Central Vermont Sustainable Living Network- notes
SUMMARY OF THE MONTHLY MEETING for
THE CENTRAL VERMONT SUSTAINABLE LIVING NETWORK – February 11, 2004
All eleven of us had a good time talking about Community Supported Agriculture
(CSAs), gardening, seed saving and other topics. After a round of hellos
and introductions there were quite a few announcements and things to note:
• Save this date – Tuesday, April 14, Noon to 1:00 PM
somewhere at Vermont College. Warren Leon who co-authored the book “The Consumer’s
Guide to Effective Environmental Choices” and which we discussed for two
meetings will be speaking. A short description of his talk and a bio is included
at the end of these notes.
• Save this date – Saturday, July 24. Vermont Earth Institute
will be meeting all day at the Knoll Farm in Fayston to make connections
between members and folks who have taken the courses around the state. Dick
Roy and others from the Northwest Earth Institute will be there as well as
other special guests.
• For a guide to green buying and services see CO-OP
AMERICA’s Green Mount Green pages. (info@coopamerica.org, 202-872-5307)
• To stop telephone solicitations call: 1-888-382-1222.
• Course presentation on DEEP ECOLOGY and DISCOVERING
A SENSE OF PLACE at the Hunger Mountain Coop, Thursday, March 11, 6:00 PM.
• Center for a New American Dream Video, MORE FUN, LESS
STUFF is being circulated and will be changed hands each month.
• A copy of the CD UNCOVERED about the Iraq war is also
circulating.
• FRUGAL ENVIRONMENTALISM, a periodical on the racks
at Kellogg-Hubbard Library was mentioned as having some surprising information.
E.g., there is a better alternative to AAA, the automobile club, which has
been known to lobby for more roads and against some environmental regulations.
The Alternative is called BETTER WORLD CLUB.
• THE WILD TURKEY GUILD, A Natural Builder and Artisan
Cooperative is just forming (802-229-4972 or lln702233@yahoo.com)
• For organic fertilizers and other gardening and farming
needs, contact NOFA-VT (802-434-4122 or info@nofavt.org).
Stacy Bernstein of the Two Rivers Center for Sustainability told us about
their 2004 plans for the CSA. Besides a once a week pick up of vegetables
on Wednesdays, there was last year and will be this year a mid week farmers
market. There will also be offerings for local breads, chicken, and coffee
from Vermont Coffee Roasters (Ralston Roast Coffee). Last year the Two Rivers
CSA provided food for the U32 and Montpelier High School lunch programs
and to the Senior Meals Program.
There also were educational programs – herbal camps to learn about medicinal
herbs, camps for teens to learn survival skills, pre-schooler gardening,
food cooking demonstrations (grilled beets was a surprising favorite among
all ages!).
One added feature of the weekly food pickup was that all CSA members could
pick a flower bouquet for the week. All this put together sounds like Eden
on the river bank! The Two Rivers Center is located at the confluence of
the Stevens Branch (flowing from Barre) and the Winooski River (flowing from
Plainfield, Marshfield and Cabot).By the way, the Newsletter of the Rivers
Center is called THE CONFLUENCE.
The 2004 brochures for the CSA will be out soon. The contact information
is: 802-229-2226 or 223-1515 or info@tworiverscenter.org).
We spent the rest of the time talking about seeds, gardening and related
topics:
• Seed catalogue – FEDCO from Waterville Maine (207-873-7333
or www.fedcoseeds.com). They have a special section on organic seeds and
lots of good info about gardening.
• Seed catalogue – HIGH MOWING SEEDS from Wolcott, Vermont
(802-888-1800 or www.highmowingseeds.com). All organic seeds.
• Seed catalogue – Pine Tree from Maine. No reference.
Search on the internet.
• THE HOME VEGETABLE GARDEN, UVM Extension Service has
wonderful centerfold that gives planting dates and amounts and guide to
plants of over 40 common garden vegetables. I will make copies of the centerfold
to have available at the next meeting.
• GREENHOUSES – Elliot Coleman has one out (no title,
you’ll have to search) and I used THE SOLAR GREENHOUSE BOOK, edited by James
McCullagh, 1978, Rodale Press. Also see recent issues of MOTHER EARTH NEWS.
• Several wonderful Lewis Hill books – SECRETES OF PLANT
PROPAGATION, PRUNING SIMPLIFIED, and FRUITS AND BERRIES FOR THE HOME GARDEN.
These have been my steady refence guides over the years.
• COLOR HANDBOOK OF GARDEN INSECTS, 1979, Rodale Press.
Jill mentioned that a bug which looked like a stink bug, was sucking the
juice out of her tomatoes. I didn’t have this book at the meeting but I looked
the bug up. It could well be the BROWN STINK BUG (Euschistus servus). It’s
shield shaped and its range is Eastern US, one of its foods is tomatoes,
I have seen the nymph stage of this bug attacking potato bugs at the larval
stage. Ahhh! Is a garden pest really a pest?
• GARDENING FOR MAXIMUM NUTRITION, Jerry Minnich, Rodale
Press. Which is the better to eat for iron, spinach or watermelon. This
book tells you and it is a surprise.
As we were speaking or nutrition, it was brought up how much more energy
(calories) are used to ship food to its destination than there are calories
in the food itself. One thing we can do to counter this woefully unsustainable
practice is to buy as local as possible. Take the time to read where the
food is coming from and if in agreement with other factors, BUY THE LOCAL
PRODUCT.
We talked about the early spring scourge of flea bettles. If anyone knows
how to at least set these critters back, there are many folks who would
really like to know. So let us know.
One other topic we talked about was saving rain in barrels to help get
the gardens through dry periods and not relying on city or well water.
THE NEXT MEETING IS THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF MARCH, MARCH 10, 6:30 TO 8:00
PM at the KELLOGG-HUBBARD LIBRARY BOARDROOM. Hope to see you there.
Richard
----------------------
Warren Leon
Warren Leon is Program Director for Education and Public Awareness at the
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Renewable Energy Trust. In that
role, he helps develop projects and activities to build public understanding
and support for clean energy.
Before joining the Renewable Energy Trust, Leon served as Executive Director
of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, the leading regional membership
organization working to promote renewable energy, clean transportation,
and green buildings. Before that, he was Deputy Director for Programs at
the Union of Concerned Scientists, where he oversaw that organization’s research,
advocacy, and educational outreach.
Leon has published several books and numerous articles on environmental
issues, education, and public communication. He is co-author of the popular
book The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices (Three Rivers
Press, 1999) and more recently co-authored Is Our Food Safe? A Consumer’s
Guide to Protecting Our Health and the Environment (Three Rivers Press, 2002).
He received his undergraduate degree from Oberlin College in 1972 and a
Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1979.
Description of Talk:
Your Most Important Environmental Choices
Paper or plastic? Minivan or station wagon? Beef or chicken? Cloth diapers
or disposables? Some choices have a huge impact on the environment; others
are of negligible importance. Warren Leon will reveal the findings from
a landmark study that examines the relationship between consumers and the
environment. He will discuss how individuals can most effectively improve
environmental quality through their everyday decisions. He will identify
eleven priority actions individuals should take in their personal lives
to reduce environmental damage, but will also discuss the roles of community
projects and government policy. Because some decisions--such as the choice
of a car--have such a disproportionately large effect on the environment,
there is little reason to feel “green guilt” over, for instance, the occasional
paper cup tossed into the trash. Find out what you should worry about and
what you can ignore. Find out how you can most effectively improve the environment.