you and/or members of your
congregation will attend People’s Climate March in NYC or will
support it in other ways. If you’re looking for transportation to
NYC, try here: https://world.350.org/vermont/
NOT GOING, BUT NOT SILENT
In his “Eco-Justice Notes”, Peter Sawtell explains that he’s not
going to the March in NYC, but is doing a lot to support it
including helping to organize a “Whistle Stop Rally” for the
People’s Climate Train, writing letters to the President and
other leaders expressing support for the Marchers, and more.
He offers a variety of ideas on ways to support the March.
Read it here: https://www.eco-justice.org/E-140822.asp
FAITHFUL CALL to ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE
This petition says that “countries must commit to an ambitious,
equitable and binding global framework to address climate
change” and calls on President Obama and Members of
Congress to agree to such a treaty, and in this way, to help
safeguard the poor and vulnerable and all of God’s creation..
Click here to read it and sign the petition: https://www.faithclimatepetition.org/
SEASON OF CREATION: SEPTEMBER 1 – OCTOBER 5
In 1989, then Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I
proclaimed Sept. 1 to be a Day of Prayer for the Environment,
and on Oct. 4, St. Francis of Assisi is commemorated. Thus,
the Season of Creation runs from Sept. 1 – Oct. 4. A number
of resources are available to celebrate the season:
and from the World Council of Churches:
ROOTS OF INJUSTICE, SEEDS OF CHANGE: Right
Relationship with America’s Native Peoples
All are welcome to this workshop on Sun., Oct. 19, 1:30 – 3:30
at Burlington Friends Meeting, 179 N. Prospect St., Burlington.
The leader, Paula Palmer, is a sociologist, writer, and an activist
for human rights, social justice, and environmental protection.
She is director of Toward Right Relationship, a project of the
Indigenous Peoples Concern Committee of the Boulder Friends
(Quakers) Meeting. Paula created the “Roots of Injustice”
workshop for adults and has another program for middle and
high school students. She has worked abroad for decades and
has helped indigenous peoples defend their rights and prevent
environmental destruction. Paula has received awards for her
work. Please RSVP by Oct. 12 to: ruahswennerfelt@gmail.com
Suggested donation: $10.
HEAT PUMPS: Another Tool in the Energy Efficiency Kit
This article in VTDigger, about using heat pumps to heat our
homes, tells about steps VTIPL’s Coordinator, Betsy Hardy, has
taken to save energy in her home. It gives good information
on opportunities Vermonters now have to use heat pumps.
VTIPL educates people of faith and spirit about the climate
crisis and actions to care for Earth.
Donations gratefully received!
Vermont Interfaith Power and Light
P.O. Box 209, Richmond, VT 05477
info@vtipl.org 802-434-3397 www.vtipl.org