Connecting Montpelier and nearby communities since 1993 | August 22–september 4, 2013

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EnErgy InErtIaChangEEnErgy InErtIa ChangE

as august yIElds to sEptEmbEr, thE brIdgE takEs up thE CrItICal subjECt of EnErgy – thE EnErgy that hEats our homEs, powErs our maChInEs, movEs us from plaCE to plaCE.

In these pages, we’ll be discussing energy – developing it, generating it, storing it, using

it, paying for it - and the climate change imperative.

As we pulled together this issue we were fortunate to have the assistance of many people and local businesses.

We acknowledge with thanks: Bolduc Metal Recycling, Catamount Solar, Central Ver-mont Solid Waste Management District, Energy Smart of Vermont, Guys Farm & Yard, Open Sash, Pellergy, Trono Fuels, and WARM LLC.

In planning this issue, Karin McNeil and Dan Jones challenged us early on to think with greater rigor about a number of leading energy issues and Jones also provided in-valuable editorial assistance.

page 2 • august 22– september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

More Concerts and Special Events

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21ST ANNUAL Summer Series of Chamber Music Concerts

Central Vermont Chamber Music FestivalAugust 12th - 25th, 2013

Chandler Music Hall - Randolph, Vermont

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Saturday Concert Series at Chandler

August 24th at 8:00 pm Bartók, Berio, Piston, Bruch

Friday, August 23rd at 8:00 pm Bartók, Berio, Piston, BruchUnitarian Universalist Church

in Montpelier

Friday, August 23rd at 11:00 am CONCERT FOR KIDS

OFF TO THE ISLANDS! with the Island Time Steel Band

Chandler Music HallMade possible in part by a generous grant from

the Lamson-Howell Foundation

Sunday, August 25th at 12:30 pmFESTIVAL FINALE

ISLAND TIME STEEL BANDRandolph Gazebo, N. Main & Pleasant Sts.

Admission: Free

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Composition and Theory studyJazz ImprovisationChamber Music CoachingYoung Singers ChorusJazz and Blues Ensemble

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at Chandler a vibrant celebration of Celtic and French Canadian Music and Dance

Sun Sept 1, noon to 11 PM Main Street, Randolph

Concerts • music & dance workshop sessions • children’s activities • open dancing • food & drink

Featured performers on 5 continuous stages include:Vishten, Genticorum, Elixir, Cantrip, Les Poules à Colin, Mariel Vandersteel Trio, The Press Gang,

Alba’s Edge, Long Time Courting, Sarah Blair, The No Strings Marionettes, and many more.Adults $34 advance, $39 after August 23

Students 13 – 18 $11, Children 2 – 12 $5, Children under 2 Free, After 6 PM $21Advance discounted adult tickets through August 23. 802-728-6464

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The Br idge august 22– september 4 , 2013 , • page 3

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editor & publisher: Nat Frothingham

general manager: bob Nuner

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Location: The Bridge office is located at the Vermont College of Fine arts, on the lower level of schulmaier Hall.

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Copyright 2013 by the montpelier bridge

Riding in a Black & White

If you’ve seen a black van with white “holstein” markings around town, that’s Capital Cab & Car Service’s newly established taxi service. Their phone is 505-0316. The business owner,

Timothy Bingham, recently obtained his license to operate in Montpelier, according to City Clerk John Odum, and the service is underway.

Face to Face but Miles Away

Fourteen Vermont libraries have videoconferencing capability thanks to a $77,000 grant from Google. Among the 14 are the State’s library in Berlin, Kellogg-Hubbard and the

Centennial Library in Morrisville. Library users will be able to connect and collaborate via applications like Google Hangout or Skype. Said Lt. Governor Phil Scott, “Thanks to the addition of videoconferencing in 14 of Vermont’s key libraries, tens of thousands of Vermont-ers will no longer be forced to choose whether or not to enter the international workforce/marketplace; they will have the tools, free of charge, at their fingertips.”

Collecting Supplies

Matt Calhoun, Edward Jones financial advisor located in City Center is using his office as a drop-off location for a school supplies drive. Local residents and businesses may

help by bringing in items to Calhoun’s office during regular business hours from Monday, August 26 to Friday September 6.

National Life Group Names New CEO of Sentinel Asset Management

National Life Group has appointed Thomas H. Brownell, CFA, president and chief ex-ecutive officer of its investment company, Sentinel Asset Management, Inc. Brownell

joined National Life Group in 1992 and has been chief investment officer (CIO) since 2005. Sentinel’s Common Stock Fund dates back to 1934. Brownell will continue as National Life Group’s CIO and has been promoted to Executive Vice President of National Life Group. Re-sponsible for managing $26 billion in assets, he sets investment strategy and asset allocation for the Group’s investment portfolios, and chairs the investment transaction, asset allocation and investment risk management committees.

Biomass Energy Advocacy Returns to Montpelier

Sarah Galbraith, formerly with the Biomass Energy Resource Center (which moved to Burlington) is now with the Vermont Bioenergy Initiative, a program of the Vermont

Sustainable Jobs Fund here in Montpelier. The group recently announced that it will study grasses as an energy source, working in collaboration with a Pennsylvania engineering firm. The study will examine the “State of the Science Review of Grass Energy in Vermont and the Northeast.”

VCIL Exec Wins Award

Vermont Center for Independent Living’s executive director Sara Launderville was awarded the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) Region 1 Advocacy

Award at a July 26 awards dinner in Washington, DC, where she was also elected to represent New England on the NCIL board.

Another Advancement

Janna Osman, M.Ed., of Plainfield, has been promoted to Vice President for Programs of The Stern Center for Language and Learning, a nonprofit learning center with locations

in Williston and West Lebanon, New Hampshire. Over the past four years, she was Pro-gram Director for Professional Learning. In her new role, Osman will direct all of the Stern Center’s services including professional learning, evaluations, customized instruction, and communication services.

Cave Rescue

Two local caving enthusiasts, Jane and Peter Youngbaer, assisted in an all-night cave rescue operation in Weybridge that ended the morning of Wednesday August 7, assisting with

more than a dozen others, in the extrication of a cave explorer who’d fallen 10 to 15 feet and broke his ankle in the limestone cave. Vermont cave temperatures hover in the vicinity of 43 degrees fahrenheit.

Nature WatchA stunning apple crop is on the trees, heavier each day. Twitters and song fragments

from brushy edges announce the beginning of warbler movement. Common yellow-throat warblers seem to be everywhere, dispersing and slowly drifting south. With so few butterflies this year, we’ve been noticing other insects more, the big dobsonflies are about now, and colonial ground nesting, nonstinging wasps of various sorts are provisioning their nests with small beetles. Joe-pye weed gladdens the wet meadows, and toads are out fattening for the long hibernation. We saw four in the last week and none the previous three months. Skunks are digging up fat Japanese beetle larvae as fast as they develop. Hurry, summer-hungry animals and seed-setting plants, now is the time!

—Nona Estrin

Men bare their shoulders again in tanks and t-shirt cutoffs. Women, whose comely shoulders often grace the summer scene, sport tattoos running the curves from tricep to elbow. Photos by Amy Brooks Thornton.

adverTise Our next issue, which comes outThursday, September 5, is our

HarveST iSSue.

advertising deadline: Friday, august 30.

Call 223-5112 for Carolyn (x11) or ivan (x12) or rick at 479-0970.

What’s In shoulders

page 4 • august 22– september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

by Nat Frothingham

About Asa Hopkins: Hopkins holds a B.S. in physics, Haverford College, and a M.S. and a Ph.D. in physics, California Institute of Technology. He was an analyst at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, a U.S. Department of Energy laboratory, and assistant project di-rector for Under Secretary for Science Steven Koonin for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Quadrennial Technology Review. This review was inspired by the Defense Department’s Quadrennial Defense Review and is a sweeping national review of energy technology innovations and development po-tentials with the aim of creating a robust energy policy framework to guide the DOE.

In a recent phone conversation with The Bridge, Asa Hopkins, who is the state’s director of Energy Policy and Planning

with the Vermont Department of Public Ser-vice, offered a blunt assessment of Vermont’s near- and long-term energy challenges.

Hopkins, who took up his energy post in October 2012 and who has overall re-sponsibilities in following the lead of the

governor and legislature in developing and implementing statewide energy policies, was totally clear about the much-discussed cli-mate change phenomenon.

“There is most definitely a climate change problem,” Hopkins said. “The sum total of pulling carbon out of the earth and chang-ing our atmosphere is changing our climate. There are multiple reasons to be wary of what that climate change will bring. We should do what we can to keep the climate much like the one we inherited, not the one we are creating.”

In discussing climate change, Hopkins had used the word problem. When asked if climate change was a problem in the commonly understood meaning of that word, Hopkins said, “It’s definitely at least a problem.” But it’s no ordinary problem either. “The scale of the problem is such, and the necessary adaptations needed to address it are such, that it’s bigger and more complicated than any typical prob-lem,” he said.

However, Hopkins refused to use the word crisis to describe what’s happening to the world’s climate, as in climate change crisis: “When people use the word crisis, this im-

plies that there’s a crash-course fix or solu-tion. I’m not convinced of that. Nor that [a single crash-course fix] is the right way to address it. Framing it as a crisis almost makes it seem smaller than it is, because addressing it will require small and large changes about the way that almost anyone does anything. It’s too pervasive to be a crisis.”

Hopkins sounded at the very least skepti-cal that Vermont, as a state, will meet the goals the state has established to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the use of renewable energy without concerted and coordinated effort across many fronts.The state has already failed to meet the first greenhouse gas reduction target established by the legislature.

“By 2012 we were supposed to be 25 percent below 1990 levels [of greenhouse gas emis-sions],” said Hopkins. “Instead in 2012, we were very close to 1990 levels, emissions having risen and then fallen in the intervening years.”

The two remaining greenhouse gas re-duction targets are, if anything, even more ambitious than the 2012 target. Those tar-gets are, first, to be 50 percent below 1990 greenhouse gas emission levels by 2028 and, second, to be 75 percent below the 1990 levels by 2050. As to the renewable energy target enunciated in the state’s Compre-hensive Energy Plan (the goal is to achieve 90 percent of Vermont’s energy through renewable sources by 2050), Hopkins be-lieves these three remaining targets “will be a challenge to meet because these goals are aggressive and because energy systems don’t change very rapidly.”

“However, if we rise to the challenge, we can make real and substantial progress,” he added. He noted that cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2028 is just 15 years into the future. He said that to achieve the 50 percent cut by 2028, we would need to be powering many, perhaps most, of our cars by electricity and renewable fuels by 2028. But that’s not hap-pening very quickly.

Anyone shopping for a car today and checking out the sticker prices can tell you that electric cars aren’t cheap. In today’s cash-strapped economy, people are still buy-

ing gasoline-powered cars, and when you drive a new car out of the showroom, it has an estimated useful life of 15 years. So to-day’s new greenhouse-gas-emitting car will still be on the road by 2028, when we’re supposed to see cuts of 50 percent below 1990 levels.

When I asked Hopkins what he most wished that Vermonters from all walks of life knew about energy that they don’t know already, he said, “Knowing that our electric-ity is relatively clean. We’ve made a lot of progress on electric energy efficiency, and we need to make more progress on transporta-tion and thermal energy.”

So, in general, we’ve taken big steps al-ready to remove a lot of the carbon footprint from our electrical energy sources. That leaves transportation and the thermal energy we use to heat our homes and buildings as our biggest unmet challenges.

On the transportation side, Hopkins noted the critical land use choices people make as in where they live and where they work: Are you close to a bus stop. Do you have to drive a car, or can you take a bus? And is public transit even available?

On the thermal energy side, Hopkins said. “On the building side, what we do know for sure is that insulation, air sealing—these are known things that work, that reduce energy loss and make buildings more comfortable.”

But what if I’m a homeowner barely scrap-ing by, what do I do?

Said Hopkins in reply, “If you can find access to financing, having a stable, predict-able loan to pay off instead of a seasonal, un-predictable fuel bill should be a more secure place to be.”

Then he went on to acknowledge a cur-rent unmet need: “One challenge that we are working on is how to get over that initial hurdle of access to capital.”

Hopkins, along with others in the De-partment of Public Service, will be report-ing to the Vermont Legislature in Decem-ber. That report will include more analysis with recommendations for new policy ini-tiatives so that the state can meet its green-house gas reduction targets and renewable energy goals.

Asa Hopkins, Director of Energy Policy and Planning, on Vermont’s Energy Situation

A graph from Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan displaying Vermont’s contribution to greenhouse gases.Source: Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.

Graph from Vermont Comprehensive Energy Plan comparing Vermont’s annual energy expen-ditures and its gross domestic product. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Depart-ment of Commerce.

The Br idge august 22– september 4 , 2013 , • page 5

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by Bob Nuner

The Bridge asked a few Vermonters about energy in Vermont. Among them was Tony Klein, chair of Ver-

mont’s House Committee on Natural Re-sources and Energy. In response to the ques-tion, “What do you wish people knew about energy and Vermont?” Klein provided the following answer:

“Over the years, there have been a number of initiatives that have gotten near unani-mous support and been signed into law. The policy (promoting renewable energy genera-tion) isn’t hidden, and it’s basically to build as much clean, green and renewable energy as possible.

With distributed generation we see that renewable energy creates jobs, a tax base, dollars that stay in Vermont and gives us re-sponsibility for our own generation sources. It’s better than coal, diesel, even natural gas plants and nuke plants . . . We had near unanimous support for this policy develop-ment . . . and the process of policy devel-opment has been ongoing. In the Douglas administration, there was a poll of 400 Ver-monters who provided clear, overwhelming support for renewable generation. Now you see the fruits of the effort. As with anything else, many people weren’t aware of what was going on before until things proceeded to affect their lives directly. If a project is in someone’s neighborhood, someone’s going to have a problem with it.

“The energy plan is aggressive, but I think plans need to be aggressive to reach the goal of 90 percent renewable energy by 2050. Better to be aggressive than to not be aggres-sive. And I also understand that change is difficult for people.”

Klein observed that resistance to current efforts to promote renewable energy sources may suggest that people find the status quo acceptable and think it should be the model for the future: “[they] seem to be saying that the current situation is OK, which it is not.” He argued, “My hope would be that . . . the large base with greenhouse gas emissions will not be the standard in the future as we move forward into more efficient renewable generation. You can’t just stop and say no because you have a particular problem. That would be my wish. Let people talk to each other in calm tolerant terms. No reason for the rancor and accusations. If people talk in the permitting process and can be heard eas-ily, we can do that.”

In response to a question about grid cur-tailment, which has dogged the state’s wind generation projects, Klein said, “The grid is pretty primitive, operated by huge base load operators, and based on demand. Over the past decade or so, you’re seeing the rise of distributed generation here and across the country. Independent system operators [ISOs] have not been quick enough to look into it [distributed generation] and do their calculations of day-to-day use. It’s a grid that needs to be updated and modernized, and they will get there. We’re probably, unfortunately, going to build bigger systems than would be needed if there were a greater acknowledgment of distributed energy gen-eration systems.” As to the curtailment oc-curring with Vermont’s wind facilities, Klein noted that because of interstate commerce laws, ISO New England, an independent, nonprofit regional transmission organiza-tion serving New England, cannot reject an electricity provider outright, but at the same time, it is not required to accept all the

power new facilities generate nor is ISO-NE obliged to tell a generator if it will use that power—unless the generator asks ISO. Said Klein, “It never made much sense to me that ISO wouldn’t say unless asked. If it is true that Green Mountain Power knew about curtailment then (and we don’t know that) [and] if there’s an increased cost, that loss should be incurred by the investors and not the ratepayers.”

In response to the question “How does a small state like Vermont contribute to devel-opment of energy solutions?” Klein instantly offered Efficiency Vermont as an example of a successful energy efficiency initiative. With services funded by the energy efficiency line item on utility bills, electrical efficiency ef-forts become goals within reach. Add to that the implementation of smart meters and the proliferation of solar panels, and Vermont starts to look pretty good.

Klein cautioned, however, that while the state is strong in efforts to achieve elec-trical energy efficiency, he’d like to see total building efficiency and to direct some of the funds collected for electrical en-ergy efficiency toward thermal efficiency, where Klein said, Vermont is, relatively speaking, “really dropping the ball.” Ac-cordingly, Klein intends to propose that energy efficiency funds may also assist in thermal efficiency efforts. He notes that sales tax revenue on fuel oil for commer-cial establishments, already in place since the mid-1980s, should also be targeted for thermal energy improvements, rather than disappearing into the general fund. Noted Klein, “So the proposal doesn’t ask for new revenue, but re-directs it to the original problem it should solve”, akin to the origi-nal intent of tobacco settlement funds.

Klein noted a bias in some of The Bridge’s questions, among which was a query about environmental impacts and obsolescence of wind turbines. Klein notes, “That’s a real bias. What is obsolete about a turbine that generates electricity for 20 to 25 years?” He observed, “Every generation process has an environmental impact,” noting further that environmental or life-cycle accounting of new technologies is a very challenging field, and that if one is to critique new projects for their environmental impacts and energy con-sumption during construction, one must also apply that accounting to fossil generation projects and their attendant environmental damages and costs.

Finally, Klein observed that, along with an occasional lack of civil discourse about where our energy will come from, there seems to also be missing an appreciation of other forms of land use change that may have far more impact on the environ-ment than energy generation projects. He pointed, for example, to planned, acceler-ated tourism development in the Northeast Kingdom, the effect of ski trails on moun-tains and the cultural impacts of develop-ment on rural areas. Klein sees that there will continue to be conflict over energy generation projects, but hopes that, with robust planning coupled with a diligent effort to make sure all stakeholders are heard, the process will do its job: “I have never gotten into supporting individual projects. The only project I’ve ever opposed is Vermont Yankee. We’ve got the policies in place and the process in place. I believe this works. If it gets the green light, build it; if it doesn’t make it through the process, don’t build it.”

Finding Our Energy Future: A Conversation with Tony Klein

by Amy Brooks Thornton

Amy Brooks Thornton: What are the energy solution models and innovations (financial, social, environmental, political, technical), in this country and internationally, that excite you and that you could see being replicated here in Vermont?

Bill McKibben: I’m excited by things happening at scale. Germany has shown that we can do renewables at scale. Some days this summer they generated more than half their power from solar panels, and they’re doing even more wind power. We need renewables to be the rule, not the exception.

ABT: Vermont’s a small state. In certain circumstances things can be more easily accom-plished. Given this, what energy related actions would you like to see happen?

BM: I’d like to see us run entirely on renewable power. 350Vt and others have put for-ward a plan to do just that, and quickly. It would be good for the planet; it would also be good for the state, since we’d no longer be shipping money out to the oil barons.

ABT: How does our culture, perhaps a culture of convenience, get in the way of energy efficiency and alternatives?

BM: Inertia. We haven’t had to think about energy in the past, so it feels like an imposi-tion to have to think about it now—to have to restructure policy, etc. But, it’s an unavoid-able task if we’re going to survive the century.

ABT: I walk the four uphill miles home as frequently as I can to avoid using my car, to get the exercise, to clear my head. Can energy solutions create healthier, happier lifestyles? Can you talk about the relationship between energy efficiency and social well-being—physical and psychological?

BM: Local energy, like local food, creates stronger local communities. And community is, I think, what we want most. We’re coming out of an individualism-obsessed half cen-tury of high consumerism and looking for something that better meets our needs, both environmental and psychological.

ABT: How do energy solutions help or hinder our economy? Can you talk about the connection between energy efficiency and economic well-being? Are energy solutions eco-nomically equitable?

BM: Use less energy and spend less money. Spend what money you do spend close to home strengthening your local economy and not the Koch brothers’ bank account. Good all around.

E-mail Exchange with Bill McKibben Author, Environmentalist and Educator

page 6 • august 22– september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

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The Br idge august 22– september 4 , 2013 , • page 7

by Amy Brooks Thornton

Natural beauty fuels us in a way we can-not precisely mea-

sure. We cannot quantify it as we do a kilowatt hour or a British thermal unit.

We use our planet’s natural resources to drive our cars, heat and electrify our homes and grow our food. According to Merriam-Webster, a resource is “a source of supply or support,” “a natural source of wealth or rev-enue” and “a natural feature or phenomenon that enhances the quality of human life.” How does the less tangible resource of the earth’s beauty inspire, calm and nurture us? How does it energize us, provide us with power?

