Check out the latest info from these great organizations!
Second Nature (good watch):
Sustainability Sit-Downs #8 is out. This week’s video features Richard Cook, President Emeritus of Allegheny College and Second Nature Board Chair, discussing trans-disciplinary sustainability education and our effects as humans on the environment. Sustainability Sit-Downs is a new Second Nature video series consisting of 12 short interviews with sustainability leaders in higher education and partner organizations. A new video will be released every Wednesday.
Watch the video: https://buff.ly/1C4R1n0Sustainability Sit-Downs #9 is out. This week’s video features Wim Wiewel, President of Portland State University, discussing town and gown partnerships and higher education’s sustainability leadership role. Sustainability Sit-Downs is a new Second Nature video series consisting of 12 short interviews with sustainability leaders in higher education and partner organizations. A new video will be released every Wednesday.Watch the video: https://youtu.be/lcQMYoOBmhgCourtesy of Gabriela Boscio, Manager, Communications and Education, Second Nature
AASHE (good read, conferences, jobs)
City Market (good read, local events, workshops, food)
VCGN (good read, local events)
CSDW (good read, local events, food, recycling)
NAAEE (jobs, education)
VT Interfaith (good read, local events, take action)
GREEN MOUNTAINS, BLUE WATER:Earth Care News fromVermont Interfaith Power and Light (VTIPL)March 2015In this newsletter:Carbon Pollution Tax Bill in CommitteeDivesting from Fossil Fuels: Events & InformationUrge EPA to Take Strong Action on OzoneVermontivate! The Game Begins March 23!Film Showing: Wisdom to Survive, Mar. 28, MontpelierMiddlebury Sustainable Living ExpoWaterbury LEAP Energy FairCitizen’s Climate Lobby: Conference in D.C.A New Awakening- Prophetic Climate WitnessNorthwest Earth Institute: New DiscussionsThis Changes Everything: DocumentaryInterview with Dr. Katharine HayhoeMore ResourcesCARBON POLLUTION TAX BILL in COMMITTEETwo bills calling for a carbon pollution tax were introduced inthe House and have gone to the Committee on Energy andNatural Resources. Bill H. 412 has the support of 27 legislatorsfrom across the state. This overview gives the framework:To send an email to your legislator in support of this bill, go toDIVESTING from FOSSIL FUELS: Events & Information-Harvard Heat Week, April 12-18 (Apr. 18 if coming for oneday): a sit-in at Harvard urging the university to divest-Harvard’s high-profile alumni join fossil fuel divestmentcampaign in open letter: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/20/harvard-celebrity-alumni-fossil-fuel-divestment-campaign-open-letter-”10 Myths about fossil fuel divestment put to the sword”-And from Sojourners magazine: “Divesting from fossil fuels: We’re putting our money where our faith is”URGE EPA to TAKE STRONG ACTION on OZONEThe deadline is March 17 to send a letter to the EPA urgingstrong action to protect people’s health and strengthen ozoneregulation. Send a letter through national IPL’s link:VERMONTIVATE! The Game Begins March 23!Join in and encourage your family, friends, and co-workers toplay too. This sustainability game is fun and educational!Go to: https://vermontivate.comFILM SHOWING: Wisdom to Survive, Mar. 28, MontpelierThe film, “Wisdom to Survive: Climate Change, Capitalism,and Community,” will be shown at the Green Mountain FilmFestival at the Pavilion Auditorium, State Street, Montpelier,on Saturday, Mar. 28 at 3:30 pm. A panel discussion followsthe film with the co-producer, Anne Macksoud, and others.Find out more about the film and watch the trailer here: https://thewisdomtosurvive.bullfrogcommunities.com/Contact VTIPL to host a showing in your community.MIDDLEBURY SUSTAINABLE LIVING EXPOApril 11, 9 am – 4 pm, Middlebury Union H.S.More info at: https://acornvt.org/sle2015/WATERBURY LEAP ENERGY FAIRApril 11, 9 am – 3 pm, Crossett Brook M. S., DuxburyMore info at: https://www.waterburyleap.org/events.phpCITIZEN’S CLIMATE LOBBY: Conference in D.C.This conference will be from June 21 – 23. Faith leaders areencouraged to attend; their registration fee is waived.For more information, contact Madeleine Para: faith@citizensclimatelobby.orgA NEW AWAKENING – Prophetic Climate WitnessThis “Season of Prophetic Climate Witness through Preaching,Prayer, and Practice” will run from Oct. 4, 2015 – Feb. 7, 2016.Faith leaders are encouraged to preach about climate changeduring this time. Find out more and register here: www.climatewitness.orgNORTHWEST EARTH INSTITUTE: New DiscussionsNWEI has developed two new 6-session discussion series:“Reconnecting with Earth” and “Seeing Systems: Peace, Justiceand Sustainability.” Catamount Earth Institute, a Vermontorganization, partners with NWEI and offers the books at adiscount or will loan them. Contact Barbara Duncan: catamount@valley.netInformation on the courses is here: https://www.nwei.org/discussion-course-books/reconnecting-with-earth/THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING: DocumentaryHere is a sneak peek at the work-in-progress companion docu-mentary to the documentary “This Changes Everything”directed by Avi Lewis. Watch the 9-minute video:https://www.theguardian.com/business/video/2015/mar/06/this-changes-everything-naomi-klein-oil-videoINTERVIEW with DR. KATHARINE HAYHOEDr. Hayhoe is a climate scientist at Texas Tech. She was namedone of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2014. Climatechange communication is the topic in this excellent interview.MORE RESOURCES“Most People See Combating Climate Change as aMoral Duty” – article about the results of a Reuters’ poll:“Crude Awakening: How the Keystone XL Veto DashesCanada’s ‘Superpower’ Dreams”“Solar power set to become cheapest source of energy overthe next decade, German think tank says”This article comes from “The World Today,” an Australiannews service:Please donate to VTIPL to help us match our challenge grant!VTIPL educates people of faith and spirit about the climatecrisis and actions to care for Earth.Vermont Interfaith Power and LightP.O. Box 209, Richmond, VT 05477
Peace and Justice Center (good read, conferences, local events, equity):
$2.00 tickets for
The Nile Project
Pick up a voucher at PJC and redeem it at the Flynn for a $2 ticket. For current PJC members and volunteers.
