Come get a jump on the coming growing season and learn about local food, farms, and sustainable community initiatives at The Sustainability Project’s 7th Annual Seed Celebration and Sustainable Community Fair on February 18th, from 9:00 am-4:00 pm.

This year, the celebration takes place at the spacious United Church of Christ (the church at the head of the square in Keene, New Hampshire).

We have more than 20 workshops and presentations scheduled, as well as a fun-filled day of nature and gardening activities for the children. We also have a staffed nursery setting to support the needs parents with young children.
Representatives from many local non-profits will be on hand eager to share their stories and to invite you be part of this success. Networking is the celebration’s consistent theme. Vender tables will enable you to “buy local.” The Master Gardeners will be on hand to help you plan your garden and answer your gardening questions. We’ll also have FEDCO seeds for sale and if your are a seed saver with a surplus, this is an opportunity to swap and share.
Once again, we’ll be serving soups, Orchard Hill Bread, baked goods and beverages at our Cafe and hosting a noontime “picnic” concert with the Solar Sisters.

We’ll also be raffling items donated by local businesses.

     This year’s celebration takes place in concert with Keene’s Snow and Ice Festival to create a full day of “cabin fever” relief.

We hope you’ll join in the fun and share that community feeling.
The suggested donation for the day is $10 for adults, $5 for children and $25  for families. Volunteers and high school students who submit a “Vision for a Sustainable Future”poster receive complimentary tickets (more about the volunteering and the poster contest below). In keeping with The Sustainability Project’s inclusion and accessibility policy, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

       Proceeds from the celebration help fund the event and our other mission-driven endeavors, such as:

• The Monadnock Gardening and Seed Saving Initiative
• Our after-school gardening activities at the Gilsum Elementary School
• Our all-volunteer effort to create wheelchair accessible trails and edible forest gardens at the center in the Emerson Brook Forest.

        Over the next few weeks Cheshire TV will be featuring The Seed Celebration and Sustainable Community Fair on Channel 8. Stay tuned!

MONTPELIER. Feb. 2, 2012. On March 21st citizens from across Vermont will participate in the state’s first “crowd-sourced” film on Vermont Energy Independence Day. This is a film project about everyday acts of carpooling, insulating an attic, changing a lightbulb, or buying local. It’s also about sweeping changes found in Vermont’s homegrown renewable energy industry, the new comprehensive state energy plan, and grassroots actions of 100 town energy committees.

Anyone with a camera and image to share of Vermont’s energy transition can participate. Video clips uploaded to a YouTube channel will be organized and edited into a feature length film by Bright Blue EcoMedia.

“Crowd-sourced films are part of the rapidly changing world of digital information and storytelling,” says Vic Guadagno, Director and Producer. “The world is changing, and social media and video storytelling is driving this transition. We’ll weave together one cohesive story, as told by hundreds of individuals. We are encouraging café’s to become Community Story Centers with musical events so Vermont musicians can create the soundtrack”.

Schools, towns, businesses, and other groups are signing up to film their energy stories, host energy independence events, and network via Facebook and other social media sites leading up to March 21st.

“Vermont is emerging as a global leader in the inevitable transition away from nonrenewable energy resources, and towards a more decentralized, renewable, safe energy future.” says Executive Producer Jon Erickson, Professor and Managing Director of the University of Vermont’s Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. “We hope to capture the diversity of ideas needed to achieve greater independence, and show the world what one small state can do.”

Erickson’s undergraduate ecological economics class is helping to build a “story corps” to seek out the “must film” energy stories across the state. Bright Blue is also networking with a range of other non-profit groups to recruit participants, including Vermont Natural Resources Council, Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN), 350 Vermont, Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Renewable Energy Vermont, and Vermont Green.

“We have long been interested in helping to make the case for greater energy action by pulling together the stories that will inspire more people to act,” says Johanna Miller of the Vermont Natural Resource Council and coordinator of VECAN. “This film project will help create a common voice, and celebrate the grassroots energy actions sweeping the state.”

