Workshops - Toxics Action Center

Tackling a Polluting Junkyard: Putting New Laws to Work in Your Town

Leaders:

Jessica Edgerly, is the Vermont State Director for Toxics Action Center. She currently works largely with affected communities to clean up illegal junkyards, lead contamination from shooting ranges, and other toxic sites. Jessica graduated with a degree in Biology from Bates College.

John Brabant,Vermont's Agency of Natural Resources' Salvage Yard Specialist, is tasked with implementing the new ANR Salvage Yard Permitting and Compliance Program. A 23-year employee at ANR, John has previously worked as a hydro-geologist for 2 private consulting firms, as a Hazardous Materials Specialist in the VT DEC Hazardous Waste Management Program and more recently as regulator in the VT DEC Solid Waste Management Program. John's current responsibilities include assisting in the development of the new Salvage Yard program and performing field inspections of and follow up responses regarding Vermont's licensed and unlicensed salvage yards.

Dorothy Ward, Strafford Resident

Hydrogeology

Groundwater is a precious resource and one that is essential to the health and well-being of Vermont's citizens and economy. One of the first concerns in many land use, water extraction, or toxics issues is: What will this mean for my drinking water? If you're baffled by those two-inch thick studies on groundwater testing, or confused by maps of underground water flow, come and find out the basics. This workshop will provide a basic understanding of Vermont hydrogeology, how groundwater can be threatened, and keys to effective groundwater clean ups.

Leader:

Seth Pitkin is a Senior Hydrogeologist and Vice President at Stone Environmental, Inc. where he is in charge of the Investigation and Remediation Group. He has over 25 years of experience in the investigation of groundwater contamination and is currently working with US EPA to develop a training curriculum for their personnel involved with the investigation of groundwater contamination. He received a B.S. in Geology from the Evergreen State College in 1984 and a M.Sc. from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Waterloo in 1994.

Holding It Together: Building a Strong Community Effort for the Long Run

There are reasons why groups come together and fall apart, and there are things you can do to maintain and build them. Learn how to identify problems within your group, and solutions to fix those problems. You will also learn models of governing that will help strengthen methods of communication, decision-making, group-building and help to maintain a leadership team. This will be an interactive workshop - come with questions!

Leaders:

Meredith Small is the Executive Director for Toxics Action Center. Before taking over as Executive Director, she previously worked as Toxics Action Center's Organizing Director, supervising all the staff. Meredith began her work with Toxics Action Center in 2006 as the Community Organizer in New Hampshire where, among other things, she coordinated the grassroots campaign to ban the burning of construction and demolition debris. Prior to moving to New England, she worked for three years on environmental, poverty, affordable education, and democracy reform campaigns in California, Oregon and New York.

May Boeve is the Director for Partnerships and Policy and Co-Founder of 350.org, an international climate change campaign. On October 24, 2009, 350.org coordinated the most widespread day of political action in history, with more than 5,200 events in 181 countries all conveying the message: 350, the safe level of CO2 in the atmosphere. Previously, May co-founded and helped lead the Step It Up 2007 campaign, which helped to change the debate about global warming policy in the United States by combining the efforts of over 200 partner organizations.

Interpreting the Numbers: Turning Test Results into a Powerful Message

Leaders:

Kim Greenwood, VNRC's Water Program Director, is the resident water scientist and expert witness at VNRC and has worked on water issues in Vermont for over 15 years. Her work at VNRC focuses promoting science-based policy positions to ensure that scientific information is brought to statewide environmental policy making processes. Kim worked in both the private sector and state government before joining VNRC.

Jessica Edgerly,is the Vermont State Director for Toxics Action Center. She currently works largely with affected communities to clean up illegal junkyards, lead contamination from shooting ranges, and other toxic sites. Jessica graduated with a degree in Biology from Bates College.

Meet the Vermont’s Environmental Commissioner

Vermont’s Department of Environmental Protection is tasked with the mission of preserving, enhancing, restoring, and conserving Vermont’s natural resources and protecting human health for the benefit of this and future generations. The Department’s programs include air and water quality and solid waste and waste water management. You might know the Department for issuing permits, mapping watersheds, or overseeing hazardous waste cleanups.The Department has also been heavily involved in responding to recent flood events Come and hear the Commissioner’s vision for the role and work of the Department in Vermont today. A significant portion of this workshop will be Q+A, so bring your questions!