Beauty is a resource we don’t often include in our policy discussions on energy. But, energy solutions almost always change the natural landscape and its aesthetics. Some feel they ruin it, some feel they add or com-plement it. As Mark Roseland writes in To-ward Sustainable Communities, “Whenever the natural or built environment is changed through human action, the health of our communities and our planet is affected.”

Vermont relies on its natural splendor. People come to visit or to live in Vermont because of its green mountains, clear lakes, historic villages, clean air and water, lack of billboards, relatively few strip malls and associated franchises and sense of peace and well-being. Vermont’s tourist industry de-pends in large part on the aesthetic and posi-tive psychological experience of this state.

As Nat Frothingham, The Bridge pub-lisher, aptly puts it, “People travel to Ver-mont to get away from the perfervid rat race

and grinding noise and light and charged up over-action of cities and crowded places. Though I have been on the low end finan-cially for most of my time in Vermont—the mountains and sky and water and loveliness of Vermont have compensated for all of the anxieties I have experienced.”

How does our ecologically minded har-vesting of one resource—be it wind, sun, water, wood, manure—through energy pro-ducing machinery, such as wind turbines, solar panel arrays, hydroelectric dams and turbines, biomass generating plants, and an-aerobic digesters, affect the aesthetics and experience of our natural landscape and, in turn, affect our psychological and emotional energy?

Here, three Vermont residents express their viewpoints.

Colin McCaffrey: performer, song-writer, producer, president of the Board for Friends of the Winooski

One of the fundamental reasons I chose to move back to and stay in Vermont is because of its natural beauty. I would not be able to function sanely if my daily need for “woods time” was not met. I come back to my work as a producer, songwriter and musician re-charged and revitalized. I just played a wed-ding outdoors last week looking out over the Worcester range and the hills of Middlesex. It was an amazing night, and I was feeling very lucky to be making noise and getting paid for it on the side of a verdant mountain.

I am mixed about all of these [energy solu-tions]. The bottom line is, I am a consumer of energy. I don’t think any of these [energy producing mechanisms] are beautiful to look at. Though they represent hope for some people; they each also represent very real sacrifices and environmental consequences, Composting bins and recycling containers are more symbolic of hope for me. Ulti-mately, I think a wood fire is still the most aesthetically pleasing energy source.

Bill McKibben: author, environmental-ist, educator

I think windmills are generally beauti-ful—the breeze made visible. I love to watch them turn in the wind, and look forward to the day when there are several on the Middlebury Gap above my home. And I think solar panels are too. I have some out on a stalk in my yard. They’re not as beautiful as a tree, but their message resonates with me: they’re a benign way of helping work toward the future I dearly want to see. If you want to see damaged landscapes, go check out a coal mine. Or a place recently flooded by our new weather. Or, the increasingly arid xeriscapes of the droughty Southwest.

Will Wiquist: executive director, Green

Mountain ClubThe beauty of Vermont is a major rea-

son the Green Mountain Club formed in 1910 and set out establishing the Long Trail across the high ridgeline of the state, creat-ing America’s first long distance hiking trail.

The Long Trail and all of the more than 500 miles of hiking trails managed by the Green Mountain Club are important factors in both the quality of life for Vermont residents and the economic vitality of our tourism economy.

That said, Vermont does change over time. Early Long Trail photos show a largely clear-cut and heavily farmed landscape. Today, the Long Trail traverses both wilderness and working forests, drops into communities and offers quiet solitude on rugged mountain summits. We work to assure the Long Trail is a constant in our ever-changing world.

Energy production and other types of development are part of Vermont’s landscape today. They are also a part of the diverse Long Trail hiking experience. The club has worked with developers to minimize the impacts of development on the trail and to assure that, cumulatively, the Long Trail always offers plenty of “footpath in the wilderness” experiences, even as some vistas include wind turbines and some parts of the trail cross ski trails.

North Troy hydropower plant from above, looking upstream. Photo by Bob Nuner.

Beauty as a Resource

Roadside power lines obscure the view of the Lowell wind turbines. Photo by Bob Nuner.

page 8 • august 22– september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

by Dan Jones

We all recognize that global warm-ing is creating challenges for our immediate future in ways we

could not have imagined five years ago. Now we have to figure out how we are going to respond to this. Part of our task will be mitigation—cease adding to global warm-ing. The other part is adaptation—harden our local environment so the changed cli-mate won’t keep destroying our crops and infrastructure. For the moment, let’s take the easier challenge of lowering our individual and collective carbon footprint.

Over the past few years, the Montpe-lier Energy Advisory Committee (MEAC), composed of people who have a personal commitment to make a difference in our response to the climate changed future, has been hard at work to significantly lower our carbon footprint. This article is not an of-ficial report from the committee, but rather a personal reflection of the challenges we collectively face so that you, the reader, can see where your individual choices can help improve our collective climate response.

We all know that we have to get ourselves off the destructive diet of fossil fuels that currently run our lives—but how? I guaran-tee you it is more than changing lightbulbs.

The energy committee is exploring ways of moving into the challenging future both aggressively and affordably. So last year, we embarked on the Montpelier Energy Chal-lenge. This is an emerging, comprehensive strategy that includes helping people under-stand what they can personally do to change their energy consumption while adapting to the systems that will be emerging as the society moves toward nationwide carbon di-oxide reduction.

The most immedi-ate and productive ac-tion we can all take is to tighten up and weatherize our homes. Somewhere between 30 and 40 percent of Vermont’s fossil fuel diet is consumed in home heating. If we could cut that in half, we would help the cli-mate and save over $200 of the $400 million we send to the oil companies yearly.

This year the MEAC joined Efficiency Vermont’s Home Energy Challenge. This is a statewide effort made necessary by the mis-erable failure of Governor Shumlin and the legislature to support a minimal efficiency tax on heating oil. That tax would have subsidized this needed work by everyone in the state and ultimately help save us col-

lectively millions of dollars a year. Instead, the volunteer energy committees stepped up to the plate to convince their neighbors to do this valuable work. There were outreach strategies and promised rewards to successful towns that got 3 percent of their population to weatherize. In Montpelier, that would be 120 homes. Sadly, we are nowhere near that goal.

I applaud our local committee for producing ma-terials, canvassing and telephoning citizens to educate them on the chal-lenge. I applaud Efficiency Vermont

for providing subsidies for home audits and special rewards for people that do the work (see “The Home Energy Challenge” page 9). But it is a tough sell. People don’t want to sink more into debt to do the work, because many are overcome with debt already. It’s a hard sell, no matter the promised payback. The only credible programs that are succeed-ing in this challenge are those like Neigh-borworks in Rutland. It has a paid staff to provide lots of handholding and guaranteed low-cost financing to get people to consider the work. Since there is no private sector

source of funding for such a comprehensive effort statewide, we will try again for a tax on what we want to get rid of: petroleum products.

Other MEAC efforts include an effort to get additional solar power installed specific to the city’s needs through private companies that will install these capacities at a prefer-ential lease rate. We are looking at an effort to get water power from the North Branch. More of our efforts are detailed in “Montpe-lier Energy Challenge,” by Wendy McArdle.

The biggest nut to crack, however, is our addiction to cars. That costs us about a bil-lion dollars a year, which we send out of state for oil. We could keep serious money working in Vermont if we could cut that collective budget drain. But just getting the Montpelier city vehicles to stop wasteful idling requires constant attention. (See “Cut Car Costs” by Mary Hooper, on lowering our transportation budget page 29.)

We know there is a lot more we can do, but we need everyone’s help. If you want to get involved or have ideas of what to do next, please visit us as montpelierenergy.org, or leave a message for us at the Plan-ning and Development office at 262-6273. Dan Jones is chairman of the Montpelier En-ergy Advisory Committee.

Moving to Energy Action

Fun energy Factoids

compiled by Bob Nuner

• Power:Energyusedperunittime.Ifwemultiplyaunitofpowerbyaunitoftime,theresultisaunitofenergy—e.g.akilowatt-hour(kWh).

• Onehorsepower(hp):746watts-originallydefinedbysteampowerpromoterJamesWattasacoalminehorse’sworktolift,forexample,330pounds100feetin1minute,(33,000foot-poundsperminute).

• ABritish thermalunit (Btu)measures theamountofheatneeded to raise the tem-peratureof1poundofwater1degreeFahrenheit.

• OnemillionBtusequalsapproximately90poundsofcoal,125poundsofoven-driedwood,8gallonsofmotorgasoline,10 thermsofnaturalgas,11gallonsofpropane,twomonthsofdietaryintakeofalaborer,20cases(240bottles)oftablewineor1.1days of energy consumption per capita in the United States.

• One foodcalorie is1 thermochemical kilocalorie (or1,000 thermochemical calories)andequals3.968Btu.Akilocalorieequals theenergyneeded to raise1kilogramofwater1degreecentigrade(C)atsealevel.

• A2.1-ounceSnickersbarcontains280calories(280,000calor280kcal),theoreticallyenoughenergytoraise280kilogramsofwater1degreeC.

• Onegallonofheatingoilequals139,000Btus.• Awell-insulated 1,000-square-foot house in Boston needs around 24,000 Btus perhourtoheatinwinter.

• Averagesizesofhousesinsquarefootage(sf)are:2,300sfintheUnitedStates,2,217sf in Australia, 1,475 sf in Denmark, 1,216 sf in France, 1,044 sf in Spain, 947 sf in Irelandand818sfintheUnitedKingdom.

• 746wattsequals2,545Btusperhour.• One kWhof electricity (3,412Btus) equals 1.5hours of operationof a standard air

conditioner, 92 days for an electric clock or 24 hours for a color TV.• A 100-watt light bulb burning 24 hours consumes roughly the same energy thatsomeonedoingheavylaborexpendsdaily(about2,000calories).

• 308,992Vermontresidentialelectricalconsumersin2011averaged573kWhmonthlyelectricity usage. National household electrical consumption average is 940 kWhmonthly.

• The sun pours an average of 3.38 kWh of sunlight per square meter on Vermontmonthly.

• Abarrelofcrudeoil(approximately5,848,000Btus)equals42gallonsordriving840miles in the average car.

• Onegallonofgasolineuseperhourequals39,000watts.• In2011,U.S.oilusagewas18.83millionbarrelsperday.

Sources: apartmenttherapy.com/average-home-sizes-around-the-151738calculator.net/btu-calculator.htmlcars.lovetoknow.com/List_of_Car_Weightsgaisma.com/en/location/burlington-vermont.htmlhome.earthlink.net/~jimlux/energies.htmMerriam-Webster.comocean.washington.edu/courses/envir215/energynumbers.pdforegon.gov/energy/cons/pages/industry/ecf.aspx,eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=33&t=6wou.edu/las/physci/GS361/EnergyBasics/EnergyBasics.htm

Opinion

by Wendy McArdle

Many people recognize our culture’s addiction to fossil fuels and don’t feel good about it from an economic,

political or environmental point of view. While solar panels are becoming more affordable, electric cars are emerging in the marketplace and energy efficiency improvements are avail-able, change is difficult, and transforming our energy use is a bold, audacious proposition. How can we make the transition to clean en-ergy and become more energy independent as a nation, a state and a community?

The Montpelier Energy Challenge is a local initiative committed to making this transition now. The Montpelier Energy Ad-visory Committee and the Montpelier Plan-ning and Community Development Office are working with the Energy Action Net-work (EAN) to explore the idea of making Montpelier the nation’s first state capital where all of our energy needs are produced or offset by renewable energy sources.

What does that really mean? Basically that Montpelier would rely on solar, wind, hy-droelectric, geothermal and biomass energy to meet the city’s energy needs for heating, electricity and transportation.

Is this really possible? Indeed. The island of Samso, Denmark, is the world’s largest climate-neutral community. Through cre-ative, hands-on community-based efforts, this rural community succeeded in trans-forming its energy system to one based on renewables and efficiency. In fact, this small island of about 4,000 residents now produces more renewable energy than it consumes. If they can do it, why can’t we?

The Montpelier Energy Challenge is an idea that is growing from the ground up. Residents, businesses, commuters, students, city govern-ment, state buildings and others are all get-ting involved. The new biomass-fueled district heating system is an important start toward re-ducing our consumption of imported heating oil. More than 100 Montpelier homeowners have already completed work on their homes to improve energy efficiency, and 250 more have pledged to do so in the months ahead.

To provide a way for individual homeown-

ers, businesses, renters, landlords and others to better understand their energy use and equip them to make energy choices, EAN members are working to create a “Com-munity Energy Dashboard.” The dashboard will allow people to see their current energy use across all sectors—transportation, heat and electricity—and identify specific actions they can take to increase efficiency and shift to renewables. Key partners collaborating on the dashboard project include National Life, Green Mountain Power, IBM, Sandia Na-tional labs, VEIC, Efficiency Vermont and the Montpelier Planning and Community Development Office.

“The Montpelier Energy Challenge is ex-citing because it will address all three sec-tors of energy use,” explains Andrea Colnes, executive director of EAN. “Getting all of our transportation, electrical and heating from renewable sources means investing in everything from solar-powered charging sta-tions for electric vehicles to expanding the new district heating system to include all buildings in our downtown core.” According to Colnes, the concept of distributed energy and net metering—selling excess electricity back to the power companies from many small sources around the community—is also key to this effort.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Montpelier Energy Challenge, please contact Dan Jones, energy coordinator for the city of Montpelier or Andrea Colnes at the Energy Action Network.

about the energy action

NetworkEnergy Action Network is a community of

diverse, high-level stakeholders—business, government and nonprofit leaders—who are committed ending Vermont’s reliance on fos-sil fuels and creating clean, affordable and secure electric, heating and transportation systems for the 21st century. EAN’s work focuses on four key leverage points: capital mobilization, technology innovation, public engagement and regulatory reform.

Wendy McArdle is assistant director of the Energy Action Network.

Montpelier Energy Challenge

The Br idge august 22– september 4 , 2013 , • page 9

by Johanna Miller

What if you could borrow money to make your home cheaper to heat and light and pay back the

loan with less money than you save? That is the goal of the Property Assessed Clean Energy or PACE program. Many of us have been waiting for PACE to get underway in Vermont, but for several reasons, the in-novative financing mechanism has not been available, until now.

On September 1, Efficiency Vermont will open a subscription period to homeown-ers in towns that have voted to enable and implement the PACE program, including Montpelier. That means homeowners can opt to participate in the program, and be-cause of the unique flexibility of how PACE works, it’s likely many will.

PACE allows homeowners to make a wide range of approved efficiency or renewable en-ergy investments—efficiency retrofits, solar hot water, solar PV, pellet stoves and more—without taking out another bank loan. It provides flexibility for those who might not know how long they will stay in their homes, like young families or older folks. The as-sessment costs stay with the property, not the person, if the home is sold. Unlike a tra-ditional bank loan, the PACE program also allows people to make the energy investment today, and then pay back the cost of that in-vestment over a much longer period—up to 20 years. The goal of PACE is to try to assure that people can pay their PACE assessment charges with money they save through lower energy costs—and have a little cash left over.

PACE uses municipalities’ power to create local assessment districts for residents to sup-

port services, such as water and sewer, and residents pay those assessments back through a monthly or quarterly billing process. PACE is similar, with one important exception: only those people who play, pay.

PACE can allow people with limited bor-rowing capacity, or those who are unwill-ing to take on debt, to make needed energy improvements. For lower income Vermonters interested in making efficiency investments, the deal could be especially sweet this Septem-ber. The Vermont Public Service Department (PSD)has created the PACE Interest Rate Buy Down Program to offer income-eligible Ver-monters an attractive 2.99 percent interest rate. While the PSD anticipates all income-qualified applicants will be able to secure this rate for efficiency-only improvements, the limited funds available to buy down interest rates are first-come, first-served.

“PACE is not for everyone, but it offers Vermont homeowners an important option and the opportunity to take a ‘whole home’ approach, investing in both efficiency and renewables, in a convenient, flexible and affordable way,” said Peter Adamczyk, man-aging consultant at the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation.

Find out more about PACE, the upcom-ing September subscription period and the limited interest rate buy down, and sign up by contacting Efficiency Vermont at 888-921-5990 or pace@efficiencyvermont.com or visit efficiencyvermont.com/pace.

Johanna Miller is the energy program direc-tor at the Vermont Natural Resources Council: vnrc.org.

At Long Last: PACE Clean Energy Financing Available in Montpelier

The Home Energy Challenge:

Save Energy, Save Money

by Johanna Miller

It’s never too early to start saving energy—and money! Helping neigh-bors do exactly that is the goal of the Vermont Home Energy Challenge, now underway in 78 communities, including Montpelier. The goal of the challenge is to inspire more Vermonters to invest in a comprehensive home energy retrofit as a way to stop heating the outdoors and wasting money.

Before the cold weather hits, now is a great time to look into tightening up your home. A home energy retrofit can reduce your home’s energy consumption, often times by one-third or more. That’s a lot of energy—and dollars—saved.

Since every energy job must start with a home energy audit, there is also an additional $100 contractor discount off. Most Washington County efficiency contractors will offer a limited time discount of another $100 on the audit, thanks to the work of the Montpelier Energy Advisory committee. The incen-tives, offered by Efficiency Vermont, can shave about $2,000 off the cost of a retrofit project. And any Vermonter can sign up today and save an additional $500—on top of other incentives—if you complete a home weatherization job by the end of the year. It just makes cents! It will also help Montpelier win the challenge.

Start saving money, living more com-fortably and take a big bite out of the state’s contributions to climate change. Retrofit today! Find out more about the vhallenge and available incentives at ef-ficiencyvermont.com/homeenergychal-lenge or contact Efficiency Vermont’s customer support at 888-921-5990.

Johanna Miller is energy program direc-tor and VECAN coordinator at Vemont Natural Resources Council.

page 10 • august 22– september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

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The Br idge august 22– september 4 , 2013 , • page 11

by Anne Watson and Amy Brooks Thorn-ton

“The bottom line for sustainability is that we must learn to live on our natural income rather than deplete our natural capital.”

—Toward Sustainable Communities by Mark Roseland

Anne Watson, Montpelier High School phys-ics teacher, City Council member and Ultimate Frisbee coach, tells us how she saves power in her everyday life. One of her biggest energy saving efforts is the source of much discussion: Recently, she planted a photovoltaic (PV) solar array on her roof. Last month, she had a bill of negative $30.09 from Green Mountain Power after generating 291 kilowatts (kWhs) of energy and net metering (putting energy back into the grid). Although Vermont law requires utilities to absorb some of that excess power, Washing-ton Electric Cooperative (WEC), which services East Montpelier, is pushing back. WEC says it has met its legal requirements and wants to limit residents to net metering no more than 5 kWhs. Otherwise, WEC warns, customers who are not putting homegrown power back into the grid will be forced to be responsible for a larger share of the grid maintenance cost.

In the classroom, on the field and at City Hall, Anne exudes energy; we’ ll now hear how she stores it up.

As a physics teacher I spend a lot of time talking about energy, and so I’ve collected a few pointers over the years

about how to save energy—mostly from Efficiency Vermont and Yestermorrow. It might also be worth mentioning that I have no stake in any of this. No one is paying me to advertise any particular technology or be-havior; I’m just calling it like I see it. These are just tips. Every home is different. Don’t sue me if it backfires.

electricityI’m in love with nonelectric machinery,

my grandfather clock for instance. However, if you have to use electric, it’s pretty good at moving things, small motors for example, but really bad at anything heating or cooling related. Thus, the biggest electric demand in a house would be on heating- and cooling-related appliances. So my list of energy sav-ing tips would most certainly start with air conditioners, dryers, and jacuzzis.

I recognize that everything has a time and place, and I have been thankful for each one of those things at different times, and I certainly don’t want my grandmother to give up her air conditioning, but frankly, I don’t need one. I have every reason to believe that for someone of my demographic, sweating can only be a good thing.

Dryers: Why would I use an incredible amount of electricity for something that happens naturally, if only I would just be a little patient? As long as I’m not under the gun to wash and dry my Ultimate jersey for the next day, I’m just as content to wait. For the same electric-to-heat reasons, if you have a refrigerator that’s more than 15 years old, it’s definitely worth investing in a new one that will be more efficient.

