A Window Dressers insert being installed. Photo courtesy Window Dressers.

This fall Sustainable Woodstock will make free insulating window inserts for community members, and you are invited to join us! From Thursday October 26^th to Wednesday November 1st, we will host a community build at the North Universalist Chapel Society Church (North Chapel), which is generously donating their space for this project. We will construct the window inserts at this build, first gluing and screwing together the wooden frames for the windows, and then wrapping them in this insulating plastic and foaming the outside. No experience is needed to volunteer, and you will be thanked with snacks and lots of community good-will, much like an old-fashioned barn raising. If you are interested in volunteering at our Window Dressers build, please sign up at: https://signup.com/go/ggjUKii

This community build is run in partnership with Window Dressers (WD). WD brings volunteers together to build insulating window inserts for a participating town’s residents. The inserts function like custom interior storm windows, insulating a home to improve the warmth and comfort of interior spaces, lower heating costs, and reduce carbon dioxide pollution. More info is at: https://windowdressers.org/.

All recipients of our Window Dressers build are income-qualifying and are receiving up to 10 inserts for free. We were able to identify recipients through our low-income food security and energy work, as well as by advertising on local listservs. We also found interested families by advertising at the Woodstock Area Food Shelf. The inserts are free of charge to all due to generous funding from the Canaday Family Charitable Trust.

We will construct ~230 inserts for 28 families during our week-long build, which will have multiple shifts during the weekday and on the weekend for people to volunteer—no experience necessary. While you do not need to have any building experience to be successful at a community build, you can still contribute if building isn’t in your comfort zone. We will also need folks to bring snacks and other food and drink for every day of the build, including bigger dishes around lunchtime. This program is a great experience for anyone wanting to help those in our community reduce energy load, save money, and create a warmer living space during the cold months of the year. Last year we were joined by over 80 volunteers–we hope to see you again this year.

Window Dressers is also an important way of addressing energy burden for low-income Vermonters. Energy burden is the share of a household’s income spent on heat, electricity and transportation. According to Energy Action Vermont, some Vermonters spend over a quarter of their income on energy costs. Even worse, most of those expenses are for fossil fuels, which have volatile prices like those that we saw last winter for heating oil and propane. A tighter, well-insulated home is one step towards reducing a home’s energy burden, and to making it a more comfortable space. Window Dressers estimates that on average, 10 inserts will save 105 gallons of heating fuel which, at around $5.50/gallon, amounts to more than $550 in savings per year. This means that our 2023 build saved ~2,467 gallons of fuel, or $13,571 for homeowners.

Each insulating window insert is made of a custom-made pine frame wrapped in two layers of tightly sealed clear polyolefin film and finished with a compressible foam gasket. The foam allows enough give for the inserts to be easily slid into place in the fall and removed in the spring, while holding firmly enough to provide a tight, friction-based seal that stops drafts and adds two more insulating air spaces. This is very helpful in Vermont’s homes, many of which were built in the 1900’s and have old, leaky windows. We heard great things from recipients of last year’s build, including: “The inserts were a breeze to put in and definitely make a difference. Thanks so much for the game-changer!” and “I must tell you that those inserts made a profound quality of life impact! It was so toasty warm inside, that we routinely went outside unprepared for the real cold. And our lpg consumption is way down.”

We invite you to join us anytime October 26^th through November 1st to volunteer at Woodstock’s Window Dressers Build and build community at the same time!

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

If you are interested in volunteering at our Window Dressers build, please sign up at: https://signup.com/go/ggjUKii

Contact Sustainable Woodstock with questions at programs@sustainablewoodstock.org or 802-457-2911

The post Help Your Neighbors Stay Warm This Winter appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

Electric lawncare equipment looks and functions much like gas-powered counterparts. Photo courtesy of Rooted Gardens.

With summer comes the near constant drone of lawn mowers, weed whackers, leaf blowers, and other lawn equipment. This summer Sustainable Woodstock partnered with Rooted Gardens, the Upper Valley’s first electric-powered landscaping service, to demonstrate alternatives to gas-powered lawn equipment. Our partnership brought an all-electric lawn care contractor to Woodstock for the first time, mowing the Ottauquechee Health Center, Faulkner Park and four private residences every Wednesday. It has been a very successful season, and next year we are looking to expand this partnership to more businesses and residences in Woodstock.

How does Rooted Gardens mow without using gas or diesel? They use a combination of push mowers, riding mowers and smaller equipment such as weed whackers, just like any other landscaper. The only difference is that this equipment runs on electricity in the form of batteries. Rather than fill up the gas tank, Matt, the owner, and his crew replace and recharge batteries to mow all day. The Electric Lawn is one of a list of contractors across the state who are using all electric equipment, and is the first in the Upper Valley. Visit https://www.mowelectric.org/find-a-contractor to see other electric contractors in Vermont.