Leader:

David Mears is the Commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Environmental Protection. As such, he oversees the Department’s work managing water and air quality; regulating solid and hazardous wastes; and administering a number of voluntary pollution and waste reduction programs. Prior to his appointment, David taught at Vermont Law School, specializing in environmental law and litigation, and directed the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic there. Before his teaching career, David served as the senior assistant attorney general to Washington’s Attorney General.

Fundraising in Tough Economic Times

A successful group needs funds to move their work forward. Learn how to develop a fundraising strategy to raise the funds you need and highlight your groups efforts more prominently in your community. While the recession has made fundraising more challenging opportunities still abound. Learn the ins and outs of small and mid sized grants, running mail, e-mail and phone campaigns, planning special events like house parties, raffles and silent auctions, face to face donor meetings and more. We’ll focus on practical answers and provide resources to take home.

Leaders:

Ginny Callan is a Program Officer at the New England Grassroots Environment Fund (NEGEF) www.grassrootsfund.org. Previously Ginny worked for the American Cancer Society as the Grassroots Director of Advocacy. She is the founder of the Horn of the Moon Café in Montpelier, Vermont, a vegetarian café and has written two natural food cookbooks, Horn of the Moon Cookbook and Beyond the Moon Cookbook. Ginny has been a grassroots organizer since the 1970’s, focusing on energy, environmental and human rights issues and continues to be active in her community.

Andrea Stander is the Executive Director of the Vermont League of Conservation Voters which works to educate voters on environmental issues and get strong conservation-minded leaders elected at all levels of government. Before joining VTLCV, she served on the development team at the Vermont Public Interest Research Group and was the Central Vermont Regional Field Coordinator for Bernie Sanders’ successful campaign for the US Senate in 2006. Stander began her environmental organizing work with the Northern Plains Resource Council in Montana in 1993 and came to Vermont in 1997 to work with the Northern Forest Alliance.

Scott & Pat Sainsbury represent the Mad River Neighborhood Association (MRNA), an organization dedicated to maintaining and improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods along the Mad River. Founded in 2003, MRNA's initial work focused on protecting Mad River communities from a quarry that would threaten the local economy, the health of the Mad River and the quality of life in the community. After a 7 year legal effort--including challenges at the local, regional and state level--the proposed quarry was denied in Environmental Court. MRNA has gone on to sponsor the successful designation of Route 100B as a Scenic Corridor and most recently organized and executed a celebration and fund raising event for Moretown victims of Tropical Storm Irene.

Rural Vermont: Growing Local Food Sovereignty

Throughout Vermont, communities are embracing traditions of rural heritage as part of the vibrant local food system that has existed in our state for hundreds of years. Despite the recent rise in popularity of local foods, there are many shortfalls in infrastructure and regulations that are not being adequately addressed by the state. Learn how Vermont’s tradition of Town Meeting Day resolutions can help communities develop local food sovereignty in towns all across the state as a way to further support our agricultural heritage.

Robb Kidd is an organizer at Rural Vermont, a non-profit farmer’s advocacy organization. Rural Vermont has recently launched a local food sovereignty campaign to further elevate discussions outside traditional legislative platforms and back into local communities. Robb uses years of experience with Vermont issue and electoral campaigns in and out of the Statehouse as a way to highlight the power of grassroots campaigns.

Effective Citizen Lobbying, Inside and Outside the State House

Have you or your organization ever wanted to change the laws of Vermont? Wonder how you can have a voice in the deliberations under the “Golden Dome”? Do you want to make it easier to conserve forests? Improve our water quality laws? Assure that Vermonters have a seat at the table when big projects are proposed?

In Vermont, it's relatively easy for a citizen to lobby the legislature for change. But to be as effective as possible, you need to develop a plan, get to know how the state house works, and speak out in ways that will be heard by those who have the power to effect the legislative process.

In this panel, experienced lobbyists will share stories about what lobbying techniques work and which may be counterproductive. The panelists will draw on their extensive experience to outline how citizens can lobby lawmakers face to face, under the Golden Dome, and also how they can advance proposals through channels outside the State House.

Also on the panel will be a lawmaker who will offer his personal advice for citizen lobbyists.