Incandescent light bulbs might as well be thought of as small electric heaters, but

they are nice under humid conditions. That said, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are significantly more efficient than incan-descents, but the risk of breaking them upon screwing them in or unscrewing them makes me nervous due to their mercury content. Instead I’ve switched over almost entirely to light-emitting diode bulbs. They’re defi-nitely more expensive per bulb than CFLs, but they’re more efficient and pay for them-selves over the course of their lifetimes.

They’re small, but power strips go a long way. They’re not that expensive, but if you actually use them, they’ll pay for themselves many times over since many appliances draw power even when they’re “off.” This is known as phantom power.

Be wary of the devices that you simply leave on when you’re not around. For example, let’s say it’s time for bed. Are all the lights off? Do I really need the bathroom fan on all night? Do I really need to leave my music or TV on while I’m out running errands? No. No, you don’t. Those hours add up.

HeatSaving money thermally is all about con-

trolling the air flow (and moisture) through a house. Yes, insulation is important. But if all you had was insulation, it would be like wearing only a sweater on a cold day outside: you’d also want something to break the wind. Air sealing is at least as important as the insulation.

As long as moisture isn’t an issue, any-where air is uncontrollably getting through your house, it’s worth sealing. This could be through an unsealed fireplace or through cracks in a stone foundation, around ducts or out an un-air-sealed attic.

Do you have monster icicles coming from your roof every winter? That’s a good indi-cation that you’re losing heat out your roof. The heat melts the snow on the roof, which then runs down and refreezes in the below-freezing air. These ice dams are a good indi-cator that it would be worthwhile to insulate and air-seal your attic or roof space. It’s sort of like a big advertisement to your neighbors saying, “Hey! I’m losing bucket loads of heat through my attic!”

My building was constructed within the last six years, which means it’s pretty tight. Having a newish house is not exactly a “daily habit,” but it makes a big difference. If I lived in an older house, I would get an energy audit if I could afford it. This is where someone from a contracting company does a few tests on your house and pokes around to find energy-saving opportunities. And if I couldn’t afford an audit, I would ask my buddy with an infrared camera to check out my house in the middle of winter to see where the leaks were. Those images can be incredibly infor-mative, plus they’re kinda neat!

As far as habits go, I don’t leave my win-dows open in the winter. When I boil a pot of water to cook peas or something I don’t just pour the water down the drain, I might let it sit overnight. As it cools down to room temperature it helps heat the room. OK, I know. That’s crazy. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that one.

Everybody thinks that replacing windows is the best energy-saving investment, but for most homeowners it probably should be

the last thing on the list. Windows can be very expensive to replace and aren’t generally going to improve your heating profile all that much.

Transportation First on my checklist is to live close to

where you work or work from home. I in-tentionally chose the place where I presently live so that I could walk or bike to work if I’m feeling able. And if I would just wake up 10 minutes earlier, I could also take the Montpelier Circulator bus from the Hunger Mountain Coop. But lord knows, I often choose that 10 minutes of sleep as a trade-off to have enough energy to face four classes a day of physics students.

energy efficient Houses?Last year I gave an assignment to my stu-

dents in which they had to tally their families’ electricity and heating bills for one year and divide that by the square footage of their homes to come up with an efficiency measure of their house in Btus per square foot (Btu/sqft). (One Btu, or British thermal unit, is the amount of energy needed to cool or heat 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.)

I created a histogram of the results (see bar graph). Theoretically, an efficient house should be using 40,000 Btu/sqft or less. Of the 35 students who completed the assign-ment, only four students were within the target efficient range. Sure, this may not be a statistically significant sample size for Montpelier, but it’s still interesting that the modal house in Montpelier uses about twice as much energy as an energy efficient home. Indeed, the majority of homes were more than twice the recommended efficiency rat-ing. I believe this has mainly to do with the age of the housing stock in Montpelier.

Of course, I have much more to say on this topic, but this is plenty for now. I would love to talk about fuel switching and the different options people have and about Ef-ficiency Vermont’s programs to replace old refrigerators and about the Home Energy Efficiency Challenge. How awesome would it be if homes came with an efficiency rat-ing like a MPG rating for a car, but instead for a house? Why haven’t we developed such a standard yet? So much to say. Clearly, I could go on.

Addendum: While my PV system was being installed, I was driving home from work one afternoon when I saw I had a call from the installer. My buddy, Phil, the installer from Same Sun of Vermont, told

me that he had run into an unexpected problem with my condo. The PV system was all up and ready to go, it just needed to be patched into my system. He was at my electric meter and switched off the breaker so that he wouldn’t electrocute himself. But then decided to go into my garage to flip the breaker on my electric panel there as well “just for good measure.” So he went in my garage and all my lights were still on! What did this mean? Well, the short version is that what was labeled as my electric meter did not in fact connect to my condo. Nope. I had been paying my neighbor’s electric bill and he had been paying mine for five years! And I’ll give you one guess as to who was paying more, like $1,300 per year more. Sure there were times that I went on vacation and was like “wait a minute, this bill can’t be right,” but who suspects that the meter was actu-ally wrong? Someone from Green Mountain Power came out and confirmed that it had been switched. My neighbor, God bless him, offered to square up with me, but since this was a construction error, the builder stepped up and paid the difference. Kudos to J. A. Morrissey for stepping right up. No ques-tion. No hesitation. Very honorable. Can you imagine, though, if the installer had not gone in to flip the other breaker? It would have been patched in to my neighbor’s sys-tem, and it could have been months to figure it out, rewire and approve it!

Daily Energy Saving Habits with Anne

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A new system of adding glass to old double-hung windows gives you the look and function for less than the cost of replacement windows. Call 802-229-6880 or go to opensash.com.

Anne Watson winds up her nonelectric, gravity-run, and time-tested machinery: her grandfather clock. Photo by Amy Brooks Thornton.

Histogram of results from Watson’s assignment.

page 12 • august 22– september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

by Nat Frothingham

Nine thousand dollars. According to a 2010 funeral price survey by the Na-

tional Funeral Directors Association, a typi-cal traditional funeral and burial will cost at least that amount. A November 9, 2012, article on CNN Money, the online version of Money Magazine, sets the average cost of laying a loved one to rest even higher at $10,000.

An extensive online presentation on fu-neral costs and expenses quotes informa-tion from the National Funeral Directors Association that states “the average cost of a ‘regular adult funeral’ (funeral with em-balming, viewing and a metal casket) is now $7,323.” But this $7,323 cost is from 2006 and does not include the cemetery plot, grave marker, flowers or obituary notices that are

typically part of this type of funeral. When these other expenses are added, the cost rises to $9,000.

But paying out $9,000 or more for funeral expenses need not be inevitable, according to Mary Alice Bisbee, a Montpelier resident and a green burial advocate, if people take the time to consider the options, make criti-cal choices and plan ahead. Bisbee says it’s possible to avoid many of these expenses with cremation and placement of the ashes in a cardboard box with a memorial service open to friends and family.

Bisbee will present a discussion of green burial on Friday, August 23, at the Mont-pelier Senior Activity Center on 58 Barre Street, Montpelier, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Before the discussion, a short video, Dying Green, will be screened. For further informa-tion, please phone 223-8140.

Mary Alice Bisbee Discusses Green Burial, August 23

by Nat Frothingham

In this, its 21st season, the 2013 Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival under the artistic leadership of Peter Sanders

appears once again to be spreading its bril-liant, diaphanous wings.

As understood by Sanders, a festival is more than a series of performances. It’s an astonishingly diverse string of small and large musical events in more than one place and for more than one audience that aims overall to celebrate and enchant.

The offerings of this year’s festival, which began on August 12 and will end on August 25, included open rehearsals, a concert for kids, a French horn master class, a live per-formance on Vermont Public Radio Classical with Walter Parker, a concert at Chandler on August 17 and a breakfast with Bach and encore concert in Woodstock on August 18.

In the closing days of the festival there will be a free open rehearsal at Chandler Music Hall on Thursday, August 22, at 7 p.m., and an Island Time Steel Band concert for kids on Friday, August 23 at 11 a.m. at Chandler.

Of special interest to Montpelier-area resi-dents is a Friday, August 23, concert at 8 p.m. at the Unitarian Church on Main Street in Montpelier.

The festival concludes with a concert at Chandler on Saturday, August 24, at 8 p.m. and an outdoor performance of Island Time Steel Band at 12:30 p.m. at the Randolph gazebo at North Main and Pleasant streets, an event that is free and open to everyone.

Chamber Music Festival Concert in Montpelier on August 23

review and Notes on august 17 Chamber Music Concert at Chandler

by Nat Frothingham

For a number of reasons—and perhaps because it was the opening concert of the 2013 Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival season—there was a palpable feel-ing of excitement at the start of the Saturday evening, August 17, concert in Chan-

dler Music Hall in Randolph. That feeling of great moment can also be explained by a message from artistic director Peter Sanders in the concert program, which announced that the August 17 concert was being performed in memory of Randolph resident and longtime friend of the festival John H. Jackson.

Chandler Music Hall was built by Colonel Albert B. Chandler in the early 1900s, and for its first two decades or so, it flourished. But after the 1927 flood and World War II and with the advent of radio, movies and then television, the music hall faded as a place to enjoy live performance. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that the hall was rediscovered, and it was John Jackson, along with others, who played an indispensable role in bringing the Chandler Music Hall back to life.

Jackson had the vision. He also contributed his many talents and abilities and count-less hours of his time as the music hall was slowly brought back into the mainstream of Randolph-area community life. In honoring Jackson, Sanders wrote.

This past year we lost a long-time festival friend and supporter, John Jackson. Mr. Jackson’s

wonderful smile was omnipresent at festival events, especially at open rehearsals. I am not sure if I can remember him ever not attending those Thursday night rehearsals. It is my understanding that John was a Shostakovich fan and so with the Shostakovich Two Violins & Piano pieces, we dedicate the first program of the 21st season to the memory of John Jackson. We will miss you.

The August 17 concert opened with a Duo for Viola and Cello in E-flat major by Lud-

wig van Beethoven performed by Arturo Delmoni on viola and Peter Sanders on cello.The Five Pieces for Two Violins and Piano by Dmitri Shostakovich were notable for

their mood changes from dark to light and from elegy to dance. Navarra (Spanish dance) by Pablo de Sarasate is a showcase piece that tested the range of the two violins and piano—Latin and passionate, with high feeling and theatrics.

After intermission, the Johannes Brahms Horn Trio in E-flat major, with violinist Basia Danilow, pianist Jung Lin and horn player Ellen Dinwiddie Smith, produced the deep sentiment and brooding for which Brahms is known. But the piece ends with a joyful close, and horn player Ellen Dinwiddie Smith was totally equal to the range of moods that Brahms creates in his powerful work.

If the August 17 concert is any measure of things to come, then the August 23 concert at the Unitarian Church in Montpelier should be a “not to be missed” event.

In discussing the August 24 Montpelier concert that features violin duos by Bartok and Berio and a Walter Piston duo for viola and violoncello, Sanders drew special atten-tion to the Max Bruch string quartet that comes late in the program after intermission. That Max Bruch string quartet was not a piece that Sanders knew, but it was suggested to him by a friend. When Sanders heard it played, he said, “It caught my ear. It sounded like Mendelssohn.” Sanders’s friend had said, “I think you will like it.” And after hearing it, Sanders agreed. “I did like it,” he said.

Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival director Peter Sanders. Photo by Bob Eddy.

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The Br idge august 22– september 4 , 2013 , • page 13

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by Bob Nuner

Within an hour, late in the after-noon of August 13, The Bridge received four press releases decry-

ing a Washington Electric Coop (WEC) decision to trim its net-metering program, wherein customers install generation equip-ment (usually photovoltaic [pv] panels) and sell power back to WEC. There were two releases from Renewable Energy Vermont (REV), the second of which altered an initial assertion that the 5 kilowatt (kW) net-me-tering projects WEC said it would continue to allow after October 1 were “far smaller than required by an average Vermont home-owner,” revising that to “smaller than what is required,” plus one press release each from Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) and Vermont Natural Resource Council (VNRC). REV’s executive direc-tor, Gabrielle Stebbins, stated, “Vermonters, regardless of income, should have the right to net-meter their own energy. And utilities should pay a fair rate on the energy gener-ated by their customers, which includes the full benefit of these new, distributed sources of electricity, including the environmental benefits, transmission cost savings, peak-shaving benefits, and the fact that these systems are long-term generation assets that their customers are financing, permitting, and constructing. This move undermines those two principles.”

The U.S. Energy Information Admin-istration says Vermont’s 2011 average an-nual household electricity consumption was 6,876 kilowatt hours (kWh) or about 19 kWh/day. Some households use more; some

considerably less. According to renewable power consultant Hilton Dier, “5,000 watts will produce about 6,000 kWh annually in Vermont in ideal conditions, which is about 16.4 kWh a day average. Your average Ver-mont household uses about 18 to 20 kWh a day.”

WEC’s new general manager, Patricia Richards, confirmed that the utility has, in fact, determined that it will no longer entertain new net-metering projects larger than 5kW after October 1. The member-owned utility reached its mandated 4 percent legislative goal for net metering back in late 2012 and is no longer obligated to allow new net-metering projects at all. Currently, WEC says it is 6 percent of peak load in net metering as of the end of July. The co-op will continue to allow net metering but with the five kW cap.

WEC says the problem is “cost shifting.” If the utility must maintain its lines, poles, staff, emergency response ability and infra-structure, the cost to do so falls more heavily on those who don’t net-meter.

What REV, VPIRG and VNRC charac-terize as a retreat from a successful effort to embrace renewables, WEC describes as an effort to forestall further cost shifting of fixed infrastructure costs associated with electrical power delivery—a shift from net-metered customers, who were able to afford investment in renewable generation projects, to those who do not yet own solar arrays, wind turbines or mini-hydro projects.

As the unintended consequences of im-proved fuel economy have created shortfalls in fuel tax revenues that support transporta-tion infrastructure, electrical efficiency and

net-metering advances are coming under fire for constraining financial support of the electrical grid.

WEC appears poised to ask legislators to review electrical infrastructure fund-ing: “The Co-op is preparing to work with lawmakers in the 2014 legislative session to revise the program design to address cost shift among members, yet continue the net-metering program’s successful imple-mentation. WEC believes lawmakers can encourage the addition of more renewable generation through net metering and other programs, and strive for fairness and af-fordability among members. We think both goals are achievable.”

WEC general manager Richards says, “We won’t ever be able to eliminate all cost shift-ing, but we have to create fair and equitable rates as much as possible.” WEC plans to work with the legislature to suggest changes to the net-metering laws. Its goal is to en-courage renewable power development that still enables utilities to recover infrastructure costs fairly among all members, including net-metering members.

One idea is to pursue small renewable power development through the state’s standard offer program, wherein small dis-tributed renewable generation can be con-structed anywhere in Vermont but both costs and benefits are in turn distributed to all Vermont utilities based on their pro-rata size share.

Net Metering: The Cost of Change Funding Infrastructure in the Face of Technological Disruption

Photo of Anne Watson’s rooftop photovoltaic array. Photo courtesy of Anne Watson.

page 14 • august 22– september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

Top: Map of central Vermont’s bike paths, both existing and planned, as of August 2013. Previ-ous maps included a planned bike path through Berlin, but that path was located on land now reserved for a railway siding intended for assembly of trains hauling granite rubble. The railroad required the siding because granite-filled rail cars must descend from the hills in small numbers, then assemble in larger trains before moving to Montpelier Junction. Alternative Berlin bike path proposals are complicated by land availability issues and the presence of wetland or waterways. Attention is now focused on the shoulders of the Barre-Montpelier road. A source of Montpelier’s recreational maps in PDF form is montpelier-vt.org/community/159/Maps.html, with maps of Hubbard and North Branch parks and the city’s downtown recreational paths. Regional bike path map courtesy of Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission’s senior transportation planner Steve Gladczuk.

Bottom: Green Mountain Transit Authority provides opportunities to get around town without a car in a variety of locations, such as Morrisville, St. Albans, Williamstown, Burlington and St. Johnsbury. This route map for Montpelier’s free Circulator bus is one of 16-plus schedules available at gmtaride.org/capital-district/routes-schedules-cd.html. Map courtesy of GMTA’s community relations manager Tawnya Kristen.

by Bob Nuner

World War II brought scrap metal drives, packets of yellow dye to color margarine and, if families

had a car (often just one), ration coupons for tires and gasoline. To save, people carpooled. Mothers partnered with friends or neighbors, planning trips—usually just downtown—for groceries and other necessities.

Fast-forward to the second decade of the 21st century after a hundred years of car culture, with suburbs and malls built around cars and a sprawling network of interstate highways. Today, different imperatives are causing some Vermonters to rethink how to get around. Proponents of a car-less lifestyle say car ownership is expensive.

rent itCarShare Vermont (carsgarevt.org), based

in Burlington, pegs car ownership at about $500 a month before gas and maintenance expenses for something that sits idle most of the day, and Ross MacDonald of Vermont’s Go! Vermont public transportation and ride clearinghouse refers to a AAA Travel Services estimate of car ownership at $8,000 a year.

CarShare Vermont offers drivers a daily or hourly rental. Current rates for low monthly usage are $7.50 per hour plus 30 cents per mile or $85 per day including 125 miles, after payment of a $5 monthly or $50 annual fee. Drivers anticipating higher usage pay lower usage rates and a higher annual or monthly fee. Usage rates include fuel and insurance.

Pool itThe Vermont Agency of Transporta-

tion (VTrans) offers Go! Vermont, a public transportation and car-pool clearinghouse at connectingcommuters.org, which offers information about car pooling, buses, trains, ferries, van pools, car sharing, biking, walk-ing, park-and-ride locations, auto energy ef-ficiency tips and electric vehicle charging stations. The state subsidizes 13 van pools, at $700 per month each.

Go! Vermont also offers Capital Commut-ers, a program that provides state employees 50 percent off bus passes and participation in the Go! Vermont’s Guaranteed Ride Home program, preferred parking for vans and car pools, plus perks from local sponsoring busi-nesses for those who walk “and/or bike eight round trips a month.” Employees sign up at the visitors center or the security desk at the state’s offices at National Life. MacDonald says the Capital Commuters program can demonstrate to other businesses how small, regional Transportation Demand Manage-ment organizations work.

Commuters at Go! Vermont’s car-pool site can calculate savings per rider after inputting trip miles, gas mileage and gas price. The site also explains the terms of Go! Vermont’s Guaranteed Ride Home program, which ad-dresses the risk of being marooned without a ride.

Another Go! Vermont link, Zimride, con-nects potential car poolers or car-sharing candidates at zimride.com/govermont. Zim-ride provides the option for registrants to use their Facebook profiles to enable riders and drivers to find (and vet) one another. The

site’s “Help” tab offers a demonstration video that explains how to use the site and how to find riders or drivers for daily commuting or occasional one-time trips. While Zim-ride’s initial partners were colleges and cor-porations, Vermont is its first state sponsor. People who use the service negotiate trip fees separately, but the issue of money is raised up front, which helps avoid awkwardness later. MacDonald says that, using Zimride, the state has referred 1,463 users since November 1, 2012. Assuming a 20 percent utilization rate on any given day, that has saved, at this point, 669,000 miles and $368,000—well worth, argues MacDonald, the $23,000 an-nual subsidy the state pays for the service.

MacDonald says the state chose Zimride because it was “the most user friendly and robust ride-sharing clearinghouse.” Re-cently, Zimride’s directory listed 52 queries for travel destinations of New York, 10 for Montreal, three for Burlington, and then 62 “commute origins” from Burlington, 35 from Montpelier and 19 from Waterbury.

Plug itOther intriguing Go! Vermont links in-

clude two vehicle-charging site directories that offer real-time site availability: drive-electricvt.com and chargepoint.com showed charging sites at City Hall and by the State House, as well as Burlington, Middlebury, Vergennes and Royalton. Driveelectricvt.com claims that “Charging an EV [electric ve-hicle] is like paying $1 a gallon,” that ve-hicles with regenerative braking save wear and tear on brakes and that electric vehicles have fewer parts to maintain. (See George Plumb’s article on electric vehicles on page 15.)

Leave it at HomeFinally, consider leaving the car at home

and walking, busing or biking to your des-tination. Tawnya Kristen, Green Mountain Transit Authority’s community relations man-ager, notes that in addition to bike racks in front of its local and circulator buses, the new 86 Link buses to Burlington from Montpelier have room for four bikes stowed out of the weather beneath the bus.

