Author Archives: Luc Reid

Feb Meeting Notes, and Next Meeting Scheduled for Wed 3/19

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Sustainable Williston met February 19th at the Dorothy Alling Library in Williston. We had two special guests for this meeting. First, Zuhair Chaudhry, a CVU high school student and CVU Environmental Action Club member who has made great progress with carpooling spoke with us about CVU bus ridership. Our emphasis until now has been on helping successfully restart the late bus program while ensuring good ridership, but it has expanded now to consider the question of bus ridership at CVU in general. We’re still working on this issue; get in touch if you’re interested in being part of it or would like more information.

CVU

Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) Outreach Coordinator Michele Morris joined us to provide information and recommendations on the question of reducing plastic waste. Sustainable Williston members are hoping to help phase out dishes and to volunteer time to assist with recycling and composting at some local events. Michele had some intriguing additional ideas and important insights. We also discussed Vermont’s upcoming universal recycling program and ways Williston can encourage better recycling and composting for residents and businesses.

cswdlogo

Sustainable Williston member Marie-Claude Beaudette provided an update on our Birth Trees project, in which we’re partnering with the town and local business to (if all goes well) donate a tree to each Williston family into which a child is born or adopted. In its current form, it looks like the program will offer the option of either having the tree planted in a public place or given to the family to be planted at their home, though the details are still being worked out.

trees

We’ll discuss these and other projects and topics at our next meeting, Wednesday, March 19th at the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, upstairs.

We’re also talking about having more informal get-togethers from time to time. If you’re interested in any of the above topics, in attending formal meetings, or in being in the loop for get-togethers, please use the contact form and ask to be added to our e-mail discussion and announcement list.

Next Sustainable Williston meeting: Wed Feb 19th, Open to All

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Our next meeting will be Wednesday, February 19th, at 7pm in the Vermont room of the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library in Williston, and is open to all area residents interested in sustainability.

library

Topics may include:

  • The birth trees project, which is getting support both from the Town of Williston and from a great local business to gift trees to Williston families who have or adopt babies, to be planted on public or private land.
  • A discussion with Michele Morris from Chittenden Solid Waste District, continuing the topic introduced last week of reducing plastic waste in town
  • Possibly, a continuation of the discussion of the CVU late bus project with one or more students from of CVU’s Environmental Action Club

We may also have a chance to discuss the recent growth of the group, carbon footprint reduction workshops, or other topics.

Click the contact tab to get in touch if you have any questions, or see you there!

Local Legends Acoustic Folk for Responsible Growth Hinesburg, Friday

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Local Legends

Local musicians get together Friday 7-9pm at Champlain Valley Union high school to support Responsible Growth Hinesburg, a grassroots community organization.
Concert Line-up:Jamie Masefield with Doug Perkins, Tyler Bolles, and Jon Fishman; Michael Chorney/Maryse Smith; and Pete’s Posse: Pete Sutherland, Oliver Scanlon,Tristan Henderson.

Tickets available locally at Brown Dog Books and Gifts on Mechanicsville Road or by phone at 86-FLYNN.

Shopping on Amazon? Use this link to benefit Williston schools

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Williston Central School

Amazon has a program that allows people and organizations to earn money when people shop at Amazon through a link from that person or organization instead of just going straight to www.Amazon.com. Nothing changes for the shopper: there are no extra fees or limitations or anything, but purchases made after getting to the site through that link will each earn the referring person or organization a small advertising fee paid by Amazon.

Williston Families as Partners, the group that oversees fundraising for school events and helps involve the community in Williston’s schools, has started a smart fundraiser by getting their own Amazon link. The next time you have online purchases to make, please consider using this link: http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=wsdvtorg-20 (suggestion: save it in your favorites, or else bookmark this page).

By the way, we’re not suggesting that you shop more online for this reason: there are a lot of benefits to getting things locally (though if you have to drive around too much to get them, you can wipe a lot of the environmental benefits out!). However, if you’re already getting something online, especially a large purchase, why not help out Williston schools while you’re at it?

Next Meeting: Wednesday 1/15 at the Dorothy Alling Library

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We’ll have our next meeting Wednesday, January 15th at 7pm at the Dorothy Alling Library in Williston. Current projects include topics like bikes, trees, and buses. Everyone interested in environmental and sustainability issues is welcome. Click “Contact” in the menu if you have any questions.

Williston Green Initiatives Is Now Sustainable Williston

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We’ve changed our name from Williston Green Initiatives to Sustainable Williston. We feel the new name is easier to communicate and gets across who we are and what we’re about from the get-go. Other than this snazzy new Web site (OK, relatively snazzy), we’re still the same people (plus some new members) with the same commitment to helping along environmentally positive ideas and projects in our home town.

Deal for Vermonters: Compost Bin Plus Compost

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Another tip passed on by the Chittenden Solid Waste District, this time a deal on compost bins and compost. Have you considered a compost bin as a Christmas present?

It’s beginning to look a lot like …. compost!

Check out this great compost bin offer — just in time for holiday gift-giving.

compost bin

There’s something really satisfying about having a compost bin in your backyard — even in the wintertime. Every bucket of food scraps you pour into it is transformed into rich, dark compost by your very own herd of hard-working microbes, all year ’round. Every bucket of food scraps you keep out of the landfill has the potential to help build your own soil’s resilience through the wild weather we have here in Vermont.

We want to share that satisfaction with as many Chittenden County residents as possible, so in addition to our Drop-Off Composting program, we offer  SoilSaver backyard composting bins, year-round, at a great discount. And just in time for the holidays, we’re offering a great deal for those who come to Green Mountain Compost to buy a bin.

