Author Archives: Luc Reid

Get Up Close with Electric Vehicles June 15th at the Library

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On Monday, June 15th, residents of Williston and the surrounding area will get a chance to learn about electric vehicles (EVs) first hand in the second installment of Sustainable Williston’s Sustainable Energy series. Local EV owners and dealers will bring electric cars and electric bikes for attendees to examine up close.

EV expert Dave Roberts of Drive Electric Vermont will offer a presentation covering topics like electric vehicle types and options, greenhouse gas emissions, and charging both at home and on the road.

Larry Gilbert of ZoomBikes will also briefly discuss electric bikes.

The event begins in front of Williston’s Dorothy Alling Library at 6:15 PM, where attendees can look over EVs and talk to EV owners. At 7:00, Mr. Roberts will offer his multimedia presentation next door at the Old Brick Church. At 7:45, the event moves back to the library parking lot for a second chance to see the vehicles until the event ends at 8:15. Light refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to all, with no preregistration necessary.

Test drives of the Chevy Volt will be available at the event through Shearer Chevrolet.

Some of the electric vehicles at the event will include …

Volkswagon eGolf

Volkswagon eGolf

Mitsubishi iMiev

Mitsubishi iMiev

Evelo electric bike

Evelo electric bike

Chevy Volt

Chevy Volt

Cadillac ELR

Cadillac ELR

Nissan Leaf

Nissan Leaf

Special Sustainable Williston Meeting Thur 5/28 to Discuss Town Plan

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Sustainable Williston will meet next on Thursday, May 28th, from 7:15-8:45 PM at the Dorothy Alling Library. Williston Town Planner Ken Belliveau will attend the first part of the meeting as a guest to discuss the 5-year town plan currently under development. We’ll also hear abbreviated reports from some of Sustainable Williston’s active task forces, including an update on the Sustainable Energy Series, which hosted an event on solar power in May and will host one on electric cars in June. Everyone interested in sustainability is welcome to attend.

Williston residents, including some Sustainable Williston members, attended recent kickoff meetings for the new 5-year town plan process.

Williston residents, including some Sustainable Williston members, attended recent kickoff meetings for the new 5-year town plan process.

Great Free Events on Composting, Gardening, Fruit Trees, and More

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reposted from a CSWD announcement
The Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) and Green Mountain Compost are joining the rest of the planet in celebrating International Compost Awareness Week, May 3-9, with a roster of fun, soil-boosting workshops and activities. Check out the list below and reserve your spot at CSWD’s Compost Awareness Week web page at http://cswd.net/composting/compost-awareness-week/

Green Mountain Compost

* Monday May 4 and Friday, May 8, 5-6 PM: Green Mountain Compost facility tour (1042 Redmond Rd., Williston)
Learn where food scraps, yard trimmings, and even paper towels, napkins and pizza boxes become healthy soil. Get the dirt on a facility that incorporates leading technology gleaned from around the country-built right here in Williston, Vermont. Sign up to reserve your spot!

* Tuesday May 5 and Thursday, May 7, 5-6 PM: Backyard Composting workshops at Green Mountain Compost (1042 Redmond Rd., Williston)
Discover the benefits of “closing the loop” and building soils with your own household food scraps in this popular interactive session. Geared for adults. Sign up to reserve your spot!

* Wednesday, May 6, 5-6 PM: Edible Forest Gardens Workshop at Green Mountain Compost (1042 Redmond Rd., Williston)
Join Meghan Giroux from Vermont Edible Landscapes for a free workshop on creating edible forest gardens. Discover how to design, establish and maintain these edible ecosystems that mimic the structure and function of natural forests. Sign up to reserve your spot!

* Saturday, May 9, 10-3: CSWD/GMC at Kid’s Day at Burlington Waterfront
Join CSWD’s School Outreach Coordinator Rhonda Mace with a recycle relay race, photo ops where you pose as decomposers and/or food, a live composting worm farm, and up-close look at worms through a microscope.