Lobbyists:

Amy Shollenberger, Action Circles

Matt Levin, Vermonters For a Clean Environment

Lawmaker:

Tom Stevens, State Representative from Waterbury

Moderator:

Jake Brown, VNRC

River Health: Gravel Extraction and the Clean Water Act

Tropical Storm Irene did tremendous damage to houses, roads, fields and businesses across Vermont. It also revived a long-held but mistaken idea in the state, that digging gravel from Vermont’s rivers helps prevent flooding damage. It may be a legacy that lasts nearly as long as the physical damage of the storm.

It has been close to two decades since clean water advocates succeeded in largely eliminating the practice. But in the wake of Irene the knowledge gained by river scientists showing that channeling rivers, armoring their banks and digging gravel from their beds causes much more harm than it prevents. Learn why much of the recent work with excavators and bulldozers in Vermont rivers not only causes a great deal of damage to river ecosystems, but why it puts us at greater flood risk as well.

Leaders:

Kim Greenwood, VNRC's Water Program Director, is the resident water scientist and expert witness at VNRC and has worked on water issues in Vermont for over 15 years. Her work at VNRC focuses promoting science-based policy positions to ensure that scientific information is brought to statewide environmental policy making processes. Kim worked in both the private sector and state government before joining VNRC.

Louis Porter, is the Lake Champlain Lakekeeper for the Conservation Law Foundation. Prior to joining CLF, he served as the Bureau Chief of the Vermont Press Bureau and as a commercial fishing deckhand in Alaska.

David vs. Goliath: How to Tackle Big Corporations and Win

Whether you are up against BP, Dominion or McDonalds, it always feels like David vs. Goliath. Big corporations have power, endless financial resources, and ruthless attorneys and experts. But the good news is citizen power can still win victories and hold big corporate polluters accountable! Come learn tips and principles on how to tackle big corporations and win, and learn lessons from groups who won impressive victories this year. You can expect to hear more about what influences corporate decision-makers, how to engage in shareholder advocacy, and what kind of tactics have proven effective to change a company’s behavior.

Leader:

Adam Macon began his career with Corporate Accountability International in 2010 and mobilizes members in California and Massachusetts around the Think Outside the Bottle Campaign. He is a graduate of Green Corps, the field school for environmental organizing, where he most recently worked to educate and engage members for Environment Minnesota.

Running for Local Office: Why You Should and How You Can

Meet a panel of experienced local office holders and learn how you can influence the quality of life in your community by running for local elected office.

Rebecca Ellis is Chair of the Waterbury Select Board, and was appointed to the Vermont State Legislature in January 2011. She grew up in Burlington and moved to Waterbury in 2000. She served on the Waterbury Planning Commission from 2001-2006, and the Waterbury Select Board from 2006-present. She has worked as a Vermont Assistant Attorney General in both the Public Protection and Environmental Divisions.

Erik Filkhorn is a media, government and community relations expert with over 20 years experience working in entertainment, banking, technology, telecoms, specialty foods, energy and non-profits. He is serving his third term on the Richmond select board for a total of 9 years. He is also a member of the executive committee of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, co-chair of the Chittenden County Hunger Council and a past commissioner of the Chittenden Solid Waste District.

Tom Stevens was ﬁrst elected to the Vermont Legislature in November 2008. Tom has served as Chair of the Waterbury Select Board and President of the Waterbury Village Trustees. He is currently education director at the Waterbury Congregational Church and has served as executive director of the Vermont Alliance for Arts Education and director of the Vermont Dictionary Project. Tom has served on the boards of the Children’s Room and Revitalizing Waterbury, for which he chaired the Downtown Designation Committee, resulting in Waterbury Village receiving Downtown Designation in 2006.

Feeding Your Community Locally

Leaders and activists from different local food initiatives will share their work on developing community gardens, turning public spaces into edible landscapes and building connections between local food producers and consumers. Bring your questions and experiences to share.