The social media campaign and film is being facilitated and produced by Bright Blue EcoMedia, the nonprofit media company that produced the regional Emmy-award winning series “Bloom” (see bloomthemovie.org). Additional information about Vermont Energy Independence Day can be found on the project’s Facebook page (facebook.com/vteid) and website (march21st.org).

Contact Vic Guadagno, Bright Blue EcoMedia
Phone: 303-247-1800  vic@brightbluemedia.org

Contact your Representatives and Senators in support of these important bills.

Energy Disclosure Bill Context
Building Energy Disclosure addresses the inability of the current marketplace to assign a value to energy efficiency in a home or building. Although energy-efficiency improvements have a tangible value in terms of energy savings and reduced annual costs, they are currently invisible in the marketplace because there is no widely used, consistent metric or method for quantifying and disclosing this information (as there is with the MPG sticker on a car). The success and fairness of such disclosure will depend in part on universal use of the same simple scoring method for each property.

S.143 Bill as Introduced

H.497 Bill as Introduced

Hearing Schedule:

The Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee Hearing
10:00 am
Wednesday, Febuary 1, 2012
State House, Room 8 in the State House.

The House Natural Resources and Energy Committee Hearing
10:30 a.m.
Friday, Febuary 3, 2012
State House, Room 41 (top floor, turn right at the top of the stairs)

Contant your Legislator

Vermont State House


115 State Street, Montpelier, VT

Energy Disclosure Legislation Benefits:

Building Energy Disclosure will provide the following direct benefits:

•    Sellers can see the value of their investment in energy efficiency improvements captured in the resale value of their buildings, encouraging investment in such improvements; and
•    Buyers may be able to consider building energy performance and related operational costs as part of their purchase decision, potentially rolling the cost of any needed improvements into long-term mortgage financing at the time of purchase.

Building Energy Disclosure will also provide the following indirect benefits:

•    Lending institutions will have a reliable method for considering energy costs as part of their underwriting criteria;
•    Appraisers will have a tool for incorporating energy performance into building valuation; and
•    Contractors will see an increase in demand for energy efficiency improvements due to their value in the marketplace, supporting job creation and economic development.

Building Energy Disclosure will also provide the following statewide benefits:

•    It will help Vermont meet our statutory goal to improve the energy efficiency of 25% of our housing stock (or 80,000 homes) by 2020, saving Vermonters money and reducing greenhouse gases.

~ solution-oriented conversations with innovative sustainability practitioners over snacks and refreshments ~

Friday, February 3:
“Taking Sustainability Literally”
3-4:30 pm – Fairchild Tower Lobby, Dartmouth College

featuring: Mark McElroy – author, Corporate Sustainability Management
Jed Davis ’83, T’85 – Director of Sustainability, Cabot Creamery

_________________________________

This inaugural Sustainability Solutions Café will explore the challenge of incorporating multiple dimensions of sustainability assessment into modern business practice without resorting to meaningless corporate “green-washing”.

Come participate in café-style small group discussions, initiated and framed by Mark McElroy’s concepts of vital capitals and context-based sustainability metrics.  Cabot Creamery Director of Sustainability, Jed Davis ’83, T’85, will share how his company has used such metrics to “take sustainability literally” to the benefit of the their bottom line, employees, customers, and the environment. For more on this topic, see http://www.sustainableorganizations.org/ and a copy of Corporate Sustainability Management on reserve at  Kresge Library.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow evening at the joint legislative hearing on energy!

When: Feb. 2, 2012 •  6 to 8 p.m.

Where:  Room 11 at the State House in Montpelier.

This is a unique opportunity, and it’s really great that there are many of you planning to attend.

We wanted to follow up with some important logistics and more information, especially for those of you planning to testify.

