Vermont Research News: Sex education, land conservation, new books and more…

Vermont Research News: Sex education, land conservation, new books
and more…

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Sex Education

Vermont is one of only eight states in the U.S. that requires sex education to mention “consent.” In fact, only 24 states and Washington, D.C. mandate sex education at all. A study conducted by the Center for American Progress found that while Vermont may be providing more interrelational guidance, the majority of public schools in the nation are not teaching students to identify healthy and unhealthy relationships.
Gender Gap Wages

Vermont has the smallest gender income gap in the nation, according to a new study by WalletHub that examined factors of gender equality in each U.S. state.  The study examined workplace environment, education and health, and political empowerment in order to create a ranking system.
Decriminalizing Cannabis Does Not Lead To Increased Use

Decriminalizing marijuana does not lead to increased use by young people, says a study by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine. The study examined the association between cannabis decriminalization and both arrests and youth cannabis use in five states that passed decriminalization measures between 2008 and 2014–Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maryland. The study also found a drop in marijuana-related arrests.
Childcare Worker Shortages

A shortage of early childhood educators in the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire is keeping childcare costs high and wait lists long. A study by researchers at the Carsey School of Public Policy at UNHestimated the Upper Valley needs many more licensed early childhood educators to accommodate all the families that need the care in order to work.
Courtesy of National Environmental House Sciences
Land Conservation Success

A new study by The Trust for Public Land has explored the value of Vermont’s conserved land. The study found that about 492 square miles are protected, thanks to $95 million in state investments. It estimates that over 40 years, that conserved land is worth $2.2 billion to the economy, from producing crops and timber to savings tax dollars spent on improving water quality and reducing air pollution.
Grape Cultivation in Cold Climates

Cold-climate winegrape cultivation is a relatively new endeavor in Vermont, as the industry was built from virtually no production in the 1990s to actively cultivating 67 hectares of the crop by 2016. A group of researchers compared the viability of six different cultivars in a recent study, finding that five of them rated well for measurements of cold hardiness and vine vigor. An expansion of this market would impact the state’s traditional horticulture and potentially provide a valuable economic opportunity for emerging vineyards.
Courtesy of Vermont Grape & Wine Council
Winter & Windows

Winter is coming and 68% of Vermont respondents had concerns with their existing windows, according to a report examining the future of energy-saving windows for Vermont residents. The report documented two retail markdown pilots to provide windows that can save between 3%-30% of annual energy costs because 80% of homes don’t have energy efficient windows. The Efficiency Vermont pilot resulted in a 37% increase in energy efficient window sales.
Low Death Rates

A new federal study shows that in 2016 Vermont had the nation’s lowest death rate due to cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke deemed “preventable.” Conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the studyexamined hospitalizations and deaths due to cardiovascular events throughout the country.
New Books & Podcasts 
The Center for Research on Vermont recently hosted a conversation between two of Vermont’s leading podcasters; Angela Evancie of Brave Little State and Erica Heilman of Rumblestrip Vermont. Listen to their conversation here.  The work of these two podcasters, and some of the other stellar Vermont podcast story-telling, such as Before Your Time  and The Deeper Dig  inspired the Center to start a podcast featuring research from the Vermont laboratory — called Mudseason – focused on stories that cut through the mud and contribute to greater understanding about the world around us.
If the plot of Vermont author Joseph Olshan’s new novel Black Diamond Fallseems familiar to state residents, they won’t be surprised to learn that the book was based on real-life events that occurred in Addison County: the disappearance and tragic death of Middlebury College student Nick Garza in 2008, and the vandalism spree at the Robert Frost Farmhouse in Ripton in December 2007.  See the Seven Days article for an exclusive excerpt.
Retired Burlington attorney James Dunn’s book Breach of Trust: The Ethics Scandal That Challenged the Integrity of the Vermont Judiciary tells the story of Chittenden County Assistant Judge Jane Wheel, and how aninvestigation in to her misconduct ultimately led to two dozen ethics violations brought against three Vermont Supreme Court justices. For more details, listen to an interview with the author on VPR.
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Additions: Some readers were unable to download the research on girl’s empowerment. Here is a revised link.
Copyright © 2018 Center for Research on Vermont, All rights reserved.
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.

Send your news items to Newsletter Editor Kirsti Blow or Richard Watts
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