Leaders:

Ron Krupp has been involved with local farm and food issues in Vermont for 39 years. He started one of the first farmers’ markets in the early 70s in Brattleboro. Ron currently teaches gardening to interns at Heartbeet, a farm community in Hardwick for adults with disabilities. Ron does garden commentaries on Vermont Public Radio and he is the author of The Woodchuck’s Guide to Gardening and Lifting the Yoke - Local Solutions to America’s Farm and Food Crisis. http://liftingtheyoke.blogspot.com/

Jessica Hyman is Executive Director of Friends of Burlington Gardens and the Vermont Community Garden Network. The nonprofit works with local groups around the state to increase community-based food production and garden education. Through technical assistance, outreach, and mini-grants, FBG has helped hundreds of community and school gardens grow more food and build vibrant and productive programs. www.burlingtongardens.org

Karen Johnston is the outgoing project manager for the National Life Community Garden and has also served as the Development Director and Interim treasurer for the Apple Corps since 2009. She is a graduate of the Adult Practical Farm Training Program of the Farm School in Athol, Massachusetts, Karen has farmed in upstate New York, and western Massachusetts. She is currently enrolled in the Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant program at Kripalu School of Yoga in Lenox, MA. Karen is a nationally published environmental writer and considers herself a grower, consumer, and advocate of and for clean, healthy food that sustains and nourishes body and community. She strongly believes that all people, regardless of income, should have access to quality, locally-grown organic food.

Measuring what Matters – Well-being Measures and Social Policy in Practice

We will explain how alternative measures of well-being can help guide policy toward sustainable futures that really increase genuine progress. We will show how the GPI (Genuine Progress Indicator) and GNH (Gross National Happiness Surveys) are being used to evaluate progress and policy development in Vermont and other states and countries. The workshop will be a mix of new information, discussion and we expect that participants will take away an appreciation for alternative measures and how they can be used at all levels of government and by organizations concerned with the environment and social progress.

Speakers:

Jon D. Erickson is Professor of Ecological Economics at the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and the Environmental Program at the University of Vermont, and Managing Director of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. From 1997 to 2002 he was Assistant Professor of Economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he helped build the first Ph.D. program in Ecological Economics. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in ecological economics and topical problem-based courses in forest resource values, community empowerment and health education through grassroots sports, and regional sustainable development, and was honored with UVM’s first Service Learning Award.

Tom Barefoot is a founder and Co-Coordinator for Gross National Happiness USA, a national network headquartered in Vermont helping to educate us all to measure what matters. Tom heads the Vermont as a Lab project to implement Subjective Well-Being Surveys in Vermont and help implement Alternative Measures in Vermont. Tom was a Board Member of VPIRG for 12 years, 5 years as Board President from the late 1970’s. Interest in using data to reflect what matters going back to the mid-1970’s when Tom studied the World Game with Buckminster Fuller, which was an early effort to use data to visualize resources, trends and needs on our planet.

Revitalizing Vermont's Rural Economy

Vermont’s working landscape provides innumerable environmental services in addition to its role as a foundation for the development of the green economy. This panel will share perspectives on the next stage of the working landscape economy, discuss challenges and opportunities in the sector, and invite participation in the campaign of the Vermont Working Landscape Partnership to build a new generation of entrepreneurship as a foundation for the future of the state.

Leaders:

Paul Costello has served as the Executive Director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development since 2000. VCRD is leading the Vermont Working Landscape Partnership to support the development of new enterprises on the land in rural Vermont. Paul is a UVM alumnus, holds a PhD in intellectual history from McGill University, and is past president of Partners for Rural America.

Tara Kelly is a founding member and current Executive Director of the Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL). RAFFL is a non-profit organization strengthening communities in the Rutland region by increasing the economic viability of local farms and broadening access to local foods. Tara is a certified planner in Vermont. In the past several years she has served as chairperson for the Rutland Creative Economy Initiative as well as on the boards of the Housing Trust of Rutland County and the Vermont Community Development Association.

Gail Livingston, President of Vermont Land Trust, graduated from the University of Vermont and the University of San Francisco, School of Law. He has worked extensively on environmental and planning issues in Vermont, including for the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, Vermont Legal Aid, and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office the Vermont Environmental Board.

Irene's Toxic Impact

Oil, gasoline, cleaning supplies, and other chemicals were swept into the floodwaters of Tropical Storm Irene and deposited on our farms, gardens, and playing fields. Now, lingering questions remain about the safety of Vermont’s environment including our soil and waterways. Join this workshop to learn more about what’s being done to answer these questions as well as what we can do to prevent harmful chemicals from being used in products in the first place.