* Saturday, May 9, 9-1:30: Vermont Community Garden Network’s Day in the Dirt
Help prepare community garden sites in Burlington that feed our schools and neighborhoods. ( Sign up with the Vermont Community Garden Network at http://vcgn.org/day-in-the-dirt/ )

Sign up for workshops on the CSWD Compost Awareness Week web page at http://cswd.net/composting/compost-awareness-week/

Surprise Musical Guest at Tonight’s Solar Presentation

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At tonight’s presentation on home solar options from SunCommon, we’ll be joined after the informational part of the program by Williston student pianist and composer Ethan Duncan for a brief piano performance during refreshments. You can learn more about Ethan and hear a piece he composed in this Vermont Public Radio piece about him from this past September.

Join us for a home solar presentation at Williston Library May 4th

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SunCommon rooftop solar installation

Sustainable Williston will kick off its new Sustainable Energy series with a presentation from Vermont solar energy company SunCommon at 6pm on Monday, May 4th at the Dorothy Alling Library in Williston. Learn about costs, benefits, and opportunities for home and community solar power, and bring your questions. Free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served.

Questions or ideas? Please comment here or use the form on our contact page. Thanks!

April Stools’ Day!

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Sustainable Williston’s Water Quality Task Force is joining forces with the Lake Champlain Committee and Williston Recreation and Parks to clean up pet waste from our community areas and prevent it from being washed into our rivers, streams, and lakes. Come join us on April 25th! Meet at the picnic shelter near the skate park on the east side of Williston Central School.

April Stool's Day Poster

Transcend Your Car: Way to Go! Vermont Starts May 4th

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Way to Go! Vermont

Way to Go! Vermont is a carbon cutting challenge that encourages New Englanders to save by biking, walking, carpooling, working from home, or riding the bus, created by a group of more than 25 partner organizations throughout Vermont.

You can sign up to participate as an individual, team, business, or school. It’s a great opportunity to explore your options and push the envelope to find better and more sustainable ways to get around.

For example, did you know about the program that offers free commuter protection when you take a bus or carpool to work? If you need to get home unexpectedly–because of a sick family member or an emergency, for instance–the program will pay for you to get there, even if you have to take a taxi.

Vermont is a challenging place to get around car use, but we have some surprising and inspiring tools to get the job done. Sign up for Way to Go! Vermont and bring more of them into your travel toolbox.

Sustainable Williston Meets Thursday 4/16 at the Library

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solar trackers

Sustainable Williston’s main or steering group will meet at 7:15pm this Thursday, April 16th, in the community room downstairs at the Dorothy Alling Library. All who are interested in sustainability issues are welcome to attend. Our agenda will include

  • Presentations from each of our task forces
  • April Stools Day (a community event cleaning up pet waste in and around the recreation path to benefit water quality)
  • An upcoming series of articles we’ll be doing with the Observer
  • Hosting a presentation series on topics like electric cars, solar panels, lowering heating bills, and other energy topics
  • Further work on our new mission and vision

Waterbury LEAP Energy Fair Saturday

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Waterbury LEAP

Waterbury Local Energy Action Partnership will hold its 9th LEAP ENERGY FAIR
Saturday, April 11, 2015
9 AM – 3 PM    Event is FREE!
Crossett Brook Middle School Gym, Duxbury, VT

TOUR 75 exhibits and talk with dozens of experts about energy audits, solar power, heat pumps, weatherization, geothermal, biomass, pellet stoves and much more

LEARN how to reduce fuel bills, save energy and shrink emissions

PARTICIPATE  in break-out discussions on: Sustainable Transportation; Air & Ground Source Heat Pumps; Going Solar; and Weatherization.

KIDS can enjoy a free show by Marko the Magician at 11AM

FREE electronics recycling onsite

The Fair draws 700 attendees and exhibit space sells out every year. Local green energy companies that would like to exhibit at the LEAP Energy Fair are encouraged to contact Ned Houston as soon as possible at hesplanning@aol.com.  Hosted by the volunteers of Waterbury LEAP.  Visit www.waterburyleap.org for more details.

Sustainable Living Expo in Middlebury this Saturday

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ACORN (Addison County Relocalization Network) will hold their annual Sustainable Living Expo this Saturday at Middlebury Union High School, 73 Charles Avenue, Middlebury, Vermont.

ACORN Sustainable Living Expo 2015

The Sustainable Living Expo is a one-day exposition of workshops, exhibits and events promoting sustainable living in the Champlain Valley. The cost is $5 for adults, $2 for children. You can find out about transportation, ride sharing, program details, and all of the other particulars at http://acornvt.org/sle2015/.