If practical, get the kids to walk or bike to school. In The Bridge’s May 16 issue, Bill Merylees profiled Vermont’s Safe Routes to School program, associated with a federal program. Safe Routes to Schools says it “is a worldwide movement . . . to make it safe, convenient and fun for children to bicycle and walk to school. When routes are safe, walking and biking to school are fun, easy and inexpensive ways for students to get some of the daily physical activity they need for good health.” The rationale for this initiative, according to Vermont’s website (saferoutesvt.org), is that “only about 10 percent of children walk to school every day. There are several reasons for this sharp decline. For one, the journey between home and school has become longer and more treacherous because of de-cades of auto-oriented development . . . com-pounded by the trend towards building new schools far away from residential areas. Then, too, there are the fears and concerns of parents about exposing their children to threats from strangers and motor vehicles.”

State Encourages Drivers to Leave Cars at HomeCentral Vermont Regional Bike Path Status - 8/13

The Br idge august 22– september 4 , 2013 , • page 15

by George Plumb

A year ago I leased a Mitsubishi MiEV. Shortly after, The Bridge published my article on driving an electric ve-

hicle (EV) in their November 15, 2012 issue. After a year of driving it, including one win-ter, I can now safely say that it has worked out very well for me. It’s fun to drive and has cost me almost nothing except for the lease fee and the insurance, and it even worked out well during the cold weather. And it is such a pleasure to never stop at gas stations anymore!

I easily drive from my home in Wash-ington to Montpelier and back, a distance of 32 miles, on half a charge. I plug it in my 110 outlet when I get home, and the next morning I am ready to go again. If I am going to be in Montpelier for a while, I sometimes plug it in at one of the two faster public charging stations at City Hall or by the State House on Governor Avenue, and in a short time, I have a full charge and at no expense. I have even driven out of “my comfort range” to some more distant places, like Connecticut River towns, but have al-ways gotten back home with a few miles to spare because I am careful to keep the car at its most efficient speed, which is about 55 miles per hour, and use the downhills to regenerate electricity.

During the winter, I was a little anxious about driving in the snow. Because I am leasing the car, I did not want to spend the money to put winter tires on it. For-tunately, even though I live at the top of a

hill on a dirt road, there was generally no problem. However, a couple of times, when there was a heavy snowfall, I decided I didn’t want to take any chances with it and used my backup vehicle, a very old Astro Van. But I understand that those who use winter tires on EVs find that the traction is good.

There is also a concern with cold weather, because if you turn on the air heater then it drains down the battery much faster, which means the driving range is shorter. A less energy use option is to use the seat heater and cover your lap with a blanket. I made certain to always dress warmly, and there were only a couple of days when I was uncomfortable. Even though I didn’t heat the car, I still had to defrost the windshield window, and that also decreased the range. Despite these drawbacks, I rarely used my backup vehicle.

EVs are gaining in popularity, albeit slowly. There are several of us in central Ver-mont now driving EVs, and the technology is definitely improving for driving distance. To learn more about driving electric cars and the availability of public changing stations, go to drivelectricvt.com. If you want to try driving a Mitsubishi, which is the lowest price EV available, contact me at Plumb.george@gmail.com.

A Year with an Electric Car

Electric car owner George Plumb of William-stown demonstrates the charging station at the corner of Governor Aiken Avenue and State Street in Montpelier. Photo by Bob Nuner.

page 16 • august 22– september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

by Bob Nuner

At a waterfall and former industrial site in North Troy, Vermont, minutes from the Canadian border, entrepre-

neurs from the Montpelier area are resur-recting a hydro site that hasn’t seen activity, they estimate, since 1854. From 1907 into the early 1970s, the site hosted a veneer mill and after that, for a time, an electrical power generation facility.

Concrete work and building construction hark back to the time of the ’27 flood, in the estimation of Robby Porter, one of four part-ners in Missisquoi River Hydro. He notes that the site has witnessed “a lot of ingenu-ity over the years.” The partnership’s other members are Hilton Dier III (the group’s sole optimist, jokes Porter), Gordon Grunder and Lori Barg, a silent partner.

Dormant for nearly a dozen years after a major breakdown at the facility, in 2011 the site was about to lose its federal exemption to operate as a power dam when the firm began reinvigorating it. Now, after a couple of years of permit applications, extensive cleanup, labor and renovations, the firm intends to start sending about 220 kilowatts of power to Vermont Electric Cooperative, generating up to 1.3 million kilowatt-hours annually, or enough electricity to power roughly 175 to 200 average Vermont households.

Rebuilding has not been quick and easy. The partners had to do extensive renovations to the concrete penstock supports, repair the turbine’s wicket gates and their mechanisms that control water flow and, to ensure a clean water supply, build and install large new steel trash racks, which prevent debris from entering the system. They also replaced

the turbine’s heavy belt drive, extracting and replacing the one-ton pulley by crane through the powerhouse roof—along with powerhouse repairs, replacing a few windows and adding a new skylight, and installing new hydraulic controls, new bearings and new 480-volt three-phase wiring. With a few critical tweaks and adjustments remaining (and permits finally in place), they intend to soon send power to the grid.

During a short visit, I found Dier and Porter wielding large wrenches and checking levels, shimming the massive generator, and working on last minute details, such as aligning the pulley and belt and the turbine’s drive pulley.

Starting at the upstream end, the site’s main features include a pair of 10-foot-square trash racks that guard the intake arches alongside a long horizontal concrete box called the forebay, where water for the headgate is collected and impounded. Then a hydraulically controlled headgate adjusts water volume headed for the penstock—a six-foot-diameter iron tube carrying water 225 feet downstream to the wicket gate, which sports a dozen adjustable vanes that enable further water volume control as the gravity-powered water reaches the turbine’s vanes in a chamber beneath the generator. A vertical surge tower rising out of the turbine chamber provides relief from “water ham-mer” at the turbine and wicket gate assem-bly, should the turbine experience a sudden blockage in water flow. The turbine’s massive vertical shaft turns a large, toothed, iron pul-ley, which, in turn drives a wide rubber belt that spins the generator’s smaller pulley at a faster rate—all for the electrons we need for our cell phones, computers, medical equip-ment, toasters and toys.

What’s Old Is New: Hydropower in Vermont

by Nat Frothingham

In early August, Montpelier artist and architect Tom Leytham was notified by the Vermont Arts Council that he was

the recipient of a Creation Grant. This award will make it possible for Leytham to extend his travels across Vermont and the surround-ing region so that he can continue to dis-cover and document postindustrial sites and, through drawing and painting, illuminate their meaning and importance.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and what we see when we look out on the aban-doned, often ruined buildings, machinery and artifacts of a now-past American industrial age depends on our perspective. We might see just trash, or we might see the valued remnants of history and what history can teach us.

Way back when (and we can go back as far as the 19th century or earlier), Americans were hard at work making useful things. They were growing cotton or raising sheep, and the cotton or wool was spun into cloth; they were cutting stone from quarries and making gran-ite blocks; and they were digging up clay and molding, drying and firing bricks.

During the course of his grant-funded project, Leytham will produce 30 to 40 mixed-media paintings and pen-and-ink drawings. He will then exhibit his work at regional museums and arts centers in Ver-mont and across northern New England. He also plans to offer a week-long immersion field drawing workshop to interested ama-teurs, students and professionals, and he will be sharing his studies, finished images and stories in a series of online dispatches titled “Continuing Studies in Architecture.” These dispatches are already reaching an online audience of 250 design and arts professionals and drawing aficionados across the country

and in the Caribbean.Here, from his successful grant proposal to

the Vermont Arts Council, is how Leytham writes about the abandoned working land-scapes of Vermont and the surrounding re-gion and how he describes and conveys how these landscapes can be seen as ruined and irrelevant or as important historical markers that tell us about a period in our history that was typified by enterprise and boldness and, in its own time, valued innovation.

Monumental mills, quarries, plants, facto-ries and railroad structures were integral to and the pride of both rural and urban locales in Vermont and the surrounding region for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, these aging and disappearing buildings and installations have come to symbolize the demise of the industrial economy, resource depletion, and environmental degradation; yet, they are also important cultural artifacts that demon-strate enterprise, bold engineering, and often, craftsmanship.

Apart from producing his mixed media paintings and pen-and-ink drawings, Leytham hopes to raise public awareness and appreciation for the “aesthetic qualities and workmanship” of past industrial landscapes:

By treating (these historical industrial land-scapes) as community and storied landmarks as important as other more well recognized, archi-tectural treasures, I hope to motivate viewers of all stripes—especially, town officials, planners, engineers, developers, teachers and students—to look at “the other working landscape” with a fresh eye.

Architect-Artist Tom Leytham invites anyone reading this article to suggest aban-doned industrial sites in Vermont and the surrounding region that he might not be aware of. Please contact Leytham online at tbla@together.net

Vermont Arts Council Awards Creation Grant to Architect-Artist Tom Leytham

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The Br idge August 22– september 4 , 2013 , • pAge 17

“Well-designed food policies can help to encourage sustainability by increasing green spaces and reduc-ing food packaging. They can contribute to the economy by supporting local food producers, processors,

distributors, and retailers.” —Toward Sustainable Communities, Mark Roseland

Previous page, upper left: One of a series of industrial architecture drawings by Thomas B. Leytham, architect. Sketch is of structure be-hind the Veterans of Foreign Wars off Pioneer Street. Sketch courtesy of Thomas B. Leytham.

This page: Left column: Series of views of Missisquoi River Hydro project in North Troy, including penstock, headgate and partner Robby Porter working on generator. Photos by Bob Nuner.

Top right: Williamstown’s solar array off of I-89, one of Vermont’s largest solar arrays covering 16 acres, ideally generates 2 mega-watts (MW) of energy, enough electricity to power 1,000 homes, the same as only one 2 MW wind turbine operating at capacity. Less than ideal energy-creating conditions reduces these numbers. For instance, with typical wind conditions a 2 MW wind turbine provides electricity for only 400 homes. Photo by Amy Brooks Thornton.

pAge 18 • August 22–september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

Advertise! 223-5112

by Cassandra Hemenway

Americans waste. That includes me. It includes you. The average person generates 4.5 pounds of trash daily,

or about 1.5 tons per year. Although the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 75 percent of solid waste is recyclable, Vermonters have been stuck at recycling only 30 to 36 percent of their waste for the past 10 years. We can do better. We can waste less, and we can recycle more.

It takes far less energy to create products from recycled material than from virgin ma-terials, and the energy needed to extract re-sources from the earth is saved. For example, recycling aluminum cans saves 95 percent of the energy used to make the same cans from new material, according to Keep America Beautiful, a national community improve-ment organization.

But recycling does not save energy if we continue to consume more, using up more resources, even if we maintain our current recycling rate. It saves much more energy to consume less, use reused and repurposed items, and sell or give away used items, than

it does to buy new and then throw the dis-cards in the recycling bin.

The Vermont Legislature recognized what a huge energy savings happens through re-cycling by passing, in 2012, Act 148, which requires both recycling, by 2015, and divert-ing organics from landfills, by 2020. Act 148 recognizes that the stuff we once called trash is actually resources, be it the one-time-use soda bottle or the leftovers scraped from a plate. According to the waste reduction com-pany Green Waste, if Americans composted our collective 21.5 million tons of annual food scraps, “the resulting reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be equivalent to taking more than two million cars off the road.”

Noting that the plastics industry has em-braced innovations in recyclables, author Amy Westervelt points out in Forbes maga-zine that the industry’s “interest in recycling is two-fold of course—on the one hand, by supporting recycling and helping to estab-lish infrastructure for plastic recycling, the industry ensures a steady supply of new ma-terials. On the other, it helps consumers to justify the consumption of more disposable plastic goods and packaged items if they can

comfort themselves with the idea that what-ever they toss in the bin will be recycled.”

Recycling saves energy. The trick is to recycle more, while consuming less. Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District (CVSWMD) provides the A–Z Guide on its website (cvswmd.org) to help residents dispose of everything from aerosol cans to yoga mats with emphasis on reuse. CVSWMD is also updating its Reuse Guide, which lists reuse, repair and rental shops that serve our 18 mem-ber towns to make it easier to reduce waste and, incidentally, support our local economy.

CVSWMD also runs the Additional Recy-clables Collection Center (ARCC) in Barre, where it accepts an eclectic mix of recyclables above and beyond the usual glass, tin and plastic. ARCC collections include foil-lined energy bar wrappers, scotch tape dispens-ers, books, textiles, small electronics, batteries and more. By tapping into a reuse and repair economy, recycling and composting, we can save significant amounts of energy. For ex-ample, the University of Vermont estimates the following:• One tonof recycledaluminumsaves

14,000 kWh of energy, 40 barrels of

oil, 238 million Btu’s of energy and 10 cubic yards of landfill space.

• Onetonofrecycledofficepapersaves4,100 kWh of energy, 9 barrels of oil, 54 million Btu’s of energy, 60 pounds of air pollutants from being released, 7,000 gallons of water and 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.

• One ton of recycled plastic saves5,774 kWh of energy, 16.3 barrels of oil, 98 million Btu’s of energy and 30 cubic yards of landfill space.

• One ton of recycled steel saves 642kWh of energy, 1.8 barrels of oil, 10.9 million Btus of energy and 4 cubic yards of landfill space.

Among all the bad news about climate change, reducing our own consumption and waste is an area where individuals have power. Simple, daily changes do make a difference. For more information about reducing waste, or details about the ARCC, go to cvswmd.org or call the CVSWMD at 229-9383.

Cassandra Hemenway is the zero waste out-reach coordinator at the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District and an award-winning writer.

Recycling Saves Energy—But Not If You Overconsume

Material recycling facility off Industrial Avenue in Williston, where recycled material from central Vermont is processed. Photo courtesy of Chittenden Solid Waste District.

The Br idge August 22– september 4 , 2013 , • pAge 19

Caption Here.

Constructing Our Way Through Summer and Fall

A Message from City HallThis page was paid for by the City of Montpelier.

by Bill Fraser, city manager

As anyone who has walked, biked or driven around Montpelier in the last few weeks has noticed, construction

is in full swing. Summer is winding down, and school and fall foliage are right around the corner. For city government, this also means the pressure is on to get those con-struction projects wrapped up before the snow flies! Residents of Montpelier can see the implementation of the additional fund-ing for infrastructure improvements that was included in this year’s budget in these projects as they walk, bike and drive around the city.

District Heat MontpelierDistrict heat Montpelier is a joint project

of the city of Montpelier and the state of Vermont to provide local renewable heat to downtown Montpelier. With the rebuild-ing of the state’s existing central heating plant, modern wood-fired boilers will heat the Capitol Complex and 20 public and private buildings in downtown Montpelier. Benefits of district heat include:

•Reducinghealth-threateningairemis-sions from fuel combustion in down-town Montpelier by as much as 11 tons per year.

• Replacingapproximately300,000gal-lons of oil per year, for both the state and downtown buildings, as a prime fuel source with locally and regionally produced wood chips, keeping that economic activity in the Northeast.

• Stabilizing fuel costs for city gov-ernment and the school department, allowing tax dollars to potentially be redirected toward services or infra-structure rather than to pay rising oil prices.

• Encouraging economic developmentin downtown Montpelier by provid-ing a cleaner and potentially cheaper source of heat for private building owners.

• Removingmany private oil furnacesand underground fuel oil storage tanks from potential flood areas.

ConstructionWhile the state of Vermont is rebuilding

the heat plant at 120 State Street (behind the DMV building), the city is installing preinsulated pipe underground, which will distribute hot water for heating to downtown buildings that have elected to connect to the system. Construction of the city’s distribu-tion system is well underway. Every day, Kingsbury Companies has had two crews in the city working to install pipe. Over the next month and a half, pipe will be installed from the state’s heat plant to Taylor Street, Langdon Street and Main Street. Addition-ally, Kingsbury will be making the connec-tions to the customers along the construction route before the end of September.

This work can be disruptive as it includes digging a trench, installing sophisticated preinsultated pipes and welding them to-gether. Often large pieces of machinery are needed to do this work. The location of the

trench and the placement of machinery often means that one (or, at times, two) lanes of traffic must be closed to do the work and en-sure the safety of crews and the public. Over the next two months, residents and visitors will notice significant disruption to traffic patterns, including the complete closing of Langdon Street for two weeks.

Kingsbury Companies is on schedule to meet the substantial completion date of Sep-tember 30, 2013 and the final completion date of October 31, 2013. This means that the distribution system will be installed and all the customers connected by the end of September. In October Kingsbury will work on paving and reconstituting the disturbed construction areas.

CustomersWe are excited to announce that we cur-

rently have 20 buildings and 15 customers signed on to connect to district heat. Four of these are city and school buildings, and the remaining are private businesses, nonprofits and governmental partners. While we con-tinue to receive inquires about connecting to district heat, we are not able to add any more customers this year. The current customer roster exceeds all of our original projections and estimates and sets the system up for stable financial performance once it is up and running. We are thankful for the inter-est and commitment to district heat from our community partners.

Infrastructure Improvement Projects

Over the past year City Council and res-idents of Montpelier have prioritized the funding of infrastructure improvement proj-ects. As a result of these priorities, the city has taken on an aggressive schedule of proj-

ects noted on the 2013 Street Work Sched-ule. This work is ramping up for the sum-mer, so residents and visitors will encounter these projects as they walk, bike and drive around the city.

These infrastructure improvement proj-ects include the paving of eight streets and the bike path. We know residents are excited to have Berlin Street paved, which will take place the last week in August and the first week in September. Other projects include sidewalk and storm drain reconstruction, culvert and retaining wall repairs and slope stabilization. We would like to call your attention to the storm drain reconstruction work happening at State Street and Bailey Avenue. While this work will address some of the flooding and run-off challenges in this area, it will be quite disruptive for the next six weeks as it is located at the busy intersec-tion of State Street and Bailey Avenue. Please watch for detour signs and flaggers, and plan an extra few minutes for your trip if you are passing this intersection.

State Street PavingMany of us would like to see State Street

repaved and parking added in downtown Montpelier. In order to meet both these goals and with the cooperation of our state govern-ment partners, we are excited to announce a phased plan for improving State Street.

Given the very poor condition and very high visibility of State Street, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has worked with the city to develop a temporary paving plan. VTrans will provide the city with funds to lay a shim coat of pavement on State Street this fall, as soon as the district heat work concludes. Shim coats (essentially paving over the existing road) are short-term solutions intended to last three to five years at most. As the shim coat does not require

digging into the road, milling the existing surface and resetting catch basins and utili-ties, it goes very quickly. We anticipate that the length of State Street can be shimmed in a day or two. The shim coat will provide a smooth road for this winter.

Over the fall and winter, the city of Mont-pelier will work with VTrans to develop plans and designs to reconfigure parking spaces on State Street in front of the State House. The preliminary realignment will result in 16 to 18 new spaces. Once these plans are in place and approved, the city of Montpelier, in conjunction with VTrans, will permanently repave State Street. Addi-tionally, the asphalt that is laid for the shim coat will be milled and reused in the final paving project so will not go to waste.

We are excited about this plan. Residents will have a smoother ride, the city will have a lot fewer potholes to fill, plowing will be much easier and VTrans and the city will have sufficient time to develop the full project, including additional parking. We appreciate VTrans’s efforts, as well as that of the administration, to make this successful.

As we are at the peak of the construction season, we appreciate the continued patience of residents of and visitors to Montpelier. Please expect delays at times, and watch for signage and flaggers as you drive through the city. More information on district heat and other summer construction work can be found at montpelier-vt.org.

* * *

As always, thank you for your interest in Montpelier city government. Please feel free to contact me at wfraser@montpelier-vt.org or at 223-9502 with any questions, comments or concerns that you may have.

pAge 20 • August 22– september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

Brown Bag CONCERT SERIES j 2013Free concerts every Thursday at noon Christ Church Courtyard, 64 State St., MontpelierMontpelierAlive.org/brownbag | This is a smoke-free event

AUG 22 Yankee Dixiesponsored by Angeleno’s, Bear Pond Books and Rivendell Books

AUG 29 Island Time Steel Drum Bands ponsored by Zutano and Sullivan Powers

SEPT 5 Gregory Douglasssponsored by Betsy’s Bed & Breakfast and Denis, Ricker & Brown

SERIES SPONSOR: MEDIA SPONSOR:

Healthy foods, healthy ingredients.Vermont fresh, Italian inspired.