Electric lawn equipment has advanced quickly– companies are now making commercial grade riding lawn mowers that for 8 hours of run time. Little to no maintenance is required, as there are far fewer moving parts in electric machines compared to gas-powered machines. The low maintenance costs combined with a very low cost to run electric machines (it costs less than $2 to charge a commercial mower that will run for 8 hours) means that the machines cost much less to run.

There are many other benefits to electric equipment. Electric lawn equipment is quieter than gas-powered machinery, which produces constant noise, and which the CDC reports can create long-term health effects including hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and even cardiovascular issues. Noise is considered hazardous when it is 85 dBA or above– If you must raise your voice when talking to someone about 3 feet away, the noise level is probably at least 85 dBA. Consider how often you must raise your voice above the noise of gas-powered lawn equipment, either when you use it yourself or when you’re nearby. Electric lawnmowers are about 30 dB quieter than gas-powered models.

Electric equipment emits no harmful pollutants or smog-forming air pollution. Most gas-powered lawn equipment uses 2-stroke engine fuel, which is a gas-oil mixture that is especially toxic compared to automobile emissions. These emissions include hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides (components of smog), carbon dioxide, and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). These pollutants and fine particulates linked to cancer, asthma, heart and lung disease, and create smog-forming air pollution. This was the primary motivator for the Ottauquechee Health Center to use Rooted Gardens to mow this summer; in Executive Director Hali Robinson’s words, “we decided to go the electric lawnmowing route so we could encompass the full spectrum of health – which includes environmental health!”

Are you interested in getting involved in the electric revolution? Rooted Gardens has openings for 2024 with neighbor discounts! Contact matt@myrootedgardens.com for more information. Be the leader in your neighborhood.

The post Electric Lawn Care Finds Success in Woodstock appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

(This article about walking complements the article that appeared on January 12, 2023 about how walking is good for people and the planet.)

There is more to life than increasing its speed.    — Gandhi

There’s a lot to be said for the old-fashioned wisdom that comes in sayings like: “If the Good Lord had wanted you to fly, you would have had wings.” Instead, we were given feet.

Walking is the original way of getting around. It came before the invention of the wheel, the cart, the wagon, the automobile and the airplane. For that reason alone, it is the “natural” form of locomotion—of moving from one place to another. Walking is simply a practical way to go places—to see people you want to visit and do the errands you need to do.

More than that, you can use walking to set daily goals and string them together into something amazing. The famous Chinese teacher and philosopher Confucius once said that, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Although Confucius lived more than 2,500 years ago, his wisdom is timeless.

I (the writer) walk and run at least 3 miles every day. A few years ago I did the math and discovered that, at this rate, the total number of miles I am walking over the span of every 23 years equals more than the distance that it would take to walk around the world along the equator—24,902 miles (40,076 kilometers). One step at a time, and one day at a time, you, too, can walk around the world—accomplishing something that is healthy for yourself and the planet! 

WALK AROUND THE WORLD

What You Will Need:

• Map of your neighborhood
• Highlighting marker
• Ball of string
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Calculator
• Writing Journal
• Pencil
• Map of the World 
• Large bulletin board
• Push pins
• Comfortable pair of walking or running shoes
• Pedometer (optional)

Steps to Take:

1. Set a small walking goal to meet every day. Pick a distance that you’re comfortable with. Keep in mind that walking to school, to the playground, the baseball or soccer field, local store and so on—all count toward your daily distance. Walking the dog counts, too!
2. Get a copy of a map of the area where you live, including trails. If you can’t find it a local outdoor/camping supply store or bookstore, try the Chamber of Commerce or City Hall. You can also search the Find a Trail maps on the Upper Valley Trails Alliance website: https://www.uvtrails.org/, or download the Walk Woodstock map to search for a route among Woodstock’s more than 60 miles of local trails: http://npmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/woodstock-trail-map.pdf
3. Find the scale of distance on the map. For example, “one inch equals 1.5 miles.”
4. Use the highlighter to mark some of the routes that you normally walk, and some routes that you want to add as part of your Walk Around the World.
5. Run a piece of string along each route and cut it to length. Then straighten each measure of string next to the ruler to get the number of inches for each route on the map. Write down this length for each route.
6. Using the map’s distance scale, calculate how far each of the walks measures on the ground. If the map’s scale is 1-inch equals 1.5 miles, then a 2-inch distance on your map, when measured on the ground, would be: 2 inches x 1.5 miles per inch = 3 miles. If the maps scale is 1 centimeter equals 1 kilometer, then a 2-centimeter distance on your map, when measured on the ground, would be: 2 centimeters x 1 kilometer per centimeter = 2 kilometers. Record each of these distances in your walking journal.
7. Break it down into small goals to start. At first, walk one of the shorter routes every day. As you get into better physical condition you can walk farther by adding some longer routes.
8. Each time you take a walk, record the date, location and distance in your Walking Journal. Keep track of the total distance that you have walked over time. Optional: You can also use a pedometer to record your walking distances. This is a small battery-powered device that hangs on your waistband or belt and measures how many steps you take. Based on how long each of your steps is, the pedometer multiplies that length times the number of steps to calculate the distance you’ve walked.
9. Pin the local map next to the map of the world on the bulletin board. Use some string and pins to show the total distance you have walked to date on the map of the world, and how far that distance would reach from your home to the next town, the next county, the next state, across the country and so on.
10. Learn about the states, provinces, countries, people, plants and animals at the locations that your total walking distance (to date) reaches to from your home. Imagine what it would be like to visit some of those places! Start a list of locations you would like to travel in your lifetime.