To become a member of for more information on membership, click here.
The Flynn Center Presents The Nile Project
Sat, March 28, 8pm
Inspired by Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project, The Nile Project brings together artists from 11 countries to raise awareness about cultural and environmental challenges facing the Nile River. The group’s sound is created by a stunning variety of instruments from Nile-basin countries, including the masenko (Ethiopia), the ney and oud (Egypt), and the adungu (Uganda), in addition to violin, saxophone, bass guitar, and six vocalists singing in 11 languages. The Nile Project’s 2013 recording Aswan was called a “Must-Hear International Album” by NPR.
Find more info here.
Monday–Friday: 10am-6pm
Store HoursMonday–Thursday: 10am-6pmFriday–Saturday: 10am-7pmSunday: 11-4pm
Hours are subject to change. Call 802-863-2345 x2 to confirm.
Location60 Lake Street, 1CBurlington Waterfront.(Next to The Skinny Pancake)
If you would like an event listed, please emailcalendar@pjcvt.org
Please join us at Burlington City Council’s meeting on Monday, March 23 at 7:00 in City Hall to support a resolution in favor of a civilian police department. We need people in the audience showing support with signs and speaking during public forum. The resolution will be posted online starting Thursday, March 19 here.
Let Cops be Cops, J.M. Turner
When I think of Vermont, the first thought that comes to mind are the winding rivers beneath the mountains alongside Route 100 between Killington and Warren, where at any given time, a song bird or raptor can be seen perched on an overhanging limb and lift itself gently beyond the tree line and into the thick forest. I think of the eclectic groups of people who gather throughout the year to celebrate a day just to celebrate, and am reminded of the saying, “In Vermont, we have a festival for that.”This is of course the appeal that brought me to live in this state some eight years ago after having served three deployments in the Marines between 2003 and 2007, two of which in Iraq as an infantryman.
The Conference will explore the challenges and possibilities that are faced in the workplace today. We will also seek to explore the leadership roles that are exercised as we try to empower ourselves and our communities of color. The speakers will include public intellectuals and scholars who are able to address diversity and inclusion.
Hilton Hotel, 60 Battery St., Burlington, VT.
More info: 657-4219. Register here.
Become Educated, Make a Quilt, and Take Action on Drones
By Kenny Nguyen, PJC Intern
The Cost of War: Focus on Drones campaign aims to bring action to as many Vermont towns and cities as we can on Town Meeting Day, 2016. The first step is to build awareness. Therefore, we have created two educational presentations: Drones 101 and a Drone Pilot Presentation.Drones 101 informs people on the uses of drones, a history of U.S. drone usage, and the consequences internationally and domestically. This presentation sheds light on the reality of drone weaponry and its effects on innocent civilian lives abroad. It’s a presentation filled with hard-hitting facts that can be overwhelming and is always followed with a discussion to process the information and discuss action steps.The Experience of Drone Pilots delves deeper into the psychological consequences on drone pilots. This presentation highlights the grave psychological and unique effects on these men and women who sit in front of a screen watching people 1000s of miles away turn from red to blue.The presentations are free. We would love to bring one to your town or city. Please email Kyle Silliman-Smith or call her at 802-863-2345 x6 to learn more or to schedule a presentation.Our next event is a “Drone Block Party” on March 25th at 6pm at the Peace & Justice Center. When the U.S attacks other countries with drones, they label innocent victims as “collateral damage,” dehumanizing the innocent. Moreover, only 20% of these victims are named, and the others are lost in the rubble without receiving any sort of justice. Join the PJC to make blocks for the Vermont Drone Quilt, which seeks to commemorate the victims of drone strikes in Pakistan. This quilt will tour nationally in order to show that Vermonters are standing in solidarity with innocent victims of drone strikes. The PJC will provide basic crafting supplies, but feel free to bring anything that you feel may help your artwork, such as fabric, paint, or feathers. Our Cost of War: Focus on Drones Intern, Kenny Nguyen, will give a Drones 101 presentation, followed by a Drone Block Making session. This event is free and open to the public. It’s a great way to get informed on drone usage, while also standing in solidarity with the innocent victims of drone strikes in Pakistan. We are honored to be a part of the Vermont Drone Quilt and would love for Vermonters to join us in showing our solidarity as a community.