229-5721

Takeout and full- service restaurant

15 Barre StreetMontpelier, VT

angelenospizza.com

Since 1982

High Holiday ServicesBeth Jacob Synagogue, 10 Harrison Ave., Montpelier

RoSH HASHAnAH • Sept. 4 (7 pm), Sept. 5 & 6 (9 am) HuMAniStic SeRvice • Sept. 5 (5:30 pm)YoM KippuR • Sept. 13 (6:30 pm) & Sept. 14 (9 am)

No tickets required. Contributions encouraged to defray cost - $54/personBeth Jacob Synagogue, P.O. Box 1133, Montpelier VT 05601Complete schedule at www.BethJacobVT.org

Tell them you saw it in The Bridge!

The Br idge August 22– september 4 , 2013 , • pAge 21

Aug. 22Green Mountain Dog Club Monthly Meeting. Learn about the club and events. All dog lovers welcome. 7:30 p.m. Commodore’s Inn, Stowe. 479-9843 or greenmountaindogclub.org. Event happens every fourth Thurs.

Ecumenical Group. Songs of praise, Bible teaching, fellowship. 7–9 p.m. Jabbok Center for Christian Living, 8 Daniel Dr., Barre. Free. 479-0302. Event happens every second and fourth Thurs.

Aug. 23Green Burials. Short video, Dying Green, screened, followed by a discussion about the new/old concept of green burial, as an envi-ronmentally sustainable way of returning to the earth. Light refreshments. 4:30–6:30 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. Free. 223-8140.Adamant Co-op Friday Night Cookout. Won-derful conversation, great food. 5:30–7 p.m., rain or shine. Full meal $10. Adamant Co-op, 1313 Haggett Rd. Call 223-5760 for menu items.LGBTQQ Youth Group. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning youth age 13–22 enjoy free pizza, soft drinks and conversa-tion. Facilitated by adult volunteers trained by Outright VT. 6:30–8 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. Free. outrightvt.org. Event happens every second and fourth Fri.Laugh Local VT Comedy Open Mic Night. Stand-up comics do five to seven minutes of new material. Sign up 7:30 p.m., show 8 p.m. The American Legion Post #3, 21 Main St., Montpelier. Free, but Dough Nation$ welcome. 793-3884.

Aug. 24Hike Mount Jefferson and Mount Adams, NH. With Green Mountain Club, Montpelier. 12.6 miles, Very difficult. Overnight trip. 476-7987 or pdeluca420@msn.com for meeting time and place.17th Annual Used Musical Instrument Sale. Sellers receive 80 percent of selling price and Central Vermont Share the Music retains a 20 percent commission. All profits used for music scholarship assistance to individuals. 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. Drop off instruments for sale Aug. 23, 4–7 p.m., at Bethany Church. Information: Jeff at 229-4416, Kevin at 229-0295, CVSM@comcast.net or SharetheMusicVT.org.

Humane Heroes Blowout Blast. Awards ceremony, snacks, face painting, visiting with animals to celebrate how you are a Humane Hero for the shelter pets. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Central Vermont Humane Society Adoption Center, 1589 Rte. 14, East Montpelier. 476-3811.Rockin’ Ron, the Friendly Pirate. Come learn about pirate history and lore and sing some pirate songs. 11 a.m. Ainsworth Public Library, 2338 Rte. 14 (Main Street), Williamstown. 433-5887. FB@Friends. ainsworthpubliclibrary.wordpress.com.Household Waste Collection. Hazardous waste, e-waste, textiles and books. 9 a.m.–1 p.m. All residents of Central Vermont Solid Waste Man-agement District may bring waste. Hardwick town garage. Haz waste is $15 per carload, all else free. 229-9383 x105. cvsmd.org.Summer Poetry Reading Series. Cristen Brooks and David Huddle read. 5:30 p.m. Big-Town Gallery, 99 N. Main St., Rochester. Free. 767-9670. bigtowngallery.com.

Aug. 25Hike Underhill. With Green Mountain Club, Montpelier Section. Moderate. 6 +/- miles. Meet at Montpelier High School. 249-0520 or cher-nick5@comcast.net for time.Medicinal Plant Walk. With clinical herbalist Rebecca Dalgin. Learn about widely distrib-uted local plants and how to incorporate their medicinal values into daily life. 1–2:30 p.m. Goddard College Campus, 123 Pitkin Rd., Plainfield. Meet outside the Wild Heart Wellness office (Flanders/EarthWalk building). Sliding scale $4–$10. 552-0727. wildheartwellness.net.Tar Sands Talk. Native American activist Clayton Thomas-Muller presents “Tar Sands, Unconventional Oil and Pipelines: Indigenous Resistance and Struggles for Sovereignty in North America,” a talk about a social movement led by indigenous peoples to defend against encroachments by oil extraction, pipelines and

MusicVENuESBagitos. 28 Main St., Montpelier. 229-9212. bagitos.com.

Aug. 23: Jason Mallery (blues/roots) 6–8 p.m.Aug. 24: Irish session 2–5 p.m. and Sheez Late (acoustic rock/folk) 6–8 p.m.Aug. 25: TBAAug. 27: The People’s Cafe sponsored by the Occupy Central Vermont group music, poetry, comedy, etc. 6–8 p.m.Aug. 29: The Love Sprockets (folk/Americana) 6–8 p.m.Aug. 31: Irish session 2–5 p.m.Sept. 1: Sunday brunch with Eric Friedman (folk ballads) 11 a.m.–1 p.m.Sept. 5: Colin McCaffrey and friends (swing,/jazz/country) 6–8 p.m.Sept. 6: Keith Williams (blues/jazz) 6–8 p.m.Sept. 7: Irish session 2–5 p.m.

Fresh Tracks Farm Vineyard & Winery. Friday Night Fires. 5:30–8 p.m. Free. 4373 Rte. 12, Montpelier. 223-1151.

Aug. 23: D. DavisAug. 30: Borealis Guitar Duo (Celtic)

Nutty Steph’s Chocolaterie. Rte. 2, Middle-sex. 6 p.m.–midnight. 229-2090. nuttysteph.com.

Aug. 22: David LangevinAug. 29: Marygoround & Friends

The Skinny Pancake. 89 Main St., Montpelier. 6 p.m. 262-2253. skinnypancake.com.

Aug. 25: Shady Rill featuring Tom Mackenzie and Patti Casey (old time/folk)

Sweet Melissa’s. 4 Langdon St., Montpelier. 8:30–11:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 225-6012. facebook.com/sweetmelissasvt.

Aug. 21: TBAAug. 22: Jason WedlockAug. 23: Red Hot Juba and Honky Tonk Happy Hour with Mark LeGrand 5:30 p.m.Aug. 24: Shady TreesAug. 27: Open mic nightAug. 28: Lesley Grant

Aug. 29: Seth YacovoneAug. 30: TallGrass GetDown and Honky Tonk Happy Hour with Mark LeGrand 5:30 p.m.Aug. 31: Tennessee Jed BandSept. 13: The Starline Rhythm Boys (honky-tonk/rockabilly)

ArtiStS & SpEciAl EVENtSCapital City Band. Performing every Wed., 7 p.m. State House lawn beside the Pavilion Of-fice Building, Montpelier. Free. 223-7069.Aug. 21–22: New England Chamber Music Festival. Performances by young artists. 4:30–5:15 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. 223-2518.

Aug.21: Beethoven’s string quartets and selected solo works by musicians in high school and college.Aug. 22: Borodin’s second string quartet, Mendelssohn’s piano trio and selected solo works by musicians in grades 6–8 and college.

Aug. 21– 31: Lewis Franco & The Brown Eyed Girls. With Dono Schabner. Donations.

Aug. 21: Big Picture Theater, 43 Carroll Rd., Waitsfield. 7:30 p.m. 496-8994.Aug. 23: Hardwick farmers’ market. 4–6 p.m.Aug. 31: The Blue Barn, Maple Corner. 6 p.m. 229-4329.

Aug. 22–25: Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival. Unless otherwise noted, all events at Chandler Music Hall, 71–73 Main St., Ran-dolph. Tickets: 728-6464 or centralvtchamber-musicfest.org.

Aug. 22: Open Rehearsal. 7 p.m. Free.Aug. 23: Concert in Montpelier. Works by Bartok, Berio, Piston and Bruch. Unitarian Church, Main St. 8 p.m. $25 at the door only.Aug. 23: Children’s Concert. Island Time Steel Band. 11 a.m. $6.Aug. 24: Concert in the Main Hall. Works by Bartok, Berio, Piston and Bruch. 8 p.m. $25.Aug. 25: Festival Finale. Island Time Steel Band. Randolph Gazebo, N. Main and Pleasant streets. Free.

Aug. 23: 4th Annual Shep Resnik Music Schol-arship Benefit Concert. The Green Mountain Swing, 18-piece big band, plays music from the big band era. Scholarship fund benefits middle and high school music students from central Vermont. 7:30 p.m. Valley Players Theater, Main St., Waitsfield. Admission by donation. Aug. 23: 6th Annual Barnstock Music Fes-tival. Live, local music all day. 1–10 p.m. The Blue Barn, 117 W. County Rd., Maple Corner.Aug. 23–24: Student Showcase. Students from Monteverdi Music School perform. 229-9000.

Aug. 23: Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. 7 p.m. Donations welcome.Aug. 24: Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. 10 a.m. Donations welcome.

Aug. 24: 4th Annual Vermont Music Fest. All-day event celebrating Vermont’s talent, harvest, culture and businesses, including Wiffle Ball Scramble and a mountain bike race. Day ends with acoustic jam session around campfires. Lareau Farm Inn, Waitsfield. Free. Festival information: vtmusicfest.com. Wiffle ball infor-mation: vtmusicfest.com/wiffle-scramble. Bike race information: bikereg.com/wicked-witch-of-the-east-enduro.

Aug. 25: Five Corners String Quintet. Per-formance includes Dvorak’s Quintett, opus 77, Bottesini’s Gran Quintetto and the premier of Perley’s Bass Dance. 4 p.m. Unitarian Church, Main St., Montpelier. $10 adults; $7 under 12 and seniors.Aug. 25: Anima, A Verdant Reunion. Anima, central Vermont women’s vocal ensemble, returns after a hiatus of several years, perform-ing chants by Hildegard of Bingen. 7–8 p.m. Bethany Church, Montpelier. Free. 373-7597. info@animavermont.org.

Sept. 1: 21st Annual New World Festival: A celebration of Vermont’s Celtic and French Canadian heritage with music and dance. More than 70 musicians from New England, Canada and the British Isles. Workshops, kids’ activities, food and drink. Noon–11 p.m. Chandler Music Hall and downtown Randolph. $34 advance; $39 after Aug. 23; $11 students 13–18; $5 chil-dren 2–12. 728-6464. newworldfestival.com.

Echinacea purpurea. Medicinal Plant Walk August 25. Photo courtesy of wikimedia.org .

Chandler’ New World Festival. Photo courtesy of Tim Calabro, First Light Studios.

continued on page 16

pAge 22 • August 22–september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

refineries. 7 p.m. Haybarn Theatre, Goddard College, 123 Pitkin Rd., Plainfield. Free. RSVP: goddard.edu.Adult Book Group. Copies of the book avail-able at the library. New members welcome. 7–8 p.m. Jaquith Public Library, Old Schoolhouse Common, Marshfield. 426-3581 or jaquithpubli-clibrary@gmail.com. Event happens every fourth Mon.Movie Nights on the Great Lawn: The Goonies. Free popcorn. Beer and wine for sale. 8:30 p.m. Gates open one hour before movie. 1624 House Great Lawn, 2150 Main St., Waits-field. $5 adults; childrenunder 10 free. 496-7555 x1. stay@1824house.com. 1824house.com.

Aug. 27ServSafe Class and Certification. ServSafe is a nationally recognized food service sanitation course for restaurants and food processors. Cen-ter for an Agricultural Economy (CAE), 140 Junction Rd, Hardwick. $100 CAE members; $130 nonmembers. Includes instructions, materials and test. 472-5362. traci@hardwickag-riculture.org. Organizing/Managing Papers. Workshop with Emilye Pelow Corbett. 2–3 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. Preregistra-tion appreciated: 223-2518.

Medicare and You. New to Medicare? Have questions? We have answers. 3–4:30 p.m. Cen-tral Vermont Council on Aging, 59 N. Main St., suite 200, Barre. Call 479-0531 to register.

Winter Greenhouse Production Workshop. Learn how to use passive solar greenhouses to grow vegetables and herbs year-round in Vermont. 3–4:30 p.m. Community Center Media Room, Goddard College, 123 Pitkin Rd., Plainfield. Free. RSVP: goddard.edu.Bug Walk. Drop by anytime after 3:30 p.m. to catch and observe insects, our most abundant group of animals at NBNC are the insects. 3:30–5 p.m. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm St., Montpelier. Members free; $5 adults; $3 kids. 229-6206.Vermont Women’s Business Center Meeting. Join the monthly Business Wisdom Circle: a lightly structured networking and mentoring opportunity. 4:30–6:30 p.m CVCAC Campus, 20 Gable Pl., Barre. Nominal fee includes light refreshments. For information and registration: 479-9813, info@vwbc.org or vwbc.org.Tech Tuesdays. Get help with any computer or Internet questions, or learn about the library’s new circulation software and how to use Liste-nUp to download audiobooks and more. Bring your iPod, tablet, phone, laptop or other device. 5:30–7 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 223-3338 or kellog-ghubbard.org. Event happens every second and fourth Tues.Shape Note Sing at Bread & Puppet. Early American four-part hymns in the fa-sol-la-mi tradition. All welcome, no experience neces-sary. 7:30 p.m. Paper Mache Cathedral, Bread & Puppet Farm, Rte. 122, Glover. Free. 525-6972.

Aug. 28The 2013 Montpelier Senior Games. Mont-pelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. Free. 223-2518. Monarch Butterfly Tagging. Drop by anytime after 3:30 p.m. to catch, tag and release some migrating monarchs. We have nets to share, but bring a net if you have one. 3:30–5 p.m. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm St., Montpelier. Donations welcome. 229-6206.The Energetics of Women’s Bodies: Herbs and the Menstrual Cycle. With Sarah Van Hoy. 6–8 p.m. Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St., Montpelier. $10 members; $12 nonmembers. Preregistration required: 224-7100, info@vtherbcenter.org or vtherbcenter.org. Panel Discussion: Burial Options in Vermont. Paul Guare, Guare & Sons Funeral Home; Patrick Healy, Green Mount Cemetery; David Grundy, formerly of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of VT; and Virginia Frye, Central Vermont Home, Health & Hospice discuss conventional and alternative options for burial. 7 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. Free. 479-8545.The New Solar System. With M. Kelley Hunter, Ph.D., astrologer, mythologist. Learn the latest astronomical findings with some outdoor star gazing, weather permitting. 7–8:30 p.m. Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield. 426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com. marshfield.lib.vt.us.

Aug. 29American Red Cross Blood Drive. State Street in front of the Capitol Plaza. Noon–5 p.m. All presenting donors will receive a free pass to the Champlain Valley Fair. To schedule an appoint-ment: 1-800-RED CROSS or redcrossblood.org. Information: 828-4119.

Aug. 30Adamant Co-op Friday Night Cookout. Won-derful conversation, great food. 5:30–7 p.m., rain or shine. Full meal $10. Adamant Co-op, 1313 Haggett Rd. Call 223-5760 for menu items.

Aug. 30–SEpt. 2Annual Lawn Fest/Craft Fair. Assortment of slightly used items to nice collectibles. Lunch on Sat., Aug. 31: homemade chili, baked beans, hot dogs, baked goods. 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Waterbury Center Community Church, Rte. 100, Water-bury. 244-8089.

Aug. 31Tag Sale to Benefit Summit School. Items include baked goods, books, antiques, collect-ibles, kitchen items, furniture, decorative items, toys, tools and musical instruments. 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.Montpelier Senior Activity Centr, 58 Barre St. Have something to donate? Contact 229-1403 or hendrixfiddle@gmail.com.Summer Poetry Reading Series. Ann Aspell and Major Jackson read. 5:30 p.m. BigTown Gallery, 99 N. Main St., Rochester. Free. 767-9670. bigtowngallery.com.

Visual Arts

EXHiBitSOngoing: Glen Coburn Hutcheson, Talk-ing Portraits and Two-Part Inventions. An evolving show of experimental drawings, paint-ings and the occasional sculpture. Storefront Studio Gallery, 6 Barre St., Montpelier. Hours: Tues.–Fri. 8–10 a.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–3 p.m., or by appointment. 839-5349. gchfineart.com.Through Aug. 25: Camille Johnson, The Raw-ing. A poetic and photographic exhibit by recent U32 graduate. Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio, 18 Langdon St., Montpelier. 229-4676. cdandfs.com.

Through Aug.: American Dream. Artists explore the driving forces for the American Dream today. Main floor gallery, Studio Place Arts, 201 N. Main. St., Barre. Hours: Wed.–Fri. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat. noon–4 p.m. 479-7069. studioplace arts.com.Through Aug.: The Aviary by Beth Robinson. Discover what happens to birds that become comfortable living outside of their natural habitats. Second floor gallery, Studio Place Arts, 201 N. Main. St., Barre. Hours: Wed.–Fri. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat. noon–4 p.m. 479-7069. studio-place arts.com.Through Aug.: ART-Artifact. Fascinating stories unfold via transformed chards and remnants. Third floor gallery, Studio Place Arts, 201 N. Main. St., Barre. Hours: Wed.–Fri. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat. noon–4 p.m. 479-7069. studio-place arts.com.

Through Aug.: Seth Collins, Series of Robot Portraits. Pencil, pen and ink on mat board. Green Bean Visual Art Gallery, Capitol Grounds, State St., Montpelier. curator@capi-tolgrounds.com.Through Aug.: Donna Ellery. Funky 3-D mixed-media art, using salvaged and recycled materials. The Cheshire Cat, 28 Elm St., Mont-pelier. 223-1981. cheshirecatclothing.com.Through Aug.: Lori Hinrichsen. Photographs, prints and stitching (lorihinrichsen.com). First floor reading room and second floor. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338. Through Aug.: Almuth Palinkas. Art textiles and paintings. Westview Meadows, 171 West-view Meadows Rd., Montpelier. Hours: Daily, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.Through Aug.: Plowing Old Ground: Ver-mont’s Organic Farming Pioneers. Pho-tographs and interviews. Vermont History Museum, 109 State Street, Montpelier. Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 828-2291. vermonthistory.org.Through Sept. 1: Lark Upson, Structural Integrity: Portraits in Oil. Blinking Light Gal-lery and Co-op, 16 Main St., Plainfield. Hours: Thurs. 2–6 p.m., Fri.–Sun. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. 454-0141. blinkinglightgallery.com.Through Sept. 2: Alysa Bennett, Horse Drawn. Large-scale charcoal drawings. Gallery at River Arts, 2F, River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. Hours: Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–2 p.m. 888-1261. riverartsvt.org.Through Sept. 2: Gabriel Tempesta, The Bumblee Bee Series. Charcoal paintings. Cop-ley Common Space Gallery, River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. Hours: Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–2 p.m. 888-1261. riverartsvt.org.Through Sept. 8: Best of the Northeast Mas-ter of Fine Arts 2013 Exhibition. Helen Day Art Center, 90 Pond St., Stowe.Aug. 22–Sept. 10: Ronald T. Simon, Several Little Books with Big Prints. Photos of the Vermont landscape, including photos of the Bread & Puppet pageant, in small books and large prints. Reception Aug. 25, 5:30 p.m. Woodshed Gallery, Bread & Puppet Farm, Rte 122 (Heights Rd.), Glover. 525-3031. Through Sept. 29: Mark Dannenhauer and Mark Boylen, Emerging Mosaic. Multiyear multimedia portrait of the Bread & Puppet community from memories, stories and images. Boylen shows color prints from rephotographed slides of Bread & Puppet shows, 1974 and 1977. Dannenhauer shows A is for Ah! O is for Oy! A Bread and Puppet ABC and current B&P shows. Plainfield Community Gallery, above Plainfield co-op, 153 Main St., Plainfield. Open during

regular co-op hours. 617-939-1925. Through Sept. 30: Laura Hamilton. Photo-graphs. Tulsi Tea Room, 34 Elm St., Montpe-lier. Through Oct. 5: Folk Vision: Folk Art from New England and Beyond. Selected artists including Gayleen Aiken, Merrill Densmore, Howard Finster, HJ Laurent, Theodore Lud-wiczak. BigTown Gallery, 99 North Main St., Rochester. Hours: Wed.–Fri. 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sat. noon–5 p.m. 767-9670. info@bigtowngal-lery.com. bigtowngallery.com.Through Oct. 15: Exposed 2013. Group exhibit of sculpture. Helen Day Art Center, 90 Pond St., Stowe. Hours: Wed.–Sun. noon–5 p.m. and by appointment. 253-8358.Through Oct. 27: Tracey Hambleton, Within Reach. Landscape oil paintings. Reception Sept. 13, 5–7 p.m. Blinking Light Gallery and Co-op, 16 Main St., Plainfield. Hours: Thurs. 2–6 p.m., Fri.–Sun. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. 454-0141. blinking-lightgallery.com.Through Oct.: Richard Ambelang, Land-scape into Abstraction. Photographs of the broad landscape and more intimate abstracted portions from New England and the Pacific Northwest. Pratt Gallery, Eliot D. Pratt Center, Goddard College, 123 Pitkin Rd., Plainfield. Hours: Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–4 p.m.Through Oct.: Bread & Puppet Museum. One of the largest collections of some of the biggest puppets in the world. Bread & Puppet Farm, Rte. 122, Glover. Hours: Daily, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. 525-3031. breadandpuppet.org.Through Oct.: Marcia Hill, Cindy Griffith and Anne Unangst. Paintings. Red Hen Baking, 961 Rte. 2, Middlesex. 223-5200.Through Dec. 20: Round. An exhibition of objects of circular shape, from the Sullivan Mu-seum collection. Sullivan Museum and History Center, Norwich University, 158 Harmon Dr., Northfield. 485-2183. Norwich.edu/museum.Through Dec. 20: These Honored Dead: Pri-vate and National Commemoration. Stories of Norwich alumni from both sides of the Civil War conflict in 1863. Sullivan Museum & His-tory Center, Norwich University, Northfield. 485-2183. norwich.edu/museum.