Over the years—one step at a time—you can walk around the world. Earth from Space. NASA Photo.

Safety First: 

• Always ask your parent’s or guardian’s permission before you go out for a walk, whether alone or with a friend. If your parent or guardian says you are too young to walk alone, or with a friend, then ask if they will go with you. This will get them involved with walking, too.
• When you do get permission, be sure to talk to your parent or guardian and choose safe walking routes.
• Always tell a parent or guardian exactly where you are going, what route you are taking and when you are expected back home. Stick with that plan. If you have a cell phone, bring it with you.
• Start a Walk Around the World group to share the experience, increase the level of safety (in numbers) and make it more fun!
• Tell your parents about the book called Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts with Worry by Lenore Skenazy. Once they’ve read the book, you can talk about how to strike a balance between allowing you to do things outside, while still keeping you safe.

The post Walk Around the World appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

Among the recent cataclysmic and tragic impacts of this extreme weather is the flooding on a massive scale experienced by Pakistanis in 2022 over a vast land area 3 ½ times the size of Vermont. This antediluvian event threatens the health, safety and survival of more than 15 million people, including 10 million children. Massive international assistance of food and medicine is required to prevent widespread starvation and disease.

Following several years of historically unprecedented draught and fires in California—catalyzed by global warming—the extreme weather pendulum has now swung the other way. According to the Los Angeles Times, recent “megafloods” in early 2023 have killed at least 22 people, knocked out power to 100,000 customers and caused an estimated $1 trillion in damages. 

Vermont is situated in the midst of a large region experiencing some of the most extreme temperature increases in North America as a result of the rising emissions of greenhouse gases. According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), temperatures in Vermont have increased 3°F since 1900, with the last 12 years being the warmest on record. Rainfall now averages 6 inches more per year than it did in 1960. Extreme weather events have also increased in recent decades, vacillating between extended draughts and intense record-setting rainfalls, such as 2011s Tropical Storm Irene and the $700 million in damages and tragic impact on the lives of Vermonters. This trend is expected to continue, bringing with it more frequent and severe storms and warmer winters with fewer days of extreme cold. This winter it was late-January before many parts of Vermont experienced the first significant accumulation of snow. 

How are these meteorological shifts affecting Vermont’s iconic rural activities and drivers of our domestic and tourism-based economies? Consider Vermont’s $50 million plus maple sugaring industry, by which Vermont produces a nation-leading volume of some 2.5 million gallons per year (2022). While modern technologies—such as plastic tubing, vacuum systems and reverse osmosis—have enabled maple sugar-makers to increase the volume of syrup produced, the sap-to-syrup ratio has declined precipitously. Research conducted at farms that have kept detailed records of their maple sugaring operations in the same sugar bushes for a century or more has revealed a dramatic drop in the sugar content of sap by nearly 30 percent since the 1970s—during the exact same span of time when atmospheric temperatures began to rise exponentially. In the 1970’s it took 25 to 30 gallons of raw sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. Nowadays, however, 45 to 50 gallons or more of sap must be processed in order to produce the same yield. This is due to stresses placed on sugar maples by conditions they are experiencing as a result of global warming and other forms of atmospheric pollution. For example, long-term research at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest has revealed that the growth of sugar maples decreases by 40% if their roots are exposed to severe cold when there is no snow pack—a drop in growth that continues for several years. 

Whither Vermont’s fall foliage season, which brings in much of the state’s autumn tourist revenue of $460 million? Says Dr. Barrett Rock—professor emeritus of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space at the University of New Hampshire, “Serious change in our climate became really noticeable in the mid-1970s, as if a switch had been thrown at that time, including increased temperatures and reduced air quality. Significant changes in forest health also began in the 1970s and all data indicates that it is now occurring at an increasingly rapid rate. This corresponds well with what the climate change models predicted.”