1. First, don’t miss the chance to have fun and connect with each other at an informal gathering from 5-6 p.m. in Room 10 (across the hall from Room 11). Please come a little early, enjoy some snacks, get caught up with other fantastic energy committee leaders and talk about what’s happening under the Golden Dome.
2. Second, for those of you on the agenda to testify, please know that you will have limited time, 3-5 minutes max. The hearing is only two hours long and lawmakers hope to leave room for discussion at the end. Please keep your comments focused. One suggestion: Pick one or two of your greatest success stories to date and then let them know your ideas of policies, programs or projects you would like them to support or consider to further advance your work at the local level. Again, being concise and as specific as possible would be helpful.
3. Lastly, there is a lot happening on energy issues right now at the State House.  Here’s a quick update on a few of the big issues…

§  The House Natural Resources and Energy Committee is considering a bill – H.468 – that would create a mandatory Renewable Portfolio Standard for Vermont. An RPS is a market-based tool that could help catalyze far more renewable generation in Vermont, in the region and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the current draft of the RPS bill there is also a provision that would expand Vermont’s successful Standard Offer program, which helps create needed financial incentives for moving small-scale, distributed generation renewable projects forward in Vermont. Many advocates contend that if Vermont is serious about advancing renewables in the state and in the region, a mandatory RPS is essential. Check out VNRC’s Testimony on the RPS to learn more here: http://www.vnrc.org/program-initiatives/education-and-advocacy/vnrc-rps-testimony-january-2012/
§  The House and Senate are considering bills that would require the disclosure of the energy fitness of a home before it’s sold. These bills are aimed at transparency and consumer protection and could result in some important benefits, such as stimulating efficiency investments via the marketplace, creating Vermont jobs and helping meet the state’s energy efficiency goals. Find out far more about this issue and read the House bill here: http://www.vnrc.org/about-vnrc/update-on-building-energy-disclosure-working-group/
§  Also, with federal ARRA funds drying up and an ongoing need to improve the efficiency of Vermont’s homes, especially for low-income Vermonters, finding an ongoing funding source for weatherization in Vermont is key. There is a conversation underway at the State House about how to fund this important work. Increasing the state’s ‘gross receipts tax’ is one option some are considering. Read far more about this important issue, why it matters and thoughts on a potential funding source here: http://www.vnrc.org/program-initiatives/education-and-advocacy/a-quick-summary-of-vermont-s-weatherization-program/
§  The House passed a bill — H.475 — that makes important changes to Vermont’s net-metering law. It’s expected to make it through the full Legislature fairly easily. Stay tuned!

That’s just a quick snapshot of what’s happening on energy-related bills this session at the State House. At the bottom of this email, find a full summary of energy-related bills. The information above might lend a little context to comments from some of you tomorrow or provide an update for those who can’t make it.

Again, please let us know if you need any more information about the hearing tomorrow evening. Information that we sent previously with all the details and more suggestions is also below.

Look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow and thanks to all for everything you do!

Johanna Miller, VNRC Energy Program Director and VECAN Coordinator
Nancy Notterman, Energy Coordinator for the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission

ABOUT THE HEARING

The House and Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committees, the committees who take the lead in policy-making related to energy and climate action, know that there are many Vermonters doing real, important work on these issues at the local level and they want to hear from you.

In fact… Tony Klein, Chairman of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee said it plainly today in a short, video update on energy happenings from his perspective. Check that update out here: www.vnrc.org.

What’s the deal with the February 2 meeting? The goal is to have your efforts as town energy committees more deeply inform the kinds of solutions being crafted at the state level to advance good policies this year… and beyond.

That’s why this special joint hearing is happening. Legislators want to hear:
§  What are your goals as an energy committee?
§  What do you think the state’s goals should be regarding energy and climate change (and why)?
§  What are you doing that’s working? What are some projects, activities, or actions you’ve been wanting to do but haven’t been able to accomplish?
§  Where do some of your challenges lie? What’s making it hard for you to accomplish your goals?
§  What kinds of state policy or programs are needed to support your efforts?
§  What kinds of state policy or programs are needed to support energy and climate action in general?