SpEciAl EVENtSAug. 24: Judy Greenwald. Pastel artist Judy Greenwald paints Vermont scenes on the porch of Artisans’ Gallery. 11 a.m.–4 p.m. 20 Bridge St., Waitsfield.

American Dreamboat? by Rob Millard Mendez in the American Dream exhibit through August 31 at Studio Place arts. Image courtesy of studioplacearts.com.

continued from page 15

The Br idge August 22– september 4 , 2013 , • pAge 23

Performing ArtstHEAtErBread & Puppet Theater. Unless otherwise noted, all performances at Bread & Puppet Farm, Rte. 122, Glover. Free, donations appreciated. 525-3031. breadandpuppet.org.

Aug. 23: Shatterer of Worlds. 7:30 p.m. Paper Mache Cathedral, Bread & Puppet Farm.Aug. 25: The Total This & That Circus and Pageant in Two Parts. Final performance at Bread & Puppet Farm. 2:30 p.m. Followed by two toy theater shows: Living Newspapers by Great Small Works Theater Company and Elephant by Clare Dolan. Paper Mache Cathedral. 5:30 p.m.Aug. 31: The Total This & That Circus and Pageant in Two Parts. BigTown Gallery, 99 N. Main St., Rochester. 2 p.m. $8. Reserve tickets at 767-9670.

Unadilla Theatre. 501 Blachly Rd., Marshfield. Shows at both the Unadilla Theatre and the new nearby Festival Theatre. All shows 7:30 p.m. $20 adults; $10 children 12 and under. 456-8968. unadilla@pshift.com. Schedule at unadilla.org.

Aug. 7–30: The Abduction of Seraglio.Aug. 8–30: Present Laughter.Aug. 8–31: The Birthday Party.

Waterbury Festival Players. Waterbury Festival Playhouse, 2933 Waterbury-Stowe Rd., Waterbury Center. All shows 7:30 p.m. $25 advance (must be purchased by 5 p.m.); $27 door. Tickets: WaterburyFestivalPlayhouse.com or 498-3755. Schedule at website.

Aug. 29–Sept. 14: Parasite Drag.Aug. 31: Marx in Soho. One-man play by late historian Howard Zinn performed by New York actor, teacher and activist Brian Jones. Discussion led by labor organizer Ellen David Friedman and historian Lindy Biggs follows show. 7:30 p.m. Old Labor Hall, 46 Granite St., Barre. $15 adults; $12 seniors and students. Tickets online at oldlaborhall.com. Reservations and information: 456-7456.

The Total This & That Circus and Pageant in Two Parts by Bread & Puppet Theater. Photo courtesy of Bread & Puppet Theater website..

Support GroupsBErEAVEmENtBereavement/Grief Support Group. For anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. Every other Mon., 6–8 p.m. Every other Wed., 10–11:30 a.m. Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH), 600 Granger Rd., Berlin. Ginny or Jean 223-1878.Bereaved Parents Support Group. Facilitated by CVHHH. Second Wed., 6–8 p.m. CVH-HH, 600 Granger Rd., Berlin. Jeneane Lunn 793-2376.

cANcErLiving with Advanced or Metastatic Cancer. Lunch provided. Cancer Center resource room, Central Vermont Medical Center. Call for meet-ing times: 225-5449.Cancer Support Group. First Wed., 6 p.m. Potluck. For location, call Carole Mac-Intyre 229-5931.Man-to-Man Prostate Cancer Support Group. Third Wed., 6–8 p.m. Conference room 2, Central Vermont Medical Center. 872-6308 or 866-466-0626 (press 3).

DiSAStErHurricane Irene Support Group for Recovery Workers. Get peer support and help processing emotions, strengthen relationships and learn coping skills. Every other Mon., 3:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. 279-4670.Hurricane Irene Support Group. Share your story, listen to others, learn coping skills, build community and support your neighbors. Refreshments provided. Wed., 5:30 p.m. Berlin Elementary School. 279-8246.

HEAltHBrain Injury Support Groups. Open to all survivors, caregivers and adult family members. Evening group facilitated by Marsha Bancroft; day group facilitated by Kathy Grange and Jane Hulstrunk. Evening group meets first Mon., 5:30–7:30 p.m. DisAbility Rights of Vermont, 141 Main St., Suite 7, Montpelier, 800-834-7890, x 106. Day group meets first and third Thurs., 1:30–2:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. 244-6850.NAMI Vermont Family Support Group. Sup-port group for families and friends of individu-als living with mental illness. Fourth Mon., 7 p.m. Central Vermont Medical Center, room 3, Berlin. 800-639-6480 or namivt.org.Celiac and Food Allergy Support Group. With Lisa Masé of Harmonized Cookery. Second Wed., 4:30–6 p.m. Conference room 3, Central Vermont Medical Center. lisamase@gmail.com.

Diabetes Discussion Group. Focus on self-management. Open to anyone with diabetes and their families. Third Thurs., 1:30 p.m. The Health Center, Plainfield. Free. Don 322-6600 or dgrabowski@the-health-center.org. Diabetes Support Group. First Thurs., 7–8 p.m. Conference room 3, Central Vermont Medical Center. 371-4152.

KiDSGrandparents Raising Their Children’s Children. First Wed., 10 a.m.–noon. Barre Presbyterian Church, Summer St. Second Tues., 6–8 p.m. Wesley Methodist Church, Main St., Waterbury. Third Thurs., 6–8 p.m. Trinity United Methodist Church, 137 Main St. Child care provided in Montpelier and Waterbury. Evelyn 476-1480.

rEcoVEryOvereaters Anonymous. Twelve-step program for physically, emotionally and spiritually over-coming overeating. Fri., noon–1 p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3079.Sex Addicts Anonymous. Mon., 6:30 p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. Call 552-3483 for more information or to leave a confidential message.

Turning Point Center. Safe, supportive place for individuals and their families in or seeking recovery. Open daily, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 489 North Main St., Barre. 479-7373.

Sun.: Alchoholics Anonymous. 8:30 a.m.Tues.: Making Recovery Easier workshops. 6–7:30 p.m.Wed.: Wit’s End Parent Support Group. 6 p.m.Thurs.: Narcotics Anonymous. 6:30 p.m.

SoliDArity/iDENtityWomen’s Group. Women age 40 and older explore important issues and challenges in their lives in a warm and supportive environment. Faciliatated by Amy Emler-Shaffer and Julia W. Gresser. Wed. evenings. 41 Elm St., Montpelier. Call Julia, 262-6110, for more information.Men’s Group. Men discuss challenges of and insights about being male. Wed., 6:15–8:15 p.m. 174 Elm St., Montpelier. Interview required: contact Neil 223-3753.National Federation of the Blind, Montpelier Chapter. First Sat. Lane Shops community room, 1 Mechanic St., Montpelier. 229-0093.Families of Color. Open to all. Play, eat and discuss issues of adoption, race and multicultur-alism. Bring snacks and games to share; dress for the weather. Third Sun., 3–5 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. Alyson 439-6096 or alyson@suncatchervt.com.

pAge 24 • August 22– september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

Chicken Pie Supper. Come enjoy the best of locally grown ingredients, everything from the chicken to the apples from local producers 5–7 p.m. United Church of Northfield, 58 S. Main St., Northfield. $12 adults; $8 children under 12. 485-8347.Contra Dance. All dances taught; no partner necessary. All ages welcome. Bring shoes not worn outdoors. 8–11 p.m. Capital City Grange, 6612 Rte. 12 (Northfield Street), Berlin. $8. 744-6163 or capitalcitygrange.org. Event hap-pens every first, third and fifth Sat.

Aug. 31–SEpt. 2Northfield Labor Day Weekend. Rides, fair food and family fun. Free entertainment all weekend. Vermont’s premier Labor Day Parade. Free. northfieldlaborday.org.

SEpt. 2Classic Book Club. 6 p.m. Cutler Memorial Li-brary, Rte. 2, Plainfield. Free. Daniel, 793-0418. Event happens every first Mon.Grandkids as Play Partners. Three sessions (Sept. 10 and 24) to learn about the power of play to support children’s development, the developmental stages of play and how you can be your child’s best play partner. 10:30 a.m.–noon. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. $15 members; $20 nonmembers for all three ses-sions. Register at MSAC office. 223-2518.So You Always Wanted to Be an Archaeolo-gist. But life got in the way: stories from the trenches, with archaeologist Jacob Clay. Brown bag lunch and informal conversation, then open house. Explore some of the center’s archaeology collections through hands-on activities. Hosted by state archaeologist Giovanna Peebles. Noon–4 p.m. Vermont Archaeology Heritage Center, Vermont History Center, 60 Washington St., Barre. Free. 828-3050. ACCD.ArcheologyCen-ter@state.vt.us. accd.vermont.gov/strong_com-munities/preservation/education/archaeology/heritage.Herb Talk and Walk. Barbara Raab presents “Healing Herbs: Green Power All Around You,” a discussion of Western herbalism and the life of an herbalist, followed by a campus herb walk. 7 p.m. Ellsworth Room, Willey Library & Learn-ing Center, Johnson State College, 337 Col-lege Hill Rd., Johnson. Free. 635-1308. susan.green@jsc.edu.

SEpt. 4Monarch Butterfly Tagging. Drop by anytime after 3:30 p.m. to catch, tag and release some migrating monarchs. We have nets to share, but bring a net if you have one.3:30–5 p.m. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm St., Montpelier. Donations welcome. 229-6206.

SEpt. 5Do You Want to Learn Piano and Have Fun? Free public presentation about the Simply Music method by Nicholas Mortimer. 4–5 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. 595-1220, Nicholas@LovePlayingPiano.org or LovePlayingPiano.org.So You Always Wanted to Be an Archaeolo-gist. Stories from the trenches, with archaeolo-gist David Skinas. Brown bag lunch and infor-mal conversation, then open house. Noon–4 p.m. Vermont Archaeology Heritage Center, Vermont History Center, 60 Washington St., Barre. Free. 828-3050. ACCD.ArcheologyCen-ter@state.vt.us. accd.vermont.gov/strong_com-munities/preservation/education/archaeology/heritage.

Submit Your Event!Send listings to calendar@montpe-lierbridge.com. The deadline for our next issue, July 18, is Friday, July 12.

Weekly EventsBicycliNgCycling 101. Train for a summer of riding with Linda Freeman and Onion River Sports. Build confidence, strength, endurance, road-riding skills and a sense of community with relaxed rides on local paved roads. For all abilities. Tues., 5:30 p.m., Montpelier High School. Call ahead. 229-9409 or onionriver.com.Open Shop Nights. Volunteer-run community bike shop: bike donations and repairs. Tues., 6–8 p.m.; Wed., 5–7 p.m. Freeride Montpelier, 89 Barre St., Montpelier. By donation. 552-3521 or freeridemontpelier.org.

BooKS & WorDSEnglish Conversation Practice Group. For students learning English for the first time. Tues., 4–5 p.m. Central Vermont Adult Basic Education, Montpelier Learning Center, 100 State St. Sarah 223-3403.Lunch in a Foreign Language. Bring lunch and practice your language skills with neighbors. Noon–1 p.m. Mon. Hebrew, Tues. Italian, Wed. Spanish, Thurs. French. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338.Ongoing Reading Group. Improve your read-ing and share some good books. Books chosen by group. Thurs., 9–10 a.m. Central Vermont Adult Basic Education, Montpelier Learning Center, 100 State St. 223-3403.

crAftSBeaders’ Group. All levels of beading experience welcome. Free instruction available. Come with a project for creativity and community. Sat., 11 a.m.–2 p.m. The Bead Hive, Plainfield. 454-1615.

DANcEEcstatic Dance. Dance your heart awake. No experience necessary. Sun., 5:30–7:30 p.m., Christ Church, State St., Montpelier. First and third Wed., 7–9 p.m., Worcester Town Hall, corner of Elmore and Calais roads. Second and fourth Wed., 7–9 p.m., Plainfield Community Center (above the co-op). $10. Fearn, 505-8011. fearnessence@gmail.com.Dance or Play with the Swinging’ over 60 Band. Danceable tunes from the 1930s to the 1960s. Recruiting musicians. Tues., 5:30–7:30 p.m., Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.

fooD Barre Farmers’ Market. Local produce, meats, poultry , eggs, honey, crafts, baked goods and more. Wed., 3–6:30 p.m. City Hall Park, Barre. Capital City Farmers’ Market. 50-plus farm-ers, food producers and craftspeople, plus live music and cooking demos. Sat., 9 a.m.–1 p.m., through October. 60 State St., Montpelier. Carolyn, 223-2958 or manager@montpelier-farmersmarket.com.Community Meals in Montpelier. All wel-come. Free.

Mon.: Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., 11 a.m.–1 p.m.Tues.: Bethany Church, 115 Main St., 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.Wed.: Christ Church, 64 State St., 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.Thurs.: Trinity Church, 137 Main St., 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.Fri.: St. Augustine Church, 18 Barre St., 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.Sun.: Last Sunday only, Bethany Church, 115 Main St. (hosted by Beth Jacob Synagogue), 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Noon Cafe. Soup, fresh bread, good company and lively conversation. Wed., noon. Old Meeting House, East Montpelier. By donation. oldmeetinghouse.org.Senior Meals. For people 60 and over. Deli-cious meals prepared by Chef Justin and volun-teers. Tues. and Fri. Noon–1 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Mont-pelier. Free. Under 60: $6. Reservations and information: 262-2688.

Takeout and Café Meals. Proceeds benefit the senior meals program. Thurs., 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. $4–$8. Reservations appreciated: 262-6288.

HEAltH & WEllNESSAffordable Acupuncture. Full acupuncture sessions with Chris Hollis and Trish Mitchell. Mon. and Wed., 2–7 p.m.; Fri., 9 a.m.–2 p.m. 79 Main St., suite 8 (above Coffee Corner), Montpelier. $15–$40 sliding scale. Walk in or schedule an appointment at montpeliercommu-nityacupuncture.com.Herbal Clinics. Student clinic: Mon., 1–5 p.m. and Tues., 4–8 p.m. $0–$10. Professional clinic: Tues.–Fri. $0–$100. Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St., Mont-pelier. Consultations by appointment only: 224-7100 or info@vtherbcenter.org. vtherbcenter.org.

Powerful Tools for Caregivers. Learn tools to reduce stress and communicate effectively. Sept. 11–Oct. 16. Wed., 5 – 7pm. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. $20 suggested do-nation to help defray the cost of The Caregiver Helpbook. Register with Jeanne, 476-2671.HIV Testing. Vermont CARES offers fast oral testing. Thurs., 2–5 p.m. 58 East State St., suite 3 (entrance at the back), Montpelier. Free. 371-6222. vtcares.org.

KiDS & tEENSThe Basement Teen Center. Cable TV, Play-Station 3, pool table, free eats and fun events for teenagers. Mon.–Thurs., 3–6 p.m.; Fri., 3–11 p.m. Basement Teen Center, 39 Main St., Montpelier. 229-9151.Mad River Valley Youth Group. Sun., 7–9 p.m. Meets at various area churches. Call Ben, 497-4516, for location and information.Forest Preschool. Outdoor, exploratory, play-based drop-off program for children age 3.5–5. Sept. 3– Nov. 21. Tues. and Thurs., 9 a.m.–12 p.m. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm St., Montpelier. $420 for one day, $800 for both days. 229-6206.Forest School. Drop-off program for students, using seasonal and emerging curriculum. Age 6–8. Sept. 13–June 6, 2014. Fri., 9 a.m.–2 p.m. North Branch Nature Center, 713 Elm St., Montpelier. $1,560 members; payment plans available. 229-6206.Vermont History for Homeschoolers. The Vermont Historical Society offers educa-tional sessions for homeschoolers, age 8–12, in Montpelier and Barre. Wed. and Thurs. 1–3 p.m. Vermont History Museum, 109 State St., Montpelier, and Vermont History Center, 60 Washington St., Barre. $5 per child; $4 per child for three or more participating children or VHS members. For schedule go to vermon-thistory.org/homeschoolers. Preregistration required: 828-1413.

muSicBarre-Tones Women’s Chorus. Open re-hearsal. Find your voice with 50 other women. Mon., 7 p.m. Alumni Hall, Barre. 223-2039. BarretonesVT.com. rCommunity Drum Circle. Open drumming. All welcome. Fri., 7–9 p.m. Parish House, Uni-tarian Universalist Church, Main and Church streets, Barre. 503-724-7301.Monteverdi Young Singers Chorus Rehearsal. New chorus members welcome. Wed., 4–5 p.m. Montpelier. Call 229-9000 for location and more information.Ukelele Group. All levels welcome. Thurs., 6–8 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. 223-2518.

rEcycliNgAdditional Recyclables Collection Center (ARCC). Bring in odd and sundry items for reuse, upcycling and recycling, including toothbrushes, bottle caps, cassette tapes, books, textiles, batteries and more. Mon. and Fri., 12:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m. ARCC, 3 Williams Ln., Barre. $1 per car load. Complete list of accepted items at 229-9383, x 106 or cvswmd.org.

Free Food Scrap Collection. Compost your food waste along with your regular trash and recycling. Wed., 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sat. 6 a.m.–1 p.m. DJ’s Convenience Store, 56 River St., Montpelier. cvswmd.org.

SpirituAlityChristian Meditation Group. People of all faiths welcome. Mon., noon–1 p.m. Christ Church, Montpelier. Regis 223-6043.Christian Science. God’s love meeting human needs. Reading room: Tues.–Sat., 11 a.m.–1 p.m.; Tues., 5–8 p.m.; and Wed., 5–7:15 p.m. Testimony meeting: Wed., 7:30–8:30 p.m., nursery available. Worship service: Sun., 10:30–11:30 a.m., Sunday school and nursery available. 145 State St., Montpelier. 223-2477.Deepening Our Jewish Roots. Fun, engaging text study and discussion on Jewish spirituality. Sundays, 4:45–6:15 p.m. Yearning for Learning Center, Montpelier. Rabbi Tobie Weisman, 223-0583 or info@yearning4learning.org.Noon Hike and Walking Meditation. Join Alicia Feltus, integral yoga Instructor, for a walk from Tulsi Tea Room to Hubbard Park for guided walking meditation. Meet at Tulsi Tea Room. Wed.,12–12:40. 917-4012 or aliciafel-tus@gmail.com.Shambhala Buddhist Meditation. Group meditation practice. Sun., 10 a.m.–noon; Tues., 7–8 p.m.; Wed., 6–7 p.m. Shambhala Medita-tion Center, 64 Main St., 3F, Montpelier. Free. 223-5137. montpeliershambala.org.Zen Meditation. Wed., 6:30–7:30 p.m. 174 River St., Montpelier. Free. Call Tom for orientation, 229-0164. With Zen Affiliate of Vermont.