The first hard frosts, which bring out the most vibrant leaf colors, used to occur around the third week in September. But in recent years, these frosts have arrived later. As Rock has observed, “There was a time when Columbus Day was widely recognized for planning a visit to New England for spectacular colors. Now the foliar change may not have even begun by early October, and frost sometimes comes as late as early November.”

Parallel trends have been reported by researchers at the University of Vermont as well as at the Harvard Forest Research Station in Petersham, Massachusetts. Cornell plant biologists found that stress placed on trees due to climate change and other forms of air pollution, such as high ozone levels and acid rain, is causing many leaves to brown off and die without much color change. Leaves are also more prone to being invaded by fungi and bacteria seeking sugar to feed on.

Drought, late-season warmth, and the cloudier days associated with climate change all have the effect of muting autumn leaf colors, which now often progress, as Rock has observed, “from green to pale yellow, followed by leaf fall. Stressed trees have difficulty making anti-fungal compounds, which makes it hard for them to create the beautiful bright colors.”

Vermont’s $1.6 billion ski industry is also feeling the heat, marked recently by surreal warm spells that keep melting and re-melting the snowpack. According to the findings of the Vermont Climate Assessment, depending on the level of carbon emissions in coming years Vermont’s ski season will be foreshortened 2-4 weeks by 2080. With snowmaking machines, most operations manage to generate sufficient snow cover on ski trails despite the paucity of natural snow. Still, the operational changes imposed by climate change—such as running snowmaking machines more frequently—reduce profit margins and increase the impact on aquatic environments due to the need to draw more water to make snow. 

With change being the only constant on the horizon in the coming decades, the future success of Vermont’s traditional sources of seasonal revenue will depend on the state’s ability to adopt and prove resilient in the face of an increasingly warmer climate.

Photo: Michael J. Caduto

The post Vermont’s Traditional Economies on Climate Change appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

Our world is increasingly full of single-use plastics (SUPs) that are intended to be used once for a short period of time and then thrown away. These SUPs can then become microplastics. Microplastic is defined as a small piece of plastic, less than 5 mm (0.2 inch) in length, that occurs in the environment as a consequence of plastic pollution. These plastics come from a variety of sources, including fragments that erode from car tires, plastics that shed from clothing, microbeads in personal care products, or any aging plastic object that is exposed to the sun’s UV radiation or ocean waves.

In our modern era microplastics are found throughout the natural world. They are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat—children and adults might ingest or breathe in anywhere from dozens to more than 100,000 microplastic specks each day. How these particles effect human health is not yet thoroughly understood, but plastics are known to contain dangerous chemical substances—in the lab microplastics have been shown to cause damage to human cells. Studies have found microplastics in our blood and deep in our lungs, as well as in human placentas.

Microplastics also effect wildlife—they are found in the stomachs of animals, particularly marine life, from plankton to whales. In 2012, the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal declared that all seven sea turtle species, 45 percent of marine mammal species, and 21 percent of seabird species were affected by eating or becoming entangled in plastic. When ingested, plastics can block the gastrointestinal tract or cause cuts and irritation. Plastic provides no nutrition, so animals that consume it may have a false sense of fullness. There are many nuances to how microplastic affects different species, including what type of plastic they are exposed to, the size of the particles, and the concentration of microplastic.

Tea bags are really just the start when it comes to the ways we are exposed to micro plastics, but they’re also a good starting point if you’re looking to reduce your exposure to these plastics. Steeping a single plastic teabag at brewing temperature (95 °C) releases approximately 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into a single cup of the beverage. This data is for a plastic teabag, not the kind made of mixed materials that I have been using– I could not find good data on those. Cutting out teabags made with any type of plastic, and using loose leaf tea instead will limit your exposure. Other tips to avoid microplastic include microwaving food in ceramic or glass containers; BPA and phthalates in plastic leach more easily into food when heated. Avoiding store-bought plastic water bottles and takeaway cups will also help you avoid microplastics. 

Of course, the best way to avoid microplastics is to reduce or eliminate your use of plastics altogether. Use reusable take out containers, thermoses, tote bags, straws, you name it! You can also use refillable bottles for personal care products and bulk foods. If you buy any plastic, pay attention to what number it is. Look at the recycling triangle, often found on the bottom, to check. Plastics that have a #1 or #2 must be recycled in Vermont, and are generally the most commonly recycled plastics. Avoid other numbers when possible, and always avoid black plastic, which cannot be recycled in Vermont. 

According to the IUCN, at least 14 million tons of plastic are introduced into marine ecosystems each year. Over time, larger pieces of plastic are fragmented into countless, nearly microscopic bits of microplastic, which are now endemic to oceans, and the bodies of marine organisms, throughout the world.   Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash

What Can You Do?