These are the kinds of things that lawmakers want to hear from you. You don’t have to answer all of them, but be specific! Tell your story. And think about how what you are doing (or want to do) that would be better supported by state policy or programs.

You can also expect to get an update from lawmakers on what’s happening under the Golden Dome on energy this session.

The HOW:
§  To get on the agenda to speak at the hearing simply email me at jmiller@vnrc.org or call me at 802-223-2328 ext. 112. (For efficiency’s sake I am working with the committees’ assistants to put the list of town energy committee leaders together.)
§  Come prepared with a summary of what you’d like to say. Be honest, brief, to the point and be prepared for questions that legislators might have.
§  Just like in committee, you will speak directly to legislators, so you will face them to share your stories and ideas. Other committee members and interested folks will be in the audience, so it will be a good opportunity for others to hear what you are up to.

Additionally:
We hope to use this as an opportunity to connect energy committee leaders to each other. So, come early! Join us at 5:00 p.m. in Room 10 at the State House for some snacks and peer-to-peer networking before the hearing.

Interested in carpooling with other folks who might attend? Look to find carpool options through the GoVermont web site at: www.connectingcommuters.org.

If you have any questions or want to run what you hope to say on Feb. 2 by me or Nancy Nottermann of CVRPC, please contact us at: jmiller@vnrc.org or Nottermann@cvregion.com.

Thanks for all you do! Please let me know if we can expect to see you or other members of your committee on Feb. 2. Hope so!

Best,
Johanna

P.S. Several bills have been introduced aimed at expanding opportunities for renewables and promoting energy efficiency. Two of the bigger bills are aimed particularly at promoting renewables, including a bill aimed at creating a mandatory Renewable Portfolio Standard in Vermont and a bill that would make important changes to Vermont’s net metering law. (Find bill numbers and a link to more information on these bills below.)

2012 ENERGY-RELATED BILLS FOR INTRODUCTION

House Bill Summaries

H.0464            Hydraulic fracturing wells for natural gas and oil production.  This bill would formalize the existing Agency of Natural Resources Underground Injection Control (UIC) Rule on underground injection wells, which provides that no natural gas or oil well proposed for use in hydraulic fracturing will be permitted if injection into the well results in movement of contaminating fluid into underground sources of drinking water.  Relying on this standard, the bill would prohibit the issuance of a permit for discharge into an injection well for recovery of natural gas or oil on the basis that permit applicants cannot effectively show that contaminating fluids used in hydraulic fracturing activities will not threaten underground drinking water aquifers.

H.0468            A renewable portfolio standard and the Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development Program.  The general purpose of this bill is to continue to advance Vermont toward a clean energy future by promoting renewable power in the state. The first main component of this bill aims to establish a mandatory state renewable portfolio standard (RPS), which would require Vermont utilities to have 80 percent renewable energy portfolio by 2025.  Secondly, the bill proposes certain revisions to the existing Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) Program, the most notable revision regarding the expansion of the state’s successful Standard Offer Program by removing the existing cumulative capacity ceiling on plants that may receive the standard offer.

H.0475            Net metering and definition of capacity.  The effect of this proposed bill would make it easier for Vermont residents to go solar by lifting the existing cap for registration of net-metered projects from 5KW to 10KW and by exempting residential installations from the 4% statewide cumulative capacity cap on net metering systems.  The bill would also affect electric companies by requiring them to base their calculation of additional credits for solar net metering systems on the standard residential energy rate charged by the company to the majority of its residential customers.

H.0476            Transparency in billing for electric power.  This bill would increase transparency in electric power bills by requiring distribution utilities to include an itemized poles and wire charge (which allocates by kWh the cost of building, operating, and maintaining the provider’s transmission/distribution system, and includes any regionalized transmission costs paid by a provider) and a power charge (which allocates by the kWh the cost of power generated or purchased by the provider to distribute directly to retail customers and includes capacity, energy, and the cost to transmit power).