THE DEAL (starts Monday, December 9): Buy a SoilSaver for $49 at Green Mountain Compost and you’ll receive a coupon for your choice of:
– 25% off up to 2 yards of compost, or
– 25% off one delivery in Chittenden County, or
– 25% off one bag-yer-own purchase (10-bag limit)

THE DETAILS: Coupons available with purchase of a SoilSaver compost bin from Green Mountain Compost beginning Monday, December 9, 2013, through April 30, 2014. Bulk compost will be available for sale at Green Mountain Compost by April 1, 2014. Coupon expiration date: December 31, 2014. Limit one coupon per visit. May not be combined with any other offers.

Waste Not, Wassail More: Green Holiday Ideas

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Members and friends of Williston Green Initiatives contributed these ideas for making the holidays more sustainable.

First, some great ideas for sustainable wrapping. The carbon footprint of the presents themselves is still the main show, but you can reduce carbon footprint and waste while putting environmental consciousness at the fore in a positive way with these creative ways to wrap.

http://www.takepart.com/photos/wrappers-delight-eco-friendly-gift-presentation-ideas?cmpid=tpenviro-eml-2013-12-14-house

Wrapping with old maps

Also, there are ideas there that are much cooler than normal wrapping paper. Do I wish I had saved my old maps now? Oh indeed I do! Though we found our own solution to the problem (reclaimed rolls of paper and ink stamps).

Second, here are some waste reduction tips from Chittenden Solid Waste District:

http://www.takepart.com/photos/wrappers-delight-eco-friendly-gift-presentation-ideas?cmpid=tpenviro-eml-2013-12-14-house

LED lights

photo by Richard Masoner

Third, many thanks to Clare Innes, again at the Chittenden Solid Waste District for allowing us to post this information from their monthly email news flash:

Seven ways to keep your holiday spirit out of the landfill

1. Say NO! to artificial Christmas trees. Here’s why:
— The average artificial tree lasts 6 to 9 years but will remain in a landfill for centuries.
— Think a real tree poses a greater fire hazard? Think again. Artificial trees are made with polyvinyl chloride, which often uses lead as a stabilizer, making it toxic to inhale if there is a fire.
— Every acre of Christmas trees produces enough daily oxygen for 18 people. There are about 500,000 acres of Christmas trees growing in the U.S.
— Because of their hardiness, trees are usually planted where few other plants can grow, increasing soil stability and providing a refuge for wildlife.
— North American Christmas tree farms employ more than 100,000 local people; 80% of artificial trees worldwide are manufactured in China.
— Make a day of it and go to a local tree farm where you can cut your own, or purchase a potted tree and plant it in your yard after the holidays. You’ll also take home some sweet memories.

2. Declare your tree a tinsel-free zone — and just say NO to spray-on snow!
Tinsel and spray-on snow are big no-nos when it comes time to say goodbye to your tree. It’s nearly impossible to get it all off, and we can accept natural trees for free recycling only if they are completely free of anything Mother Nature herself didn’t install! Otherwise, those nasty additives make that tree fit only for the landfill, at a fee of $1 per foot in height at CSWD Drop-Off Centers.

3. Use recyclable or reusable wrapping paper.
In Chittenden County, wrapping paper is recyclable UNLESS it is printed with metallic inks or made of foil or plastic. The best material to use for wrap is something your recipient can reuse, such as a bandanna, a tea towel, a reusable cloth gift or shopping bag … the possibilities are endless.

If you still want to use wrapping paper, complete the recycling loop by purchasing wrap made with recycled paper. Let your favorite retailer know you’re looking for it and they’ll know that there’s a demand for it.

Recycling tip: Speedy recycling starts on your living-room floor on the Big Day: Sort recyclable paper into your recycling bin (NOT in a plastic bag). Put trash — ribbons, plastic and metallic paper and wrappings — in a trash bag, and you’ll get ‘er done as you go!

4. Use recyclable, reusable, or biodegradable gift decorations.
Ribbons and bows are big no-nos. Most are made of plastic and cannot be recycled. A better option would be to tie on an ornament that can be used on your tree, a knick-knack that will be enjoyed for years, or pinecones that can be composted or returned to the forest after use.

5. Regift!
Save gifts that aren’t quite what you need for someone who will appreciate them. If you can’t think of anyone you can pass it on to, bring it to a local charity or resale store, or a ReUse Zone at a CSWD Drop-Off Center and someone else will be glad to make use of it.

6. Don’t scrap your food scraps.
After your big meal, keep your plate scrapings and prep scraps out of the trash and stash them instead in a FREE food scrap bucket available at all CSWD Drop-Off Centers and Green Mountain Compost. When the bucket is full, bring it back in and we’ll use your scraps to make compost. We accept all types of food scraps: meat and bones, veggies, dairy products, egg and seafood shells — anything edible. And it’s FREE! Toss in greasy take-out pizza boxes as well. Stop on by any Drop-Off Center or Green Mountain Compost and we’ll give you a kitchen counter-top pail to peel your carrots into, and a 4-gallon bucket for bringing it to a Drop-Off Center or Green Mountain Compost — all for free!

7. Remember: “The best things in life aren’t things.”
Instead of giving an object, give an experience, such as a horseback-riding jaunt, skateboard lessons, movie tickets, or a promise to spend time together doing something you know your recipient loves to do. An online tool called sokindregistry.org offers fun ways to make gifts more personal and timeless.