If you can’t come to the “Block Party,” please consider folloing the directions below so your square can be added to the quilt:
Audition for Most Dangerous Women
Most Dangerous Women, a Readers’ Theater with music by Nikki Nojima Louis and Jan Maher celebrating a century of Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) and women Nobel Peace Prize winners such as Jane Addams, Jeannette M. Rankin, Coretta Scott King, and Wangari Maathai. Some were imprisoned, beaten, or had their lives threatened for their activism. They educate and inspire us.
Vermont’s own Jody Williams, whose Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech is excerpted in the play, notes, “If we want a more peaceful world, we have to teach people that such a world is possible and that it is both their right and their responsibility to take action to make it happen. Most Dangerous Women contributes to those efforts.”
Author Maher notes, “Women have a unique perspective on war. Though not all women have children, it can be guaranteed that all soldiers have mothers. And mothers, generally speaking, want to see their children survive. Indeed, if it wasn’t an overriding urge of mothers to see their children survive, the species would die out – as would any. It’s really a law of nature.”
Performed in dozens of states, Most Dangerous Women is now in its 25th year, making its Vermont debut on May 9 & 10. Tickets: $5 at the Peace & Justice Store or online at Brown Paper Tickets.
Audition for Most Dangerous Women 3/21 & 3/22, 2 to 6pm at PJC.
More Upcoming Events
March 21, Saturday
- 10am-12pm Will Miller Green Mountain Chapter of Vets for Peace
meets monthly in Montpelier’s Kellogg-Hubbard Library.- 11:30-12:30pm Vermont Compassion Centers: learn about the VT law allowing for legal medical marijuana access. On line and we meet regularly on the first and third Saturday at the PJC. Note – these classes are not sponsored by or authorized in any way by the Vermont Marijuana Registry or the state of Vermont or any governmental agency of any sort. The presenters are solely responsible for the information presented. FREE.
March 21 and 22, Saturday and Sunday
- 2-6pm Auditions for Most Dangerous Women, a Readers’ Theater with music by Nikki Nojima Louis and Jan Maher celebrating a century of Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) and women Nobel Peace Prize winners. At PJC. [More information above]
March 22, Sunday
- 10-11am Book Discussion: I Am Troy Davis, coauthored by Jen Marlowe and Davis’s sister Martina Davis-Correia, tells the intimate story of an ordinary man caught up in an inexorable tragedy. From his childhood in racially charged Savannah; to the confused events that led to the 1989 murder of a police officer; to Davis’s sudden arrest, conviction, and two-decade fight to prove his innocence; I Am Troy Davis takes us inside a broken legal system where life and death hang in the balance. It is also an inspiring testament to the unbreakable bond of family, to the resilience of love. Discussion led by Suzi Wizowaty, director of Vermonters for Criminal Justice. All are welcome.
March 23 & April 6, Monday
- 6:30-8:30pm Save Open Space Burlington meeting at PJC. Community group working to protect the land around Burlington College and beyond. Meets the first and third Monday of the month. For more information email.
March 25, Wednesday
- 6PM “Drone Block Party” at PJC. Join us making fabric blocks for the Vermont Drone Quilt, which seeks to commemorate the victims of drone strikes in Pakistan. [More information above.]
- 7-8:30pm Story Sharing Session at Turning Point Center, Bank St, Burlington. Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform is gathering stories – from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people and their families and friends. We need you to tell us how the criminal justice system has touched your life. We want to put a face on Vermonters impacted by this broken system. Seeing and hearing the stories of real people who have had the misfortune of encountering a system that is all too often arbitrary, racist, brutal, and dehumanizing is the best way to raise awareness and bring about change. More information here.
March 28, Saturday
- 2-3pm PJC Volunteer Orientation at PJC. New Volunteer Orientations every second Thursday at 11:00am and every fourthSaturday at 3:00pm. Potential volunteers will learn about the history and mission of the PJC as well as the roles volunteers play to sustain our retail store and support our larger goals. For more information, pleaseemail Kristen or call her at 863-2345 ext. 9.
April 2, Thursday
- 2-4:00pm Ice Cream Stampede Party with and the Amend-O-Matic Stamp Mobile at UVM’s Davis Center. The Stamp Stampede founded by Ben Cohen, of Ben and Jerry’s, aims to amend the constitution stating that corporations are not the people and money is not free speech. Free ice cream if you bring cash and stamp your money! Emailfor more information.
April 12 and 14, Sunday and Tuesday
- New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander, book discussion. Sunday 3-5pm and Tuesday 6-8pm. Email Andi for more information and to register. Registration and a copy of the book is free for current members and volunteers and $25 for non-members. Pre-registration is required. 25 person limit. Preference will be given to current members.