SportS & gAmESApollo Duplicate Bridge Club. All welcome. Partners sometimes available. Fri., 6:45 p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. $3. 485-8990 or 223-3922.Roller Derby Open Recruitment and Recre-ational Practice. Central Vermont’s Wrecking Doll Society invites quad skaters age 18 and up. No experience necessary. Equipment provided: first come, first served. Sat., 5–6:30 p.m. Mont-pelier Recreation Center, Barre St.. First skate free. centralvermontrollerderby.com. Standup Paddleboard Demos. Come try a new and exciting sport on the water. Wed. 5–7 p.m. June: Blueberry Lake, Warren. June and July: Wrightsville, Middlesex, dates TBD. Clearwater Sports 496-2708.

yogAYoga with Lydia. Build strength and flexibility as you learn safe alignment in a nourishing, supportive and inspiring environment. Drop-ins welcome. Mon. 5:30 p.m., River House Yoga, Plainfield (sliding scale). Wed., 4:30 p.m., Green Mountain Girls Farm, Northfield (slid-ing scale). Tues. and Fri., noon, Yoga Mountain Center, Montpelier. Rates and directions at 229-6300 or saprema-yoga.com.Parent/Kid Yoga. With Lori Flower and Aura Zee. Wed. 1:45–2:30 p.m. The Confluence, 654 Granger Rd., Barre. $13 drop in. karmiconnec-tion.com. Yoga and Wine Thursday. With Lori Flower. All levels welcome; bring your own mat. Wine bar open after class. Thurs., 5:15–6:30 p.m. Fresh Tracks Farm, 4373 Rte. 12, Montpelier. $8. 223-1161 or freshtracksfarm.com.Acro Yoga Summer Series. Thurs. 7–8:30 p.m. Sliding scale. Call Lori Flower for information and location: 324-1737. karmiconnection.com.Community Yoga. All levels welcome to this community-focused practice. Fri. 5–6 p.m. Yoga Mountain Center, 7 Main St., 2F, Mont-pelier. By donation. 223-5302 or yogamoun-taincenter.com.

Submit Your Event! Send listings to calendar@montpelierbridge.com. The deadline for our next issue, September 5, is Friday, August 30.

The Br idge August 22– september 4 , 2013 , • pAge 25

Class listings and classifieds are 50 words for $25; discounts available. To place an ad, call Carolyn, 223-5112, ext. 11.

ClassifiedsBootH rENtAlHAir SAloN BootH rENtAl The Family Hairloom on the Barre-Montpelier Road has an opening for a booth renter, must have own clien-tele! Contact Liz Provencher @ 8024984816.

HElp WANtEDyrc frEigHt iS HiriNg FT Casual Combo Drivers/Dock Workers! Bur-lington location. Great pay and benefits! CDL-A w/Combo and Hazmat, 1yr T/T exp, 21yoa req. EOE-M/F/D/V. Able to lift 65 lbs. req. APPLY: www.yrcfreight.com/careers

SErVicESArtiSt, muSiciAN StuDioS Solo or to share starting at $150 monthly. Larger spaces of vari-ous sizes available full-time or time-shared. Join us as we transform a historic convent and school

at 46 Barre Street, Montpelier, into a unique center for the arts, music and learning. Call Paul for a tour at 802-223-2120 or 802-461-6222.

HouSE pAiNtEr Since 1986. Small interior jobs ideal. Neat, prompt, friendly. Local refer-ences. Pitz Quattrone, 229-4952.

for rENt moNtpEliEr rENtAl, lAtE fAll AND WiNtEr. Dates and rent negotiable. We’re looking for a super-responsible, reliable person or couple to rent our 3-bedroom house. Rent discounted in exchange for care of our dog and cat while we travel. Non-smokers only. Must provide references. Reply by email (banjodan@pshift.com) or phone (802-223-6965).

clASSES AND WorKSHopStHE AlEXANDEr tEcHNiQuE fAll courSE BEgiNS SEpt 17 & 19 Try a free class! SEPT 10 & 12 with certified teacher Katie Back. Tuesdays @ Noon; Thursdays @ 5:30. Learn to move with awareness and ease. Improve posture, breathing, flexibility. Relieve

chronic pain. $245/8 weeks/group & private lessons. $25 Early Bird discount. Preregistration: www.balanceofbeing.com . 802-223-7230.

fAll pottEry clASSES Come and get dirty at the Mud Studio. Clay classes for adults, teens and kids of all skill levels start September 4th, with new class offerings. Call 224-7000, visit www.themudstudio.com or visit us in person 961 Route 2 in Middlesex, next door to the Red Hen to sign up.

fAll WritiNg clASSES Introduction to Memoir, Crafting the Story Within: Ten Mon-days, Sept. 16 - Nov. 18, 10 a.m.-Noon, $200. Guided Writers’ Group, for experienced writers: Ten Fridays, Sept. 13 - Nov. 15, 10 a.m. - Noon, $200. Classes meet at Christ Church, 64 State Street, Montpelier. Maggie Thompson, MFA, Instructor To register or for more information, call 454-4635.

frENcH clASSES WitH tHE AlliANcE frANcAiSE Jump into French! Or pick up where you left off 1, 5 or 40 years ago. Thurs-days starting September 26. Fall term offers Beginning French A and B as well as French Out Loud, an intermediate level class to get you speaking. Full descriptions, fees, times and location, easy online sign-up, and how to reach us for placement advice at http://www.aflcr.org/classes_adults.shtml#AdultsMontpelier.

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Hands-On Gardenerby Miriam Hansen

When a friend who’s been growing her own food for decades recently asked me if I had any zucchini

to spare, I knew we were not “in Kansas” anymore. Some thing is seriously amiss. A host of insect pests we don’t ordinarily encounter are plaguing our gardens. In the past few weeks, I’ve been asked what to do about infestations of everything from cucumber beetles, squash bugs and squash vine borders to Japanese beetles, mini grass-hoppers and tomato hornworms! Not to mention endless questions about late blight, the fungus that can decimate potato and tomato crops.

What’s going on? For one thing, we’re having milder winters. Insects that never thrived up here are able to overwinter and get established. For another, the weather is increasingly unpredictable and extreme. Periods of unseasonable cold are followed by intense heat accompanied by torrential rains. This all adds up to stressed-out, wet plants—the conditions that favor pests and diseases. What to do?

Well the old adage “an ounce of preven-tion is worth a pound of cure” holds true. When I notice damaged leaves, even if I don’t know the cause, I remove them. I’ve stripped the lower leaves off the ornamental sunflowers I planted. From what I’ve read, they might be infected with rust or some other combination of fungi and bacteria, but whatever is going on, removing the leaves will remove a locus of infection, increase air circulation and stall, if not halt, progression of the problem.

Air circulation is critical. Most diseases thrive in moist conditions. If air can move around the leaves and dry them out, they are not as likely to be colonized. Floating row cover is another all-purpose prevention, one of the best protections from insect pests. Early this spring, we sprayed Pyrethrin on sickly squash and zucchini plants to knock back a cucumber beetle infestation. Then we covered the plants with row cover. If we’d had a problem with squash bugs, this would have worked as well. Once the plants are in full flower, you do have to remove the row cover to allow pollination. By the time we took the row cover off, the plants were large and sturdy and able to withstand the small population of cucumber beetles that had survived.

Of course identifying the problem is the key to prevention. I regularly consult the Internet, an amazing tool for identification. When I’m puzzled, I just look up the crop and the diseases and pests that infect it. If, for instance, you are noticing holes in squash stems and material that resembles sawdust, your plants are probably infected with squash vine borer. Once you identify the insect, you can look up the life cycle and the steps you need to take to deal with the problem.

Another ounce of prevention is keeping the garden free of debris. Squash bugs shelter in mulch and debris at the base of plants. If I had problems with this pest, I’d err on the

side of caution and not mulch around squash. While you can handpick and remove the shiny copper eggs the adult moth lays on the underside of leaves, I wouldn’t mess around if they become numerous. I’d act quickly. Knock the population back by spraying Py-rethrin. Then cover with row cover and inspect for eggs, adults and nymphs every few days.

Keep an eye on your plants. Infestations develop when we are not paying attention. I’ve not seen any late blight yet, but I know this is about the time it usually begins. So I’ve been scouting the interior of tomato plants to detect the first signs. This is the most humid, likely to be infected part of the plant.

And Japanese beetles? Well, this year they haven’t been too much of a problem be-cause two years ago we made an application of Milky Spore powder. According to the packaging, Milky Spore will continue to kill the Japanese beetle grubs for 15 to 20 years. Every time a grub dies, it releases billions of the disease-causing spores. The best time to apply it is now. In August, the grubs are close to the surface of the lawn and actively feeding.

I’m happy to report that after replanting twice, we are getting great yields with the two varieties of English cucumbers in the greenhouse—‘Tyria’ and ‘Socrates.’ They are sweet, basically seedless and weigh up to a pound and a half! The ‘Sun Golds’ and ‘Lucia’ grape tomatoes have proved to be equally delicious. They have hit the roof of the greenhouse, so it is probably time to top them, which is cutting off the growing tip so the plants will put all their energy into the fruit.

Spinach and lettuce seedlings are up in the cold frame. They’ll be ready to eat in October. If you want to extend your season, plant a bed of greens now and cover with a slightly heavier row cover (to protect from hard frost). You’ll be harvesting greens from the garden at the end of October.

A combination of spraying with Bt (Bacil-lus thuringiensis) against cabbage moth lar-vae, followed by covering with floating row cover, has produced huge healthy broccoli and cauliflower for the fall crop. I’m relieved to see it because the early broccoli buttoned and was kind of disappointing.

Despite all the setbacks, the garden is producing well. The tomatoes, basil, parsley, celery and cucumbers are phenomenal! I do have some blossom end rot and some cat fac-ing (distortion and cracks) on the tomatoes, but that is to be expected with the kind of weather we’ve had. Fall is around the cor-ner, and I can already predict a groaning sideboard.

Happy harvesting and don’t get discour-aged!

Miriam and her husband, David, live in East Montpelier, where they grow most of their own vegetables, berries and meat on less than one-quarter of an acre. Your questions and comments are welcome. You can reach Miriam at freshair460@gmail.com.

Can You Spare a Zucchini?

The Br idge August 22– september 4 , 2013 , • pAge 27

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Remote functionality has grown by leaps and bounds as speedy Internet access is the standard rather than

the exception. Most of us have experienced, from one end or the other, the beauty of re-mote technical support. With the growth of these technologies have come a number of other uses, including remote meetings, like GoToMeeting.com. While virtual meetings can be wonderful, they, and their in-person counterparts, are far less necessary in some situations than many people believe.

Most people have been part of an unnec-essary online meeting. Even the best-inten-tioned online meetings can suffer. Without requiring everyone to be present on video, you open the temptation to multitask, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of the meet-ing. While the instinct might be to force engagement in the meeting, I’d argue that it’s time to meet less and, instead, use online collaboration tools.

The remote meeting can be a glorious way to keep geographically separated individuals in touch and feel as if they’re part of a tight team. Unfortunately, these meetings are often a waste of time—a throwback to an era when online collaboration tools didn’t exist. The meeting used to be a way to keep everyone on the same page. While that goal is still impor-tant, and meetings are still necessary, there are other ways to keep everyone connected.

Regular readers of my work know that I’m a big fan of online collaboration. The use of conditional formatting, intranets, drop-box folders and more are all effective ways to keep team members informed. They’re also effective at keeping them engaged. There are times, though, when online meetings need to happen. Let’s review some of the cases where a meeting, be it online or off, is and is not necessary.

Sharing Numbers

The release of quarterly financials is often an exciting time, and one that many orga-nizations use to kick off a rash of meetings. For most groups, these meetings turn into a review of the numbers, to give them context. Why can’t these numbers be posted to an in-tranet or other digital forum? If the numbers require excessive context, such as would be supplied at a meeting, then the information is probably not crucial to the roles of those that would attend. If they need to know, but lack context, then let them seek it out or schedule a one-on-one meeting. Most of the financials I share with others happens on a color-coded excel sheet. If people want more information, they ask. Otherwise they just check how their department is doing and carry on with their day.

TrainingNew employees or new skills will always

require training. Self-serve tools are wonder-ful, but there is usually a case for checking in to monitor progress. New employees should be brought on board with face-to-face meet-ings, whether that is in person or over video chat. If the employee is a veteran, though, track his or her progress with an online task management program, Microsoft Exchange account or even e-mail.

Morale Issues

Morale issues can be incredibly challeng-ing and require two sorts of action. First, you need to figure out where the problem lies and immediately address it. Second, you should schedule a meeting to acknowledge the issue and report the steps being taken to resolve it. I don’t believe in handling morale issues with e-mail; in this case, anything less than the use of voice is inadequate and will only perpetuate the problem.

Tracking Projects

It’s rare that a meeting is required just to check in on someone’s projects. There are exceptions, of course, but usually you can have the individual provide e-mail progress reports at set intervals. Bigger projects, ones that involve many people or projects gone (or about to go) awry, usually do benefit from a meeting. I find that project managing a large website can be handled by e-mail, until and unless something goes wrong. Then I pull everyone into the conference room so we can find a resolution.

Scheduling

Coordinating schedules with a meeting is almost as bad calling someone to tell him you sent him an e-mail. Even if your orga-nization doesn’t use a management program to schedule meetings in house, there are a number of free programs out there. Doodle.com is my favorite.

And now, in the interest of time, some quick hits:

Situations that suggest meetings: hav-ing a send-off when someone is leaving the company on good terms, discussing major changes to the company, bad financial news, discussing issues that have lots of emotion, potential termination of an employee.

Situations that could be handled with online collaboration: reviewing minutes from the last meeting, minor changes to the company, good financial news, soliciting new ideas or feedback, announcing the addi-tion of a new resource or technology.

There are a near-infinite number of rea-sons why people schedule meetings, and I certainly can’t cover them all. My goal here is simple: consider technology and all the ways it allows an organization to commu-nicate, discuss, collaborate and advance. It will help the next time you think you need a meeting to consider the value of everyone’s time and try to think of a digital way to accomplish the same goals. If you use this technique effectively, you’ll increase produc-tivity, morale and the bottom line.

Jeremy Lesniak founded Vermont Comput-ing (vermontcomputing.com) in 2001 after graduating from Clark University and opened a store on Merchants Row (Randolph) in May of 2003. He also serves as managing editor for aNewDomain.net. He resides in Moretown.

When Technology Can Take the Place of Meetings

Tech Check

pAge 28 • August 22–september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

LettersThe School Budget: The Rest of the Story

To the Editor:The recent article in The Bridge (Aug.

1, 2013) regarding school budgets should have supplied the reader with some context for the comments made by community members.

1. When John Hollar and others call for closing the middle school, the reporter might want to ask about a plan for the sixth graders. Previously, the hope was that they could be rerouted back to Union. Union’s enrollment is up 32 percent, and the school is at capacity. Would parents agree to send sixth graders to the high school? If so, what capital improvements would be needed at the high school to accommodate them? What would its price be? (The last time this was put to the voters, in the form of a bond, the costs were set at $14 million. It was defeated.)

2. Peter Nielsen finds the recent salary increase in the negotiated teachers contract to be a radical departure from the more prudent negotiations from previous years. It is perfectly true that since the economic meltdown of 2007, the board insisted on keeping salary increases to a bare mini-mum. The last round of negotiations took place within a context of our teachers mak-ing below median income, of other neigh-boring towns offering higher increases and of the austerity of the previous few years. It would have been helpful for the reporter to interview someone who could supply all the details, rather than just take a community member’s opinion.

3. Readers should know that state contri-butions to our budget are decreased every time a parent opts to send a child to a pri-vate school. Even a handful of children at-tending private schools can result in higher per pupil costs for the children who remain. According to Jake Brown, one of the rea-sons parents send their children to private schools is because of “small class size.” But hasn’t this taxpayer (and others) criticized the school board for raising taxes rather than cutting costs by increasing class size? I certainly hope Mr. Brown isn’t suggesting that only children whose parents can afford private school should enjoy this very real educational benefit.

The worst thing for Montpelier would be for it to become a two-tiered city, made up entirely of the privileged and the poor. One sure route to this undesirable state would be to eviscerate the public schools while promoting private education options for those who can afford it. The school board must walk a fine line between keeping the parents who can afford a private school option satisfied and, at the same time, hon-oring its fiduciary responsibility to every child, not to mention every taxpayer. Com-promises—both programmatic and budget-ary—become necessary.

—Carolyn Herz, former member of the Montpelier Board of School Commission-

ers and the Waldorf Child’s Garden board, Montpelier

School Board Is Fiscally Irresponsible

Thanks for focusing on the Montpelier school budget in your last issue. With all due respect to the school board, its chair and members, I don’t think the board is say-ing no enough nor is it making those tough, unpopular decisions that are necessary to sustain the school budget without raising our already high property taxes.

Richard Sheir reported in The Bridge, in the April 4, 2012 issue, that during the last teacher contract negotiations, the board

agreed to pay increases of 4 percent the first year and 3 percent in the next two years. The tradition had been to pay 1.5 percent per year. These increases were doubled, and far greater than neighboring school districts. Additionally, the board agreed to give teach-ers 50 paid sick leave days per 10-month pe-riod, with more experienced teachers receiv-ing up to 100 days. This is grossly excessive. In Burlington, by comparison, teachers get 20 days per year.

There was a huge 10 percent increase in Montpelier property taxes this year, due in part to the school board’s poor fiscal deci-sions. We are not moving in the right direc-tion. As Tim Heney said in the last Bridge (Aug. 1, 2013), “Somebody’s got to exercise some leadership and make the right choices to get this thing right sized and in line.”

—Conrad Boucher, Montpelier

Parklets Invigorate the Downtown

To the Editor:As president of Montpelier Alive, I was

disappointed by criticism of parklets at the Liquor Control Board’s meeting as recently reported in the press. Parklets will provide outdoor seating for restaurants downtown. People downtown attract people downtown. The more people are seen in a downtown, the more successful that downtown will be. A good model for this is Church Street, where I walk for exercise every day when I am in Burlington. As many as 20 restaurants have outdoor seating on Church Street. The vibrancy of that area grows and grows. Par-klets have been successfully used in many American cities.

Numerous Montpelier Alive volunteers have worked countless hours to develop par-klets in downtown Montpelier. Three park-lets have been approved. The proposals fea-ture good designs and materials. They will be constructed in one or two parking spaces in front of each business developing the par-klet. Each business owner will pay parking fees lost to the city. More parking will be available downtown—not less. On the same night that City Council approved parklets, the council also approved the development of 12 new parking spaces in downtown Montpelier.

Montpelier Alive will do all that can be done to support parklets. Please join us in our effort to invigorate our downtown.

—Jon Anderson, Montpelier

Who Cares About the Fate of Unemployed Vermont Yankee Workers?

To the Editor:Using the term laid- off, meaning to dis-

charge “temporarily,” is no more than propa-ganda to sanitize the termination of jobs. It is sad when any manufacturer is forced by mar-ket pressures to terminate employees, who must then deal with many new uncertainties.

I personally wish Entergy’s 30 terminated workers at Vermont Yankee and 400-plus terminated workers at IBM the best. Many of these hard-working individuals are, or will be, scrambling to meet their mortgage payments, children’s education and living expenses. As highly skilled workers, they will likely be unable to secure jobs in Vermont that match their talents. I, for one, am also disturbed by the crocodile tears of those that profess concern for the workers at Vermont Yankee, yet still they want the plant to close. Is it with silent breath that there are others that want the same fate for the plant in Essex due to its chemical nature?

It would be devastating for any county (and by county I mean the people, services and businesses) if any of the few remaining

large employers were to voluntarily close their businesses or be forced to close, as the present administration is trying to do with Vermont Yankee and its 1,200-plus workers. Vermont politics needs to change its ways if we are going to shed the threat of plant closings and the termination of more jobs in Vermont.

