Growing up in Vermont, my family did not have an air conditioner. On the few hot and humid nights during the summer my parents would pull out the box fan. It was uncomfortable, but it never lasted very long before temperatures came back down. Most people I knew lived like this, and many still do. …
In 2020, Woodstock’s Select Board and Village Trustees passed a Climate Emergency and Action Resolution, with the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. This Resolution is one of many energy and climate goals that the Town and Village have committed to, including Woodstock’s Comprehensive Energy Plan, the Sierra Club Ready for 100 …
Upcoming Presentation of Regional Climate Action Plan Read More »
The Virtues of Electric Lawn Care Imagine it is a Saturday morning and you are mowing the lawn. You check the fuel level of your lawn mower and, realizing it is low, go to the garage to grab the can of gas/oil mix and pour it into the tank, trying your best not to spill. …
June has arrived and with it comes the long-awaited gardening season. As food prices continue to rise, many Vermonters will grow a garden as a low-cost and rewarding way to access fresh fruits and vegetables. During 2020 in the height of COVID, UVM’s food security survey found that more than 41% of survey respondents had …
The biggest source of carbon pollution in Vermont comes from transportation. On average, every Vermonter is responsible for between 5-6 tons of carbon emissions from driving. If we are going to meet the goal of having 90% of our total energy use come from renewable sources by 2050—a goal outlined in Vermont’s 2016 Comprehensive Energy …
From January to June, four Dartmouth students partnered with Sustainable Woodstock to improve access to weatherization services in Vermont specifically for mobile homeowners and low-income communities. This collaboration was part of a course called Senior Design Challenge, a capstone class for seniors studying Human-Centered Design. The motivation for this project lies in energy justice, which …
SusWoo Kids Gardening is a living process—a part of the natural cycle. Each garden is a tiny ecosystem that will succeed if you watch and take your clues from the natural world. Do not worry about being a perfect gardener. Gardening does not have to be complicated and does not require you to be an …
The season of picnics and potlucks is upon us. You may soon find yourself choosing foods from a delicious spread at a friend’s potluck or sampling exotic dishes at a street fest, when you notice that the writing on your plastic cup, plate or utensil says, “Made from Corn: Certified Compostable.” But the item looks …
Consider the forest understory. One derivation of under implies a secondary position or role in relation to the trees that tower overhead, originating from the Old English for “beneath” or “underneath.” In other derivations, however, under means “between,” “among” or “in the presence of.” Indeed, when we walk through the lower, seemingly modest component of …
The past few years have shown that Vermont is a popular place to live. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vermont property sales to out-of-state buyers increased by 38% from 2019 to 2020 (The previous year saw a mere 3% increase, and no change the year before that). Of all Vermont towns, Woodstock ranked …