• Visit https://dec.vermont.gov/content/how-can-i-waste-less for ideas on how to use less plastic
• Pick up litter and participate in Green Up Day (May 6, 2023) to reduce plastic pollution: greenupvermont.org
• Learn what materials can and cannot be recycled by visiting the Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District’s website, where there is an A-Z guide of what to do with different materials: www.guvswmd.org
• Register to watch the free film screening of A Plastic Ocean April 24th-28th, hosted by Sustainable Woodstock and Pentangles Arts as part of our Climate Change & Sustainability Film Series: plasticocean.eventbrite.com

The post Microplastics Pose a Big Problem appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

The road goes ever on and on

down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the road has gone,

And I must follow if I can.

— The Fellowship of the Ring

 J.R.R. Tolkien, 1965

Everyone loves a good journey. We feel alive when we’re on the road—seeing new places and meeting new people. One of the reasons that so many readers are drawn to the stories of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is that, through Hobbit eyes, we live out our own dreams of taking an epic journey.

Although we often try to get where we’re going as fast as we can, good stories remind us that we often have our greatest adventures during the journey, itself. The way in which we choose to get where we’re going, and the experiences we have along the way, are often more fun, interesting and exciting than the destination. When walking or bicycling we are connected to the land and the people around us. We see, hear and smell our surroundings—and meet our neighbors—in a closer way than happens when we’re encased in the glass, steel and plastic shell of an automobile. 

Say you want to go to your friend’s house, and then find a place to play basketball, field hockey or go sledding. Will you walk or pedal your bicycle, or ask your parents for a ride in the car? It seems like a small choice, but it’s one that makes a big impact on the planet. For example: on average, every mile driven on a bicycle creates 1/10^th of the carbon footprint as compared to a mile driven in a gas-powered car (sedan). Every crank of the pedals, and every step you take, creates fewer carbon emissions and helps to fight climate change!

Energy can be measured in calories, as in “How many calories are in that bowl of ice cream, compared to that tossed salad?” The average car burns about 1,860 calories to move a passenger one mile. Taking a train or public bus uses about half this much energy. If you walk that same mile, you’ll burn 100 calories. But if you take a bicycle, you’ll only use 35 calories. This comes out to more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) on a bicycle for each mile by car. You can pedal over 800 miles (1,288 kilometers) using the same amount of energy that is contained in one gallon of gasoline!

This is how far 350 calories will get you when using different forms of transportation:

• bicycle—10 miles (16 kilometers)

• walking—3.5 miles (5.6)

• car—1,000 feet (305 meters)

And keep in mind that more than half of places we travel are less than 5 miles from home.

Hoofing It to a Healthier Life

Has anyone ever told you, “Go take a hike!” Whoever did so—whether they meant to or not—was actually telling you to do something that’s good for you! Walking 3 or 4 times each week:

• helps you to control your weight and stay healthy
• keeps your mind sharp and alert
• relieves stress, anger and other negative emotions
• helps you to get to know your neighbors and meet new friends along your walking routes
• helps you to feel good about yourself (simply because you’ve done something to take care of yourself)
• inspires ideas and creativity (many of the ideas behind this author’s articles and books came to mind while taking a walk)
• acts as a kind of meditation that helps you to renew your spirit

The writer discovered pine grosbeaks feeding on winter apples during one of his long winter walks. Photo: Michael J. Caduto.

What You Can Do

• Over time, take walks and bicycle rides to different places and keep a journal record of your experiences, observations and the people you meet.
• Find out about parks, historic walks and natural areas to hike that are within a short distance from your home. Ask your parents to take the family to some of those places on weekends, or in the evenings, so you can share walking experiences together.
• Search the Find a Trail maps on the Upper Valley Trails Alliance website: https://www.uvtrails.org/
• Download the Walk Woodstock map to search for a route among Woodstock’s more than 60 miles of local trails: http://npmaps.com/wp-content/uploads/woodstock-trail-map.pdf• Embark on some of the fascinating Valley Quests offered by Vital Communities. These fun, educational treasure hunts offer clues to discovering the people, history and natural environments in the Upper Valley. Questing helps us to discover the fascinating stories that are all around us. Visit the Questing web page to find out more: https://vitalcommunities.org/valley-quest/

The post The Wonders of Walking & Bicycling appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

Although January 1^st is day one in the year of the Western (Gregorian) calendar, it is not written in the stars. While New Years Day falls near the winter solstice—which is arguably the more natural day to mark a celestial New Year—it has come to be associated with new beginnings and resolutions that serve as individual and collective opportunities for a fresh start.

Each of us is a unique individual, but we are also just one member of a ballooning human population that now numbers more than 8 billion. Even though we perceive each day as a consequential event during which our experiences focus mostly on the immediate and all-encompassing necessities of human survival and the pursuit of a meaningful life, ours is but an infinitesimal moment—a speck in time as reckoned by the stars. Astronomically speaking, 2023 falls somewhere around 13.8 billion years after the birth of the universe.