Leaders:

Charity Carbine-March
Environmental Health Advocate, VPIRG

Nicole Dehne
Certification Administrator, NOFA

Cary Giguere
Pesticide Program Section Chief, Vermont Agency of Agriculture

Eliminating Waste in Vermont: Opportunities for Sustainability and Innovation

Over the last decade, waste generated by Vermont’s residents, businesses, and institutions has increased dramatically while our diversion rates (including reuse, recycling, and composting) have plateaued at a paltry 33%. Join this workshop to learn how we can move Vermont towards zero waste, implement recycling programs that impact product design, and create a sustainable system that protects our natural resources.

Leaders:

Charity Carbine-March heads Vermont Public Interest Research Group’s (VPIRG’s) efforts to reduce waste and protect Vermont’s natural resources. Since joining the VPIRG team, Charity has led successful statewide campaigns resulting in legislation to create extended producer responsibility recycling programs including programs for electronic waste and fluorescent light bulbs. Prior to her time at VPIRG, Charity worked as an organizer for the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), educating and activating New Yorkers on a range of issues including the environment, mass transit, higher education, good government, and consumer protection.

Donna Barlow Casey,is the Director for the Center for Sustainable Practices at Vermont Technical College. The Center functions as the campus sustainability office, provides state-wide training for jobs in the green economy, develops innovative projects demonstrating renewable energy, emerging technologies and sustainable practices on campus, and initiates opportunities for dialogue on various environmental topics and issues. Prior to joining VTC in March of this year, Barlow Casey served as the Director of the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District for 15 years, authoring the first municipal Zero Waste plan for communities east of the Mississippi and creating several award-winning and successful behavioral-change programs to divert and diminish wastefulness. Donna has served on the boards of various environmental organizations, and is one of the founding members of the Vermont Product Stewardship Council.

Meet the Vermont’s Environmental Commissioner

The Vermont Natural Resources Board and Vermont Agency of Natural Resources are seeking ideas for ways to improve the environmental protection process in Vermont. Examples of permit processes they are looking at include Act 250 and other land-use permits, and Agency of Natural Resources air and water-related permits needed for small and large-scale projects. Their goal is to maintain the current standards and criteria so important to Vermonters and the Vermont brand while making the process more efficient, effective, user-friendly, open, better coordinated, quicker and less costly.

The panel will outline broadly what they are hoping to achieve in this review, and then want to hear from participants what they think of the environmental protection process in Vermont, where things work well, and where there could be improvements.

Leaders:

Ron Shems is chair of the Vermont Natural Resources Board. Prior to being named chair of the Board by Gov. Shumlin, Ron was a founding partner in the Burlington firm Shems Dunkiel Raubvogel & Saunders, a firm he co-founded in 2001. Prior to that, he worked for 15 years at the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, where he split his time between special assignments managing complex constitutional and regulatory cases, and as the Environmental Unit’s Senior Assistant Attorney General. In February 2011. In 2000, he was awarded the prestigious “Best Brief” award from the National Association of Attorneys General for excellence in brief writing before the U.S. Supreme Court. , Ron received a BA from Clark University in 1981, and a JD and Masters in Environmental Law in 1985 from Vermont Law School.

Jon Groveman is general counsel at the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Prior to becoming general counsel at ANR, Jon was Water Program Director and General Counsel of the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC). Jon has a B.A. from SUNY Binghamton and a J.D. from Quinnipiac College School of Law. He has served as legal counsel to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, as Land Use Attorney for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, as Director of the Law Center for the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT), and was the Executive Officer of the former Vermont Water Resources Board.

Melanie Kehne is a staff attorney at the Vermont Natural Resources Board, which administers Act 250 and promulgates the Vermont Wetlands Rules and other water-related regulations. Melanie has also worked in private practice, served as a judicial law clerk in Vermont trial courts in Washington and Windsor Counties, and was a legislative assistant to U.S. Representative Claude Harris, focusing on environmental issues. Melanie has a BA from the University of Maryland, and a JD and Masters in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School.

Local Energy Leadership: Ideas, Programs and Practical Next Steps

Leaders:

Dan Conant is the Solar Community Coordinator at VPIRG, where he is organizing solar communities across Vermont. Dan is also the founder and former director of ACE Solar Raisers, where he brought the Arlington, Virginia community together to install solar hot water systems on their neighbors’ homes, Amish barn-raising style.

