Vermont Research News – March 21, 2018

courtesy of vermont research news

Vermont Research News: March 21, 2018

Vermont Research News:
Good Sleepers, Civil Unions, New Books and more…
March 21, 2018

GOOD SLEEPERS

Vermonters are some of the best “sleepers” in the nation according to one recent study. Sleep experts recommend 7-9 hours of sleep a night — but on average American’s fall far short of that. Vermonters do better than average along with states in the midwest while residents in southeastern states do the worst.

MAPLE SYRUP &
CLIMATE CHANGE

Vermont is the leading producer of maple syrup in the U.S. But could this change with the impacts of climate change? A recent study looks at changes in sap flow and sugar formulation as trees adapt to a changing climate.

SMALL BUSINESS

Recent news that international mega-clothing retailer H & M plans to open in South Burlington’s University Mall shouldn’t distract from the fact that Vermont is overwhelmingly a small business state.  According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, some96 percent of Vermont’s businesses are classified as small.
MEXICO & VERMONT – LEADERS INMARRIAGE EQUALITY 
When it comes to marriage equality laws, Mexico leads the US, according to a recent article. The article indicates that states like Vermont – the first state to legalize civil unions – are on par with some states in Mexico.  Nationally, Mexico passed marriage equality laws before the U.S. and in 2002 and 2005, passed anti-discrimination laws, making it illegal to discriminate against sexual minorities; added an explicit protection for sexual minorities to its constitution; and created an anti-discrimination agency that launched a national anti-homophobia campaign. Read more about Dr. Beer’s work here. 
 
It was 18 years ago this month, that Vermont approved the nation’s first civil unions’ law. David Moates Civil Wars is a brilliant recounting of the intense debate at the time.  The characters and twists and turns makes a compelling story. Moates, of course, was also the editorial writer at the  Rutland Herald and won a Pulitzer Prize for his series of editorials on the civil union debate.

LUNG CANCER IN VERMONT

For every 10,000 residents in Vermont, there are 66.7 incidents of lung cancer, as compared to the national average at 63.0. Vermont is one of 20 states that do not track cases after diagnosis which makes it harder to identify where progress is happening and where more efforts are needed to save lives. The state has been ranked 9th for having the most screening centers per million people at (about 8) while the national average is 4.8.

In 2016, 1 in 14 of all women who gave birth had smoked cigarettes during their pregnancy. Vermont had the 4th highest rate of use – double the national average. West Virginia where every 1 in 4 mothers had smoked, led the study. Maternal tobacco use has been linked to various negative outcomes such as low birthweight, preterm birth and birth defects.

MOVIES IN VERMONT

Producing movies in Vermont can be significantly cheaper than in other states. The Land was filmed entirely in Vermont with the majority of the crew from in-state. The total production cost was under $33,000. Based on standard union rates, the film would have cost twice as much in NY or LA. Read more about the film industry in Vermont in The Bridge.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

In the recently published A Precautionary Tale,  author and Green Mountain College professor Philip Ackerman Leist recounts how Mals, a remote agricultural city in the Italian Alps, became the first place in the world to ban pesticides. Thanks to a diverse cast of characters, from farmers to doctors, the town voted to protect its organic crops from nearby “Big Apple” pesticide-intensive apple producers. Ackerman-Leist, who founded the college’s farm and sustainable agriculture curriculum, draws upon his own experience as a farmer in the Italian region and currently on his South Pawlet farm.
Classicist M.D. Usher discusses the connections between sustainability, the ancient Greeks and Romans, and farming.

ANIMAL DEATHS 

When spay-neuter surgeries don’t go as planned and veterinarians lose a patient on the table, they may have feelings of guilt, anxiety, and self-doubt. A study by Sara White of Spay ASAP, Inc surveyed 32 veterinarians in New Hampshire and Vermontto examine how they cope with client loss. White found that those who felt they could talk openly with colleagues and who were able to learn and improve protocols coped most effectively.

OLYMPIANS

The Cross-Country Ski Book by Vermonter and former Olympian John Caldwell is a how-to guide for cross country skiing–both for recreation and as a competitive sport. After Caldwell competed in the 1952 Olympics, he wrote the book which the Boston Globe calls “the bible of the sport” and has continued to update it through eight editions.
GREAT RADIO
Vermont is home to a number of excellent pod-casts and local radio shows. For example recent episodes on VPR’s Brave Little State include Is the Northeast Kingdom Really So Different?; What would it look like if  Vermont seceded?; and How has the geography of Vermont effected its character?
And a recent episode on Rumblestrip Vermont told the story of  a long-time Vermont farmer; Peter Dunning’s Hill Farm.  And over at the Waterbury-based WDEV – former Associated Press reporter Dave Gram hosts a new talk show from 9-11 most mornings featuring Vermont guests (96.1 FM & 550 AM).
Check out our new website!
The Vermont Research News is a bi-monthly curated collection of Vermont research –
focused on research in the Vermont “laboratory” – research that provides original knowledge to the world and research that adds to understanding of the state’s
social, economic, cultural and physical environment.  (Thanks this week to contributors Nadia Hucko, Carson Armstrong and Madi Clark).

Send your news items to Editor Richard Watts
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