Recent images transmitted from the Webb Space Telescope are causing astronomers to reimagine our perceptions of the immense space through which Earth travels at 67,000 miles per hour. Spectacular and awe-inspiring infrared images have been beaming back to Earth following the launch on Christmas Day 2021 by this joint venture of the space agencies in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

The Webb telescope was engineered to reveal regions of space that present a picture of what the universe was like just one billion years ago when stars and galaxies were first beginning to form. Indeed, one galaxy has been reported that corresponds to a time when the universe was a mere infant at 250 million years old. While there are a multitude of beliefs about how the universe formed, as well as the place and time to which humankind traces its roots, we are all children of the cosmic dust that swirls overhead and roils the dynamic geosphere beneath our feet.

How do we reconcile our human perception of the urgency and importance of each day, year and lifetime when weighed in relation to the boundless distances and intervals of space and time that our technology now enables us to perceive and measure? What does it mean to start a “new year” while living in a universe that is pushing 14 billion years old? What is the measure of one life in a world of billions?

Human experience lies somewhere between an awareness that the way we live our individual lives has a profound impact on our home planet, and the humbling perception of being a mere wisp of cosmic dust adrift in a vast sea of time. From the urgency of such issues as fighting climate change and alleviating hunger in the relative short term, to reimagining our perception of reality through the expansive views of art and science, we exist suspended along a continuum that stretches between the present experience of each moment, and the realm of the eternal.

How do we navigate our individual path through each day, meeting needs and desires while reconciling our place in the larger world? In what way is our thinking and decision-making influenced by the ever increasing awareness of our place in the wondrous fastness of the cosmos? What will our New Year’s resolutions be as we enter calendar year 2023, and cosmic year 13.8 billion?

This spectacular image, dubbed “Cosmic Cliffs,” was among the first transmitted to Earth by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. It shows individual stars amidst a stellar nursery in the Carina Nebula where nascent stars are emerging. NASA Photo.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Explore some of the fantastical images first recorded by the Webb Space Telescope, which can be viewed at this link: https://www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages

The post Children of the Stars appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

In addition to the IRA, there are tax incentives and money back deals to get you started on all types of green projects, from home weatherization to electric vehicles. Every New Year brings changes to state and federal incentives to cut carbon emissions– read on for some of the opportunities available to Vermonters in the New Year:

SOLAR

The federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is the most well-known financial incentive for homeowners to go solar. Thanks to the IRA, the ITC will go up to 30%, meaning that 30% of the cost of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system, home batteries, or a geothermal system can be claimed on federal income taxes. This is a dollar-for-dollar reduction on your income tax! As of now, the 30% credit will stay in place through 2034. 

In Vermont, if your solar array produces more electricity than you use at any given time, that power is sent to the grid and your utility company is required to credit your electricity bill by a certain amount. In addition, there is no sales tax assessed on solar installations, and the additional value the system adds to your home is exempt from state property taxes.

ADVANCED WOOD HEATING

In 2023 the Wood and Pellet Heater Investment Tax Credit will cover 30% of the purchase and installation costs of home heating and hot water systems that utilize wood pellets, chips and cordwood. There is an annual cap of $2,000. The State of Vermont also offers incentives for woodstove changeouts and repairs. Incentives of up to $6,000 for stove and $4,000 for repairs are available for new cordwood or pellet stoves that meet certain EPA standards and/or a repair of a chimney or hearth necessary for the new stove to meet fire and Building Safety Code. To be eligible you must remove an existing wood stove that is not EPA certified or more than 20 years old. Depending on income level, 80% or 60% of the cost is covered up to $6,000. Visit rerc-vt.org/woodstove-change-out-and-repairs for more information on this program.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

The IRA contains many incentives for electric vehicles (EVs). For the first time there is a federal tax credit for used EVs of 30% up to $4,000, with an income cap for the buyer. Starting in 2024, this credit can be transferred directly to dealerships for discounts at point of sale. There is also a tax credit of 30% up to $7,500 for new EVs, but there are various requirements to receive the full credit. You will need to check that the car is eligible, that you meet income limits, and that final assembly of the vehicle took place in the US.

The State of Vermont also offers additional EV incentives. As of July 1, 2022 there was $12.3 million available for the program. Interested Vermonters are encouraged to take advantage of this offering while funds are available. The amount of your specific incentive depends on income level and whether the vehicle is hybrid plug-in electric, or all electric. It is best to act now, as funding has run out before, resulting in a break before more could be appropriated. 

If you are looking for a used car, Vermont also offers an incentive for used hybrids and EVs, called MileageSmart. The MileageSmart Incentive is worth 25% of the initial price of the vehicle (excluding taxes and registration fees), up to $5,000. The program currently has over $250,000 of remaining incentives.

