Earth Care News
September 2019
In this newsletter:
Registration for VTIPL’s Annual Conference Now Open!
Congregational Sponsors of VTIPL’s Conference
VTIPL’s Coordinator Retiring at End of Year
Celebrate Sacred Waters at Shelburne Bay Park Sept. 7
Vision for Vermont Summit: Sept. 14, Bread Loaf Campus, Ripton
Two Vermont Events during National Drive Electric Week on Sept. 14
Join the Climate Strike and Climate Week Sept. 20 – 28!
RGGI Equity Report – To Be Released Sept. 5
Registration for VTIPL’s Annual Conference Now Open!
VTIPL’s conference, Envisioning and Acting for the World We Want, will be on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Middlebury Congregational Church from 9:30 – 3:30, and participants will begin checking in at 9:00 am. The link to the Fall Conference page on our website where you can register is here. Scroll down on this page to find the link for printing out a registration form or to register and pay online. In coming weeks, bios of the Keynote Speakers will be added to this page as well as information about the five workshops, the workshop leaders, the conference sponsors and other details. Questions? Contact VTIPL to learn more. Don’t miss this conference — Register Now!
Congregational Sponsors of VTIPL’s Conference
Congregations are encouraged to sponsor VTIPL’s Fall Conference. For a sponsorship of $50 or more, the congregation’s name will be listed on our website and in the conference program. The Congregational Sponsorship form is on the Fall Conference page on VTIPL’s website. You can print out this form and mail it in. Many thanks to our congregational sponsors – we are grateful!
VTIPL’s Coordinator Retiring at End of Year
VTIPL’s Coordinator, Betsy Hardy, has been involved with the organization from the start, since it was first getting organized in 2002. She served as a member of the Board of Directors for several years, then became VTIPL’s staff person in March 2006. She has enjoyed the work very much, but is now ready to retire. Betsy plans to stay involved, however, likely going back to being a member of the board. The VTIPL Board has been informed of the Coordinator’s decision to retire and is planning for a good transition. Information on the search for a new Coordinator will be on the website and in an upcoming newsletter.
Celebrate Sacred Waters at Shelburne Bay Park September 7
Paddle a canoe up the river or hike trails in Shelburne Bay Park (1467 Bay Rd., Shelburne) at the Sacred Waters event this Saturday, September 7. Participants will check in at 9:00 am. The event will be from 9:15 am – 12:30 pm. Bring a picnic and camp chair(s) if you’d like to join with others for lunch following the event closing. The canoes and gear will be provided by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (please don’t bring a boat), and both the canoeing group and hiking group will be led by expert guides. Participants age 5 and up are welcome. Event sponsors include VTIPL; Ascension Lutheran Church; ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain; Lake Champlain Maritime Museum; VT Clean Water Network; Lake Champlain Sea Grant; All Souls Interfaith Gathering; and New England Grassroots Environment Fund. For information and registration, click here. Contact for more info: Barry Lampke. Space is limited to 50 – register now!
Vision for Vermont Summit: Sept. 14, Bread Loaf Campus, Ripton
All are welcome to the second annual Vision for Vermont Summit (don’t need to have attended last year). This year’s theme is “Raising Up Voices for a Vermont That Works for All.” People from across the state will gather at Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf Campus (4229 VT 125, Ripton) to help create a common vision for “a Vermont that works for all.” A panel of Vermonters whose voices and perspectives are not always heard will speak to the group. The panel will include: Melody Brook, an Elnu Abenaki Tribe member and educator, activist, and artist; Jon Turner, U.S. Marine, Iraq War veteran, and farmer; Lisa Ryan, Program Manager of the Rutland County Community Justice Center; and Brenda Churchill, Liaison to the State House for the LGBTQIA Alliance of VT. The registration fee is on a sliding scale from $5 to $15, payable at the door, and includes lunch. Register now!
Two Vermont Events during National Drive Electric Week on Sept. 14
Two Vermont drive electric events will be happening on Saturday, Sept. 14:
in Montpelier at the State House lawn from 11 am – 2 pm; and in White River Junction at Dothan Brook School from 11 am – 3 pm. To learn more and RSVP for the Montpelier event, click here. And for the White River Junction event, get info and RSVP here. Learn about electric vehicles (EVs), test drive them, and talk with EV owners. More information and incentives are on the VPIRG website.
Join the Climate Strike and Climate Week Sept. 20 – 28!
As part of the global Climate Strike on Sept. 20, and Climate Week which continues through September 28, a number of actions are happening in Vermont and neighboring areas. The VT Sept. 20 Climate Strikes are in:
Bennington – Depot St. Park (150 Depot St.), 1 pm
Brattleboro – Pliny Park (193 Main St.), 11:30 am
Burlington – City Hall (149 Church St.), Noon
Chester – Chester Town Green (168 – 208 VT 11), Noon
Manchester* – Factory Point Town Green (Rt. 11/30 Depot St.), 11 am
Putney – Landmark College (9 River Rd. South), 4:30 pm
Rutland – 67 Merchants Row, 10 am
Vergennes – Vergennes Union High School (50 Monkton Rd.), 9 am
*In Manchester, Earth Matters is planning a march along Depot Street and a rally around the roundabout in the center of Manchester, starting at Factory Point Town Green on Rt. 11/30 at 11 am and finishing at Northshire Bookstore. Bring signs!
Congregations are encouraged to join with other Vermont congregations statewide in ringing their bells on Sept. 20 at Noon for at least 60 seconds to signal the danger of the climate emergency, and to support Climate Strikers, and the poor and vulnerable who are most impacted by the climate crisis.
Other actions will be happening in Vermont throughout Climate Week, culminating on Sept. 28 with civil disobedience against the coal power plant in Bow, New Hampshire. More information is here. Contact 350vt to learn more.
The global climate strike is inspired by Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish student who began her climate strikes in August 2018. She is in the U.S. now (after traveling by sailboat across the Atlantic), having been invited to speak at the United Nations Summit on Climate Change on September 23. The climate strikes are student-led, and the youth are calling on everyone to join them and keep pushing for strong action on climate!
RGGI Equity Report – To Be Released Sept. 5
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) report, “Field Notes: Equity and State Climate Policy”, will be released this Thursday, Sept. 5 and, when released, will be here. The Report is an independent assessment of efforts and opportunities to address equity issues in state climate policies. An online briefing will be held from 9:00 – 9:45 am on Sept. 5 – access it here. or you can join the briefing using the dial-in number: 415-429-8457. To get a one-pager about the report, click here. Contact for more information: Laurie Burt.
VTIPL helps people of faith and spirit better understand the climate crisis and take action to care for Earth.
Vermont Interfaith Power and Light
P.O. Box 209, Richmond, VT 05477
info@vtipl.org 802-434-3397 www.vtipl.org
