John Michael Greer  wonders whether the Transition Town Movement is engaging in "premature triumphalism." As a part of the initiating group in Transition Town Montpelier, which on Tuesday received official recognition from the international transition folks, I doubt it.

We're happy if people even notice what we're up to.

Luckily, there's a chance Monday for everyone in the central Vermont area to find out more about Transition Towns and judge for themselves. Naresh Giangrande, co-founder of the first Transition Town, Totnes in the UK, will speak on “Transition Towns: From Oil Dependency to Resilient Communities.” The talk is Monday, November 24, 7 pm. Unitarian Church, Main Street, Montpelier. We're being contacted by people as far away as Maine and Massachusetts who want to hear the talk, so come early!

Greer provides a nice summary of the Transition Town movement:

Damn it! 

Our tomato crop is way down this year from
last.  In 2007 our garden produced more than 230 pounds of
tomatoes that we canned, dried and froze, and enjoyed all the way up
through the middle of July of this year.  But with less than a
measly 125 pounds from this year’s garden, I was starting to
panic.  How would I fill the gap?  Would I have to resort to
buying canned tomatoes in the grocery store?  

C'mon now - tell me you aren't dying for some.

#1: Vermont Castings is adding as many as 88 jobs in Bethel and Randolph.

#2: South Burlington is creating an energy advisory panel.

Baby steps, everyone.

Baby steps.

Free Vermont!

From September 14-20, the Mad River Valley Localvores will be organizing their third annual "Eat Local" Challenge. I encourage everyone to try and register and participate in this eye-opening (and fun) experiment.

Unfortunately, for much of the world, eating regular, healthy, nutritious food is not a fact of life, as this article by Peter Phillips explains.

We'll be interviewing Peter on our "Free Vermont Radio" program tomorrow.

-- snip --

April 18, 1775, Dijon, France

An angry mob gathered outside the shop of a wealthy miller suspected of mixing bean flour with wheat flour to cut costs.  The miller was assaulted and his house and mill plundered for flour, then burned to the ground.  In the weeks that followed, similar scenes followed at bakeries and mills throughout France.  Everywhere, people were angry about the same things: flour was too expensive, often of poor quality, and bread, priced at 14 sous nationwide, was unaffordable to many.

By Jane Dwinell

Ever wonder what it would be like to live in a really small space with just the basics? Ever wonder what it would be like to do this with your sweetheart? Could you stand to be together in such tight quarters, doing all the activities of daily living along with all the fun things you enjoy? Well, if you have a hobby that takes up a lot of space or needs tons of equipment (or you don't want to be that close with your loved one), living in 250 square feet may not be for you. But it is for me.

8/6/08

THE EXPENSE OF FREE SPEECH
By
Richard Davis
GUILFORD-. Last week a case played out in Federal Court in Brattleboro that revolved around the free speech rights of the pharmaceutical industry. The big boys are crying foul and saying that a new Vermont law, Act 80, will drive up drug prices and stifle innovation. It’s hard to have a lot of sympathy for an industry that is perhaps the most profitable on the planet (neck and neck with the oil companies), an industry that profits from the sickest and most vulnerable people in our society.

Seven Days "Fair Game" columnist Shay Totten spells out the Intervale's woes.

So let's get this straight - we've got a community-managed agricultural resource that is a global model for relocalization, and state government is making it as hard as possible for it to survive?

In an interview with Seven Days' Suzanne Podhaizer, Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser said this of the Intervale:

Do you want a quick way to reduce your rapidly increasing weekly food bill by 25 percent?  It’s easy: stop wasting food.  According to a recent article in the New York Times, 25 percent of all food purchased in the U.S. ends up in the trash.  Not only is this a waste of money, but it is bad for our landfills now bursting at their seams with unwanted remnants of our wasteful society.  I do find it hard to believe that frugal Vermonters are near the national average in terms of food waste.   

“North Star” On The Long Trail– An Interview with Dana Dwinell-Yardley

conducted by Rob Williams, webeditor

VC: Tell us a little bit about yourself.  

Dana:  Well, I'm a 20-year-old Montpelierite and eighth-generation Vermonter. I take real pride in being born of our Green Mountain State, of having roots here. I love being outside. I was homeschooled for my entire life and now I work in the "real world" as a graphic designer.