WEATHERIZATION

Weatherization is on many people’s minds as temperatures dip down to the single digits. Vermont’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) provides free home weatherization if you meet household income limits. On average, this program Makes about $8,500 worth of improvements per home and reduces drafts by about 40%. Visit https://dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/weatherization for more information and to see income guidelines. 

The Home Performance with Energy Star (HPwES) program connects homeowners and certified contractors to assess home energy use and perform energy improvements. Currently homeowners can receive 75% of project cost back, up to $2,000. Income-eligible Vermonters can receive 75% of project cost back, up to $5,000. Available while funds last. Details at www.efficiencyvermont.com/rebates/list/home-performance-with-energy-star. 

There are a myriad of incentives, rebates, and tax credits available for upgrading your energy use in 2023. The opportunities outlined here are just a selection. Visit efficiencyvermont.com to learn about more incentives for technology such as heat pumps, lighting, air conditioners, thermostats, furnaces, boilers and more. On average, each Vermonter is responsible for over 15 tons (30,000 pounds) of greenhouse gas emissions of air pollution per year. Make 2023 the year you reduce your carbon footprint. 

Economic incentives make 2023 a great year for you to harness the immense power of the sun to meet your energy needs. Photo: NASA/SDO

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Looking out across the early-December landscape of browns and grays, the fate of our local plants and animals was concerning. At a large farm pond near our house, Canada geese lingered well into December, seemingly oblivious to the cold and despite the scarcity of food. Ravens gleaned the scatterings of cow corn chopped while autumn colors still framed the sky. Phoebes hung around much later than usual, as did the last hummingbirds of the season, which continued to sip nectar from our feeders until September 15—some 10 days later than their usual autumnal departure for points south. Bears continued to feed later than usual, which delayed when they entered their winter dens as well as the onset of the safe period for putting up bird feeders that would not be marauded by our ursine neighbors.

We have a coyote whose habitual nocturnal hunting regimen crosses the lines of our regular perambulations in and around our old farm. I often find fresh coyote scat deposited in the same location each morning. It is clear from the ground up tiny bones and leaden wads of matted fur that this coyote has been subsisting largely on meadow voles; the hunting made easier by a lack of snow.

Long term meteorological data gathered by Appalachian Mountain Club researchers shows that the number of winter days with snow cover has decreased by three weeks during the past century. AMC climate models estimate that, due to global warming, by 2100 the amount of forest lands in the Northeast that are covered by snowpack in midwinter could diminish by 95 percent. Observations during the past sixty years by the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire demonstrate that the depth of the snowpack is also declining. 

When the ground is bare during the winter, plants and animals are largely unprotected from cold damp weather and extreme low temperatures. In his classic book, Life in the Cold, Peter Marchand refers to snow as the “…thermal blanket under which much biological activity takes place during the winter.” Snow cover provides “…the salvation of many plants and animals that depend upon it for protection from the cold.” Because the insulative value of different forms of snow varies, snow needs to be around 20 inches deep on average in order to protect animals living beneath it from the extremes of winter cold swirling above. In all but the most severe cold days, the temperature beneath snow of this depth tends to remain steadily around 32°F. 

Living in this subnivean (under the snow) environment insulates and provides cover from predation. Small mammals, such as mice and voles, who spend their time tunneling beneath the snow in search of food, are fairly well protected from the sharp eyesight and keen hearing of predators, such as the red fox, barred owl and coyote. Snow cover also decreases the damage and die-off of tree roots caused by exposure to extreme cold. Hubbard Brook research has revealed that growth decreases by 40% among sugar maples whose roots are exposed to severe cold when there is no snow pack—a drop that continues for several years. 

An insulating blanket of snow protects the plants and animals beneath from extreme cold temperatures and other severe winter weather, such as freezing rain. Photo: Michael J. Caduto.

Despite the many profound impacts of climate change on the lives of our wild neighbors, we usually focus on the impacts on humankind: melting glaciers and rising sea levels, weather extremes that have become the new meteorological norm, hurricanes that are setting new records for arriving late into autumn, as well as storms noted for their duration and intensity. Witness what is happening to residents of coastal areas who continue to live according to settlement patterns established during weather norms of the past, even while climate change-induced disasters rain down upon them. Along some parts of Florida’s overdeveloped eastern coastline, multitudes of buildings are now abandoned because they have been undermined by catastrophic erosion from recent, record-breaking hurricane-induced tidal surges and accompanying wind and waves. In some parts of southwest Florida, people and wildlife suffered similarly tragic and heartbreaking fates recently when their homes and habitats were wiped out and entire regions made uninhabitable by Hurricane Ian.