Senate Bill Summaries

S.0141            Prohibiting commercial construction on certain state and conserved lands and to public service board approval of wind towers and turbines.  If enacted, this bill would prohibit most commercial construction (including wind turbines and towers) in Vermont’s parks, forests, wilderness, and conserved lands. The bill also proposes to amend the public service board’s criteria for issuing a certificate of public good for wind towers and turbines by requiring a more in-depth aesthetic impact analysis of proposed projects.

S.0143            Disclosing building energy performance and promoting thermal energy efficiency.  Under this bill, upon the request of a prospective buyer, an owner of a building would be required to disclose the building’s energy efficiency performance, which would be calculated by one or more energy disclosure tools to be developed by the department of public service. The bill would also require the department to study and recommend different funding and financing options to promote thermal energy efficiency and improve the overall energy fitness of Vermont buildings.

S.0148            A pilot project on expediting development of small hydroelectric plants. This proposed bill requires the commissioner of public service, in consultation with the secretary of natural resources, to enter into a memorandum of understanding with FERC for a pilot project that would make it easier for small hydroelectric power projects and conduit hydroelectric facilities to receive exemptions under FERC’s licensing requirements.  The terms of this project would mirror those of a similar project that commenced in August 2010 between FERC and the State of Colorado (through the Governor’s Energy Office) to streamline and simplify authorization of small-scale hydropower projects in that state.

S.0156            Energy, environmental costs, and appeals to the public service board.  This bill would require a full evaluation of environmental costs and GHG emissions reduction measures to be incorporated into determinations for electric and natural gas energy planning and permitting in the state.  The bill also proposes the addition of two members to the public service board to be involved only with appeals to the board of secretary of natural resources decisions that specifically concern renewable energy and telecommunications facilities.

S.0158            A charge for storage of spent nuclear fuel.  This proposed bill would establish an annual charge of $2 million dollars per dry cask (an individual container containing spent nuclear fuel, plus all associated components and systems) and a separate annual charge (to be determined by the commissioner of public service) for the storage of spent nuclear fuel in storage pools located in the state. These annual charges are to be paid to the commissioner of taxes no later than June 1 of each year of storage, and the funds received will be distributed among the following entities: the electric efficiency fund, the general fund, the education fund, and the Town of Vernon, and the clean energy development fund.

S.0170            A renewable portfolio standard, the Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development Program, and climate change.  This bill is the Senate version of H.0468 (see above). The differences in this bill include the increase of the existing 50 MW capacity of the current SPEED program to 100 MW, the achievement of net-zero carbon emissions from energy consumed in the state by 2025, and institution of a climate change education campaign.

S.0214            Customer rights regarding smart metering. This bill would require the public service board to develop terms and conditions governing the installation of wireless smart meters. The terms and conditions would include the requirement of electric companies to obtain a customer’s written consent before installing a wireless smart meter on his/her property, and to remove, upon the request of a customer and at no cost to the customer, a previously-installed wireless smart meter.

S.0220            Exempting solar generation on flat roofs from municipal bylaws.  This proposed bill would also make it easier for Vermonters to go solar (see also H.0475 above) by exempting solar generation on flat roofs from municipal land use regulations.  The exemption would include the installation, operation, and maintenance of any device that, using solar energy only, heats water or space, or generates electricity.

S.0229            Utility bill payments. This bill would require the public service board to regulate the payment of utility bills with respect to companies that are subject to the board’s jurisdiction. The board would have a deadline of November 2012 to establish an order regarding the payment of retail charges online or by means of a credit or debit card.

S.0247            Establishing the Vermont green trust. This bill proposes the establishment of a public body, headed by a five-member board of government-appointed directors, and charged with the provision of financing and investment in clean energy throughout the state. The trust’s funding would include revenues generated by participation in various regional and state energy-related programs; taxes, fees, or assessments imposed/collected from spent nuclear fuel storage; eligible federal funds available to support clean energy projects; gifts, grants, donations.

To read these bills and learn more, you can search for any of these bills here:

http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/billtext.cfm?Session=2012

Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Hayes Room

135 Main Street • Montpelier, VT  (802) 223-3338

Join Ben Graham to look at how buildings can be a part of a regenerative land use pattern.