To those workers terminated: stay well.—George Clain, Barre

Living with Wind Power: An Open Letter to Governor Peter Shumlin, Delivered August 5, 2013

Dear Governor Peter Shumlin:We the undersigned are families directly

impacted by the three large industrial wind projects in Vermont.

The signed are asking for a personal re-sponse. Please call us to get a better under-standing of how we are being affected. Call us, come for a visit. Stay for awhile, have a cup of coffee and experience what we live with on a daily basis.

Reports can be read, data can be given and interpreted—all of that in the end re-ally means nothing compared to first-hand experience. It is the only way to get an un-derstanding of what others are dealing with. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,Sheffield Project:—Luann and Steve Therrien, Sheffield:

lived here for 17 years, in Steve’s family for 40-plus years

—Paul and Carol Brouha, Sutton: family’s home since Paul was born in 1946

Lowell Project:—Paul and Rita Martin, Albany: lived here

since 1974, 39 years—Carl Cowles, Albany: lived here 20 years—Kevin McGrath, Farm Road: had land

and camp since 1987, finished new home in 2010

—Robbin and Steve Clark, Lowell: lived here for 26 years

—Don and Shirley Nelson, Lowell: lived here for 45 years, Don grew up here

—Jim and Kathleen Goodrich, Albany: built home in 2003, moved in 2004

vGordon Spencer, Lowell: lived here for 43 years

—Gilbert and Linda Hill, Lowell: lived here for 48 years, been in Lowell 69 years

—Leonard and Margurite Thompson, Al-bany: lived here for 15 years

Georgia Project:—Scott and Melodie McLane, Fairfax: lived

here for 23 years—Reggie Johnson and Shirley Phillips, Fair-

fax: lived here for 42 years

Towns Now Have Their Say About Wind Power

Thank you for printing Willem Post’s inci-sive letter (Aug. 1, 2013) on Denmark selling its unusable wind power to other countries at a great discount. A fair question could be asked: What does Scandinavian power pro-duction have to do with Vermont, let alone Barre and Montpelier?

Denmark is using its natural assets to its best advantage. Most of the country’s wind turbines are located “off-shore” in the North Sea, thus limiting concerns about negative impacts to health or tourism. The country that gave Walt Disney the idea for Disney-land (the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen) obviously cares about tourism and aesthetics, as well as energy independence and clean air.

Like Denmark, Vermont should make en-ergy decisions that fit our specific economic and environmental needs—not those of any particular industry or interest group. In fact, backlash against some wind projects can be

seen as a response to the state’s failure to do just that. Was northern Vermont’s low-capacity transmission grid really understood when Lowell Mountain was built? Were po-tential health concerns understood or con-sidered? In hindsight, some might say the answer is no. But if the Vermont way means anything, it is that transparent decisions are made with buy-in from, and in the interest of, the general public.

But, back to Barre and Montpelier. The Vermont Energy Wind Siting Commission agreed earlier this year that cities and towns are entitled to having more say over local energy siting decisions. The door has been opened. Let those who object to top-down industry and State House decision making speak now, or forever hold their peace.

—Guy Page, Barre

The Northeast Kingdom: Vermont’s Dumping Ground

Six days a week, hundreds of trash trucks, 20 tonners, go up Route 100 from the more prosperous parts of the state, turn right on Route 58 and drive to the dump in Coven-try. There is now a mountain on the Airport Road in Newport; I call it Mount Casella, and you can see it plainly from a great way off.

I live near that corner, where the trucks turn, and on days when it got under my skin to listen to the racket, I consoled myself with the knowledge that I could take to the ridge south of the house and lose myself in the ridgeline spruces and ledges and swales. I always felt safe up there.

Then the wind towers came. They came so that the people of Vermont could have rechargeable phones and wired security sys-tems and underground pet fences. Electric toothbrushes and 84-inch TVs and Christ-mas lights all year-round. Whole house air conditioning. And never feel guilty about any of it. Besides, there was lots of money to be made for lots of people. So Green Moun-tain Power took to the ridge and dumped a bunch of turbines on it.

That’s the Northeast Kingdom: where rich people dump things, and poor people live with it. We’re even poor enough to be grate-ful. When Lowell voted to accept the towers, it was a referendum on statewide property tax much more than it was a vote for any-thing sustainable. And as far as I know, Cov-entry loves being Vermont’s favorite dump.

I’ve been thinking about renewable energy for 10 or 12 years now, and this is all I’ve come up with: When the human race tamed fire for the first time, we set in motion a series of discoveries that put us at odds with the rest of the planet. But no matter how many species we drive over the cliff, we are trapped by gravity in a closed system and will either have to get along with the rest of the natural world or perish. But being human, and possessing fire, we don’t believe that yet.

—Don Peterson, Lowell

Gas Is Not the AnswerVermont Gas never tires of touting the

benefits of natural gas over heating oil, but isn’t it time to move beyond fossil fuels? Gas is still 70 to 80 percent as dirty as oil, even by Vermont Gas’s own estimates. Why aren’t we comparing gas to solar, or gas to biomass? Investing in a high-capacity natural gas pipeline that only serves a few thousand homes fails to solve our long-term addiction to fossil fuels. Thankfully, neighbors and organizations are revealing the true costs of this pipeline before we get stuck with 50 years of fracked gas shoved down our throats.

—John K. Webb, Montpelier

The Br idge August 22– september 4 , 2013 , • pAge 29

Op-Edsby Guy Page

In December 2011, the Vermont Depart-ment of Public Service adopted an ambi-

tious Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP): by 2050, 90 percent of all energy used in-state would be derived from renewable power.

Vermont is in a three-legged race toward a distant finish line. Success would require change in all three legs of energy use: home heating/weatherization, transportation and electric generation. So, where is Vermont today?

Leg 1: Home Heating/Weatherization. Under the CEP, buildings will be more en-ergy-efficient and heated renewably, mostly by geothermal wells and biomass furnaces and boilers. At present, heating accounts for 30 percent of Vermont’s total energy consumption and produces 22 percent of its carbon emissions. The CEP calls for weath-erizing 80,000 homes by 2020. Yet, because of insufficient funding, only half of that figure is projected to occur.

The 2013 legislature rejected thermal ef-ficiency infrastructure, climate school cur-riculum and new stringent construction standards but created a renewables’ loan fund and requires state of Vermont building projects to use renewables, if feasible.

Leg 2: Transportation. The CEP goal would replace gasoline and diesel-powered cars with plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) and public transportation. Transportation ac-counts for 36 percent of total state energy consumed and 59 percent of carbon emis-sions. In 2010, 77 EVs were registered in Vermont; by April 2013, 238. One in 1,756 Vermont-registered cars are EVs.

Some models retail for about $40,000 at local dealerships. Vermont will need more public charger stations. As of May 1, Vermont had 20 public EV chargers, mostly in the Champlain Valley and Washington County. On June 17, Vermont and Québec announced plans for 20 more. To promote mass transit, the state is expanding park and ride facilities and giving state employees bus discounts.

Leg 3: Electric Generation. Today, about 50 percent of electricity consumed in Ver-mont is renewable, mostly hydro. Electricity accounts for 35 percent of state energy use

and about 8 percent of carbon emissions. However, if oil furnaces and gasoline-pow-ered cars are replaced by geothermal pumps and EVs and other new technologies, elec-tricity demand will triple.

The CEP proposes more wind, biomass, solar, hydro and methane power—but how? Opposition to essential new transmission corridors in New Hampshire and Maine hin-ders new imports of Canadian hydro power.

Adding 300 smaller, instate hydropower dams would move Vermont 5 percent closer to 90 percent, but new projects are few due to high cost and lengthy permitting. No new biomass-powered projects have been built. Citizens’ groups oppose them, and the state is lukewarm. And the finite supply of trash and cow manure limits substantial growth of landfill and “cowpower.”

Wind power, though popular statewide, faces stiffening local opposition around health, aesthetics and the environment. Get-ting just 5 percent closer to 90 percent would require five new projects the size of Lowell’s Kingdom Community Wind. No new devel-opments are under construction.

Much (about 27 megawatts) of Ver-mont’s solar power is net metered: typically, homeowners sell it to utilities to reduce the monthly power bill. Therefore it “counts” as conservation, not generation. Solar genera-tion under the ratepayer-subsidized SPEED program totals 19,000 megawatt-hours, or about one-millionth of the projected total electricity demand of 2050.

Most of Vermont’s power production (smallest in New England) is at Vermont Yankee—which Vermont wants to close. Without Vermont Yankee, and with slow development of renewable generation, it is unclear where Vermont would find enough low-carbon and/or renewable power to meet demand.

Will Vermont complete the three-legged race by 2050? This much is sure: energy planning is no game, and getting to 90 per-cent is no picnic.

Guy Page is the communications director for the Vermont Energy Partnership. For details and sources on the topic above, see Page’s issue brief at vtep.org.

The Quest for 90 Percent Renewable Energy Is Like a Three-legged Race

by Mary Hooper

Vermonters spend a lot of time in cars. According to the state’s Comprehen-

sive Energy Plan (CEP), we are 12th in the country in per capita miles driven. Of our total energy consumption, 33.7 percent is in transportation.

And we pay a lot to drive. AAA reports that driving a sedan 20,000 miles cost $7,962 in 2012. For minivan and SUV drivers, it costs over $10,000 a year to drive 20,000 miles. According to the CEP, in 2010 we spent about $1.1 billion on gasoline and diesel. In the United States, we spend an average of 18 cents out of every dollar on transportation, and the poorest fifth of families spend more than twice that. We have these costs even though a typical car is parked for 93 percent of its lifetime.

Then there are the environmental costs. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the typical passenger vehicle emits almost 20 pounds of carbon dioxide for every mile driven. The CEP reports that 47 percent of the greenhouse emissions in Vermont in 2010 came from the transportation sector.

As residents in a rural state, we rely heav-ily on cars, yet it is possible to avoid these costs and reduce driving. But to make this possible requires having a complete range of options: a walkable community, public transit and access to alternative ways to get around. Montpelier’s walkable, bikeable access to the downtown makes it possible for many people to run errands or commute to work on their feet. Montpelier consistently ranks among the highest per capita use of alternative trans-portation (walking, biking, car pooling or riding the bus) in the state. Our public transit is strong and becoming even better—Link Express and other commuter buses are ex-panding their service areas. State employees have the opportunity to buy bus passes at half price, along with other incentives not to drive (and save the state money). The Montpelier Circulator bus makes it easy for some residents to hop on the bus and be downtown or at work for free.

The last link in developing a strong alter-native transportation system for Montpelier residents is providing access to a car when needed without necessarily owning it. Car-Share Vermont, a nonprofit organization based in Burlington, stations cars in neighborhoods for its members to use. Instead of having the re-sponsibility and cost of owning a car, members simply sign up online to use a car, walk to it in their neighborhood and go on with their day. Members have many of the advantages of hav-ing a car, without the cost. In Burlington, 63 percent of CarShare Vermont members report getting rid of one of their cars or deciding not to buy a car. On average, they are driving 3,550 fewer miles per year—which means 355 fewer tons of carbon dioxide per member.

A group of Montpelier residents is work-ing with the Burlington CarShare Vermont program to bring the environmental, eco-nomic and social benefits of car sharing to Montpelier. CarShare Vermont is encouraging Montpelier residents to fill out the question-naire on its website (see carsharevt.org/mont-pelier). The website (carsharevt.org) has great information on how the program is working in Burlington. Visit the site, see how the program works, fill out the questionnaire and call me, if you have questions, at 223-2892.

Mary Hooper is a second-term member of the Vermont House of Representatives, representing the Washington-5 Representative District.

Cut Car Costs: Walk, Bike, Bus or Share

Lowell lawn sign on the highway. Photo by Bob Nuner.

VTEP Surveys Vermont’s Progress Toward 90 Percent

Renewables

Vermont Energy Partnership (VTEP) is committed to finding clean, af-

fordable, reliable electricity solutions. Its mission is to educate policy makers, media, businesses and public about why electricity is imperative for prosperity and about optimal solutions to preserve and expand the electricity network. Entergy, owner of Vermont Yankee, is a member of VTEP. VTEP recently published “The Three-Legged Race: Vermont’s Pursuit of 90% Renewables by 2050,” an overview of progress toward reaching the Public Service Department’s goal of 90 percent renewable energy by 2050. The findings were as follows:• Toreachitsinterimhomeenergyef-

ficiency goal for 2020, the state must weatherize 80,000 homes over the next seven years. At its current pace, Vermont will likely only meet half that goal.

• Transportationaccounts for36per-cent of Vermont’s total energy con-sumption and 59 percent of carbon emissions. Today, one in 1,756 of Vermont registered cars are electric plug-ins.

• Reaching90percentrenewableen-ergy by 2050 will require tripling electricity consumption, yet Ver-mont now makes less electricity than any other New England state, half of it produced by Vermont Yankee.

• To move Vermont 5 percent closer to 90 percent, Vermont would need either 262 new 2.2 megawatt solar plants, five new Lowell wind projects or 300 small existing hydro dams.

• The chasm between Vermont’s re-newables present and renewables future—about 3 million renew-able megawatt-hours on this side of the 37-year span, 18 million on the other—may be a bridge too far, bar-ring unexpected changes.

For more information: Guy Page, com-munications director, Vermont Energy Partnership, 505-0448, page@vtep.org or vtep.org.

pAge 30 • August 22–september 4 , 2013 The Br idge

Op-Eds

Corrections

In “Breaking Down the Walls: New Pathways at our Public High Schools” (Aug. 1, 2013 issue), the 10 Pilot students at U-32 comprise about one-sixtieth, not one-sixth, and the potential 10 Soar students at MHS one-fortieth, not one-third, of U-32’s and MHS’s student bodies respectively.

Readers have advised The Bridge that two additional, private, faith-based schools were omitted from our alternative schools survey: Central Vermont Catholic School, 79 Sum-mer Street, Barre, 476-5015 (preschool–8) and Websterville Baptist School, 143 Church Hill Road, Websterville, 479-0141. The Bridge regrets these errors and omissions.

by Gerard Holmes

One important piece was missing from the discussion of the state of our schools

in a recent issue of The Bridge, which has im-portant implications for Montpelier’s schools and the city as a whole during the next decade.

Montpelier has grown accustomed to a nar-rative of diminishment where its schools are concerned: shrinking class sizes, unused re-sources in the upper grades, higher taxes for less return. We’re told that increases in the education portion of the city’s tax rate will continue to drive students out of the system.

As noted in The Bridge, enrollment at Union Elementary School increased by 32 percent be-tween 2003 and 2013. Union has not been so large for years. And it’s growing. According to the Vermont Department of Education, its 2011–12 first-grade class was nearly 46 percent larger than the fifth-grade class and 80 percent larger than the eighth grade. The kindergarten class that year held 75 students, and the pre-K cohort was 83 children.

Last year, this unusually large group was squeezed from five classrooms into four, be-cause administrators believed families with children in this grade would leave the dis-trict during summer 2012. Instead, the cohort grew. Their parents—I am one—asked the district to hire a fifth teacher, because of con-cerns about classroom size and overcrowding.

In school board discussions and subsequent news stories, I heard often that this group of second-grade students was “trouble,” with much head scratching over an unusually high number of disciplinary problems. I heard un-pleasant implications that parents asking for continuity in class sizes were attempting to avoid this “trouble” by focusing their attention instead on class sizes

But a district used to grade sizes of 40 or 50 students will certainly see more (and possibly a higher rate of) behavior-related issues when it encounters, suddenly, grade sizes of 80 or more students. What new systems have been put in place to manage a cohort that’s more than twice the size of the one that entered first grade seven years ago? Have the number

Montpelier’s Growing Schools Need Our Support

of teachers, administrators and counselors at Union increased by 80 percent during the last seven years? We want to be careful not to blame the students.

So, why are so many families with young children moving here? My family moved to Montpelier four years ago, in part because the schools have a reputation for excellence. Since we bought our house, at least half a dozen families with elementary-age children have moved to my block, or on the next block over, from out of town.

What’s going on here? Why aren’t Mont-pelier’s tax rates driving these people away? In fact, Montpelier’s education portion is in line with Vermont generally, and more impor-tantly, with other K–12 districts in Vermont. Our cost per pupil is 14th of 33, according to a 2014 DOE report, behind bigger cities like South Burlington, medium-sized towns like Springfield and small towns like Cabot and Craftsbury. By many measures, Union is ef-ficient: its ratio of students to teachers is about average, and its ratios of students per admin-istrator and teachers per administrator are far above the state average. By these measures, it is more efficient than the middle or high school.

Montpelier is justly proud of its successes in the upper grades, in spite of a student popula-tion that has steadily shrunk over the years. But as the parent of a child at the elementary school, where the student population is grow-ing, it has been frustrating to encounter op-position from decision makers when seeking simple continuity in class sizes, art, music and physical education.

Those 2011–12 first graders are moving through the system. This fall, they enter third grade. In three years, their numbers will swell the middle school and then, three years later, the high school. The school district and the city need to prepare. Step one is to reframe debates with which Montpelier has grown comfortable, based on assumptions about de-clining enrollments and unused space. Union is bursting at the seams, and to gauge by the energy, excitement, and creativity there, that’s a good thing. Let’s support our schools as they again begin to grow, paying attention to our community’s future as well as its recent past.

by Will Wilquist

On April 30, 2013, Governor Shum-lin’s Energy Generation Siting Policy

Commission issued its final report, rec-ommending a package of policy improve-ments, which included consideration of cumulative impacts, greater weight to Act 250’s criteria and much-needed process im-provements. As the General Assembly–des-ignated protectors of the Long Trail, the Green Mountain Club wholly supports the commission’s recommendation that state policies consider the cumulative impacts of multiple projects. It only makes sense that large development not be considered in isolation. Likewise, “substantial consid-eration” of the criteria in Act 250 would be a step in the right direction.

In September 2012, the Green Mountain Club helped establish a coalition of conser-vation groups that asked the governor to establish the commission. The club thanks the governor for his support of this request and choosing such smart, experienced and serious commissioners to consider very com-plicated policy problems on a very tight time line. The commission’s report includes the following key clauses• The PSB shall consider cumulative

impacts in project review for siting electric generation. ANR and PSD shall develop guidelines and tools for understanding and measuring cumu-lative impact to be used in the plan-ning, application, and monitoring phases of the siting process (Recom-mendation 25, page 59).

• When determining a project’s im-pact, the PSB should give ‘substantial consideration’ (i.e. greater weight) to Act 250 criteria as part of the siting process review (Recommendation 22, page 58).

• Ensuring that the best rather thaneasiest sites are selected by maintaining a process that rewards appropriately sited projects, thus making the process easier and more predictable for all par-ties (Commission Goals, page 6).

Among the proposed improvements to the state’s current processes are improved public engagement processes, a clear and funded path for municipal and county plan-ners to play a strong role in the process, a tiered process to expedite small projects and focus resources on bigger projects, trigger points for notifying the public sooner about major projects, better synching of Agency of Natural Resources and Public Service Board processes and time lines, clear timelines for PSB dockets, third party project monitor-ing paid for by the developer during the construction and postconstruction phases of a project, improved online information sources, and increased analysis of public health impacts within the siting process.

“The siting commission did yeoman’s work in reviewing the state’s policies related to energy generation siting. We thank the commissioners and the staff for their hard work,” said Jean Haigh, president of the Green Mountain Club.

The Green Mountain Club, founder and maintainer of the Long Trail, has played a constructive role in mitigating the impacts of energy development by playing formal roles in the Lowell and Deerfield projects. The club has not opposed or supported any wind project. The club’s concerns with development of any sort centers around potential impacts on the 500 miles of Ver-mont hiking trails it manages. The club is itself powered by 100 percent on-site renewable energy at its Waterbury Center headquarters.

Green Mountain Club staff has reviewed much of the most recent draft commission report and attended numerous commission hearings and deliberations. They are in the process of reviewing the final report.

Will Wiquist is executive director of the

Green Mountain Club. For more information, contact Wiquist at 241-8212 or visit green-mountainclub.org.

Siting Commission Proposal a Strong Step Forward

Gary Home resident Mitzi Bowman with Montpelier Rotarian Mayor John Hollar at the an-nual picnic the Montpelier Rotary Club holds for residents of Pioneer Apartments and the Gary Home. Photo courtesy of Susan Kruthers. Lowell wind turbines. Photo by Bob Nuner.

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