As global warming marches on, people, plants and animals are all in the same proverbial boat, riding the ups and downs that come with the waves of change that wash over a warming planet. Those of us who spend much of our personal and professional lives working on education and action that encourages everyone to mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions, and those who are keen observers of the natural world, do not need sensational headlines to remind us what is occurring during this Anthropocene era; the signs are ubiquitous, both in the headline-grabbing events of our climate times, as well as in the multitude of local and gradual changes that pervade our surroundings and impact the lives around us.

Why do so many people care so much about these changes? What motivates us to work toward solutions to climate change? How do we deal with our dystopian nightmares of a warming world, be they during wakeful hours or in the dead of night? Despite the harm that humans have wrought upon the planet by our overuse of resources and sheer numbers, most people sincerely and deeply care about the beauty and awe inspired by the natural world. 

Earth’s celestial dance with the sun has once again passed the inflection point that marks the start of the winter season. Anticipating the promise of longer days, our thoughts turn toward the celebrations of light, life and love. It is a time to reflect upon how the lives we live can be brought into balance with the wondrous world that we have inherited from our forebears, and the tenuous future that we are charting for generations to come. This is our charge, and our gift: to answer the existential call to action and opportunity to fight global warming in order to show all forms of life with whom we share this fragile biosphere just how dearly we hold that love. As snow is our witness.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Visit SustainableWoodstock.org for specific actions and steps you can take in your daily life to fight climate change. “Climate Action” is found under “Get Involved” in the website banner, at this link: https://www.sustainablewoodstock.org/get-involved/climate-action/

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The IREC position is run through TRORC and serves seven towns. In 2022 those towns were Barnard, Sharon, Strafford, Thetford, Woodstock, Norwich and Bradford. Each town has a member on the steering committee, which guides the IREC’s focus. The work of the IREC is to lessen overall energy use, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and move to renewable generation of electricity, all while seeking long term cost savings. Woodstock joined the IREC program in 2020, the program’s first year, and thanks to the ongoing support of Woodstock residents and the Selectboard, continued its participation in 2021 and 2022. We hope that the town will continue this support in 2023. 

In 2020 Woodstock passed a Climate Emergency and Action Resolution, with a goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. This declaration meant that we as a town were taking this issue seriously and willing to put time, money and energy into solving it; that is the heart of much of the IREC work. As IREC, Geoff completed a municipal GHG emission inventory to understand where the town’s emissions were coming from and track progress towards the town’s net-zero by 2030 goal. Geoff and TRORC also began work to lower GHG emissions in our municipal buildings, developing a proposal to reduce emissions by 12.5% annually by installing new technologies such as heat pumps in municipal buildings and weatherizing. The voters approved the financing for these projects at Town Meeting this past March, and the Select Board will be reviewing the final work scope and pricing proposal at the December 20 meeting. If the proposal is successful, the majority of town buildings would no longer use fossil fuel as a primary heat source.  

Geoff also collaborated with Fire Chief David Green, Efficiency Vermont, and Sustainable Woodstock on the renovations occurring at the Public Safety Facility. The recent work done there is minimizing fossil fuel use at the building through the use of innovative heat pump and thermal storage technology. Efficiency Vermont and Green Mountain Power provided an incentive of over $50,000 to help cover the costs of the energy-efficient, fossil fuel-free equipment. As a result, the town is avoiding over 80% of the emissions that the propane system in the original renovation design would have produced. 

In addition to lowering buildings emissions, The IREC position has also taken action to reduce transportation emissions, which is a high priority in Vermont and the biggest generator of carbon emissions. Geoff facilitated a successful $1.6 million application to the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program with Butler Bus Service and the Windsor Central Supervisory Union. As a result, two all-electric school buses, paid for entirely by the grant, will soon be transporting Woodstock High School students to and from school. The grant will also cover almost all of the cost for new charging infrastructure at the high school to support both the new buses as well as to provide charging for the public.

Lastly, the IREC position has advocated for solar. In collaboration with Sustainable Woodstock, the IREC position worked with Norwich Technologies to secure additional solar net-metering credits to supply the Town of Woodstock, which has an annual savings of around $4,800. This agreement lowers the town’s utility costs, which could support future investments to lower emissions, and supports solar generation in Vermont. Before leaving his role, Geoff and Sustainable Woodstock also began working on siting new community solar arrays in town. This work will continue with the new IREC, provided Woodstock approves funding for the position in 2023.

Woodstock voters have shown again and again that climate action is a priority to our town. The 2020 Woodstock Climate Emergency and Action Resolution is proof of this, as is the recent vote this past March to reduce GHG emissions in our municipal buildings by 12.5% annually through weatherizing and installing new technologies such as heat pumps. With your support, we hope to continue this important climate work with the invaluable help of the IREC position.

Bluebird Vision 2020 Electric Bus. This untouched photo is used under the Creative Commons License 4.0. UniversityRailroad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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