Bob Farnham

Leading the Nation: Making Vermont a Clean Energy Model

If we’re going to tackle climate change as a planet, the United States needs to act, and for that to happen someone needs to step up and set an example for the rest of the country, now. There are few states where that is possible, and Vermont is at the top of the list. The Department of Public Service and VPIRG will share the vision the Comprehensive Energy Plan puts forward for Vermont’s energy future across all sectors, and discuss what we need to do make that vision a reality. Come and ask questions, give feedback and be part of the discussion. After years of incremental progress, we are looking at the beginning of a new clean energy era for Vermont. Tomorrow the world!

Leaders:

Ben Walsh has worked with VPIRG since 2009. In his role as the VPIRG summer canvass director mobilized thousands of Vermonters in support of a clean energy future. Prior to coming on board the VPIRG team, Ben worked with National Environmental Trust, Environment America and the Oregon Natural Desert Association. Now as VPIRG's Clean Energy Program Director Ben works to research, identify and advance clean energy policy solutions in the State House.

Asa Hopkins,Asa S. Hopkins, PhD, joined the Vermont Department of Public Service as Director of Energy Policy and Planning at the start of October. Before joining DPS, Dr. Hopkins worked at the United States Department of Energy for Under Secretary for Science Steven Koonin, serving as Dr. Koonin’s assistant project director for the DOE’s Quadrennial Technology Review. Before that he served as an analyst at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, providing economic and technical analysis of federal energy efficiency standards for appliances. Dr. Hopkins has a B.S. in Physics from Haverford College and an M.S. and Ph.D, also in Physics, from the California Institute of Technology.

Building Powerful and Uncommon Alliances: How the VT Sierra Club came to partner with labor and Abenakis

Come hear how the Vermont Sierra has built a coalition of environmental, labor, and Native American groups representing 8% of Vermont's workforce in support of the historic Our Forests Our Future campaign. The Our Forests Our Future campaign is seeking to build public support for the extension of wildlife migration corridors through the establishment of locally owned town and tribal forests across Vermont. This workshop will take a look at the nuts and bolts of why building broad alliances outside the usual enviromental suspects is a powerful tool for our campaigns, how it is done, and towards what end. The discussion will include insites from longtime Sierra Club leader Steve Crowley and AFL-CIO Iron Worker Mike Morelli, and will include a Q and A period and general discussion.

Leaders:

Steve Crowley, Sierra Club

Mike Morelli, AFL-CIO Iron Worker

Passing Local Policies to Reduce Idling

Vermont is the only state in New England that does not prohibit unneccesary diesel idling. But there is hope! Communities have an opportunity to encourage voluntary policies for towns, businesses, public works and more. Join Wayne Michaud and Amy Sayre, program coordinators for the American Lung Association’s Vermont Idle-Free Fleets, to learn about the free resources available to Vermont communities. They will also facilitate a conversation with community members about the challenges of promoting local policy and ways to overcome those challenges.

Leaders:

Wayne Michaud, director of Idle-Free VT, has been a long-time advocate of vehicle idling reduction efforts.

Amy Sayre is an independent public health consultant with expertise in community-based public health initiatives.

Biomass Energy Working Group: Update on Legislative Action

There are two reports that will be coming out this fall that will shape biomass energy policy in Vermont. The Biomass Energy Development Working Group, or Bio-E Group, is preparing its final recommendations to the legislature, and the Department of Public Service is developing a Comprehensive Energy Plan for Vermont. The Bio-E report is expected to address incentives for promoting efficient woody biomass projects and policies for maintaining forest health, such as harvesting guidelines and procurement policies for facilities. The Comprehensive Energy Plan will outline how biomass energy fits into the state’s overall portfolio of energy options. In addition, diverse projects have been proposed in the state, including large-scale electricity generating plants, which may set precedent through the regulatory review process. It is an important time for citizens to be engaged at multiple levels and this workshop will preview recommendations from the Bio-E Group and explore opportunities for citizen comment and engagement on biomass policy.