We will discuss using local, natural materials for building and how they are used in high performance design. There will also be coverage of community based development patterns that integrate agriculture and affordability.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ben has been designing and building natural buildings since 1999 and recently co-founded the Ecological Design/Build Group.  He teaches at Yestermorrow and is focused on integrating nature and culture through architecture, planning and design.

This talk is a part of the Transition Third Thursday presentation series at the Library, co-sponsored by Transition Town Montpelier and Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

Our Governor, Peter Shumlin, is calling for 75% of our electricity to come from renewables within 20 years, and 90% of our total energy from renewables by 2050.  Implementing this plan  will not only mean a cleaner, more climate friendly environment, but it will also mean green collar jobs for Vermont’s working families.

Now let’s put the pressure on and tell Montpelier that we can move even faster and create good green jobs in the process. Let’s tell Montpelier that the faster we move towards a renewable energy future, the better we will stand in our fight against climate change.  Now is the time for Vermont to once again lead the way!

On Wednesday, January 25th, at 10:00 am in the Cedar Creek Room in the Statehouse, Montpelier, there will be a rally/press conference announcing the launch of the historic “Fossil Fuels Freedom Campaign.”  This campaign was formed by our partners in the 350.org Vermont organization, and seeks to build a future of sustainable, climate friendly, renewable energy reliance in our state and beyond.

The Vermont Sierra Club supports these principles, and we will be there.

We invite you to be there too!

Vermont has a time-honored history of being first in the nation on many successful social/political initiatives. Therefore, we are stepping up to be the first state to initiate a full-scale urgent response to the climate crisis and as such, set a template for the rest of the United States to follow. To initiate this urgent-response mandate, we are launching a Fossil Fuel Freedom Campaign at the Statehouse.

• What: A Press Conference to launch the Fossil Fuel Freedom Campaign
• Where: Vermont Statehouse – Cedar Creek Room  (second floor)
• When: Wednesday, January 25th 10:00 AM

The Fossil Fuel Freedom Campaign advances goals and strategies to make Vermont the leader the country so urgently needs today to solve the climate crisis. The formula for unleashing a requisite level of sustained collective effort involves clear vision, bold goals, and individual participation across the board. Whenever people have united in this way the results have always been unparalleled innovation and fresh new models of thought and action. In a word: Transformation.

To learn more about this bold initiative and find out how you can do your part, please go to:  Fossil Fuel Freedom Campaign. 350VT.org

“The Boycott” in Saxtons River at 6:00 on Saturday, January 14th!

• Tickets ($22.00) include pre-show Hors D’ouveres  and after show reception with the actor.
• B & B packages available for long distance folks.

Vermont leads the nation in school wood heating with more than 30% of Vermont’s K-12 public school students attending a biomass-heated school.  This use displaces more than a million gallons of heating oil each year.  One reason for this success is the Vermont Woodchip and Pellet Heating Conference, where people who have systems or are considering installing one can learn, peer-to-peer, from other users and suppliers.  The conference offers updates on trends in the industry as well as the release of the annual Vermont school wood-use survey.  The day’s activities will culminate in a guided tour of the recently installed state-of-the-art biomass heating system at National Life.

Who:

• Opening remarks by Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, BERC Executive Director Brenda Quiroz Maday, and Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation Wood Utilization Forester Paul Frederick
• Keynote address on Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan by Christopher Recchia, Deputy Secretary, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
• Legislative initiatives/update by Vermont State Senator Ginny Lyons
• Workshops on varying aspects of community-scale biomass use conducted by experts in the biomass industry
• Organized by BERC, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, and the Vermont Superintendents Association School Energy Management Program

Where:

National Life Group Headquarters, 1 National Life Drive, Montpelier, Vermont  05604

When:

Monday, January 16, 2012, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm

For more information on the conference, please go to: http://www.biomasscenter.org/component/content/article/25/268-chip-conference.html