Leaders:

Jamey Fidel is the Forest and Biodiversity Program Director & General Counsel at VNRC. Jamey has a B.S. in Environmental Studies and a Minor in Wildlife Biology from University of Vermont's School of Natural Resources, and a J.D. and M.S. in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School. Jamey was previously Conservation Director of the Aspen Wilderness Workshop, Project Director of Public Counsel of the Rockies, and Biological Inventory Coordinator of Pitkin County, Colorado. He has served on various boards including the Executive Committee of the Northern Forest Alliance, the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Board, and the Waitsfield Planning Commission and Development Review Board.

Ann Ingerson joined The Wilderness Society's Ecology and Economics Research Department in 1999, after 18 years teaching ecological economics, agriculture and outdoor skills at a small college. Her work at The Wilderness Society focuses on the community benefits of wild lands, threats to open space in the East, land protection funding and the role of forests in mitigating climate change.

Cleaning up Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain, the nation’s sixth largest body of freshwater and Vermont’s crown jewel, is suffering from a phosphorous pollution crisis. Too much of this potent nutrient is fueling terrible, sometimes toxic, algae outbreaks that destroy the lake’s beauty, close beaches, and even threaten public health. The problem of Lake Champlain's pollution can seem overwhelming, but there are steps that communities can take to reduce runoff pollution into the lake and build political support for stronger, protective policy. Come learn about opportunities your neighborhood or town can take advantage of to help clean up Lake Champlain.

Leaders:

Louis Porter is the Lake Champlain Lakekeeper for Conservation Law Foundation. Prior to joining CLF, he served as the Bureau Chief of the Vermont Press Bureau and as a commercial fishing deckhand in Alaska.

Laura Murphy is a staff attorney and assistant professor of law in the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic. She currently focuses on Clean Water Act work and a project to help people who live near industrial animal factories protest their property tax assessments. Prior to joining Vermont Law School in 2007, she worked with CLF Ventures in Montpelier.

Jenna Calvi currently serves as the Green Infrastructure Coordinator for the State of Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation, where she works with homeowners and municipalities to implement the use of Low-Impact Development practices to manage their stormwater runoff. Jenna earned her B.S. in Natural Resources Management from Green Mountain College and her Master’s in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School.

Amplify Your Voice: How to Work With the Media

Generating media allows you to reach thousands of citizens with your message. While opponents like Entergy Louisiana or Exxon Mobil can often afford PR consultants and paid ads, grassroots campaigns generally rely on “earned” media. News coverage doesn’t happen on its own, you have to work hard to garner it. This workshop guides you through principles, pointers and practice for getting your message heard in the media.

Leaders:

Paul Burns, VPIRG Executive Director

Daniel Barlow spent 10 years as a journalist, most recently as a member of the Vermont Press Bureau, the Statehouse office of the Times Argus and Rutland Herald newspapers. In 2009 he received a New England Associated Press award for his coverage of Vermont's same-sex marriage debate. Barlow lives in Montpelier and now works as the public policy manager of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility.

Sneak Preview: Bloom II

The second episode of this four-part series will present the challenges associated with degrading wastewater treatment systems. With significant investment required, and federal dollars seemingly unavailable, how will communities address the challenge of aging infrastructure? By minimizing waste inputs at the source, utilization of smaller scale distributed systems and integration of innovative biological systems we can start to address this significant challenge.

Picking the Right Message

How you talk about your community's pollution problem, your town's plans for a new solar farm, or the need to increase the state's recycling rates matters. The words you use as you speak to neighbors or elected officials set the tone for your issue and campaign. Your message needs to be easily understood, concise, compelling, and consistent. This workshop will walk through the dos and don'ts of message development and help you develop the message that will motivate and inspire your community to support your issue and act.

Ben Walsh is the Clean Energy Advocate for VPIRG. Ben comes to this position after over a year as VPIRG's Field Director and spending the two previous summers helping to lead VPIRG's summer door canvass. In both these roles, Ben engaged and mobilized thousands of Vermonters in support of a clean energy future. His expert grassroots and community organizing skills were honed during his time as a Green Corps organizer, a program that gave him experience on advocacy campaigns for National Environmental Trust, Environment America and the Oregon Natural Desert Association.

Taryn Hallweaver is a community organizer with Toxics Action Center. Taryn began her work with Toxics Action Center as an intern on the Downeast pesticide campaign in Maine, where she worked closely with the community groups in the region to arrange an accountability meeting with the Chair of the Board of Pesticides Control.