I Believe: 'Place matters, but it also perplexes'

This essay was written by VNRC's sustainable communities program director, Kate McCarthy and was published in the Green Mountain section of the Burlington Free Press on December 4, 2011.
Caring deeply about where we live means the stakes are high — and highly personal — as we make choices about how to use our land, develop our economies and interact with our environment.

Register for the Energy and Climate Action Conference

Join VECAN Saturday, December 3rd — 9:00 am- 4:00 pm — the Lake Morey Inn in Fairlee, Vermont.
This daylong conference offers an unparalleled experience for town energy committee leaders, municipal officials, local and regional planners, and concerned citizens to learn new strategies and identify opportunities to reduce energy costs and tackle climate change.

Vermont Edition: Concern Grows About Environmental Damage From Irene Cleanup

In a recent Vermont Edition segment on Vermont Public Radio, VNRC's water program director Kim Greenwood explores the controversy over digging gravel from Vermont's rivers post-Irene. Did some excavation go too far? Could we have set ourselves up for more damage from floods in the future by digging gravel from the rivers? How does the Agency of Natural Resources see the situation?

VNRC, Bennington Citizens, File Appeal in Wal-Mart Case

Press Release: Montpelier, VT (October 24, 2011) – Citizens for a Greater Bennington and the Vermont Natural Resources Council today appealed a ruling by the local Act 250 District Commission that denied them full party status in a case involving the proposed expansion of a Wal-Mart in Bennington.

The appeal is to the Vermont Environmental Court.

Register for the Environmental Action Conference

Register now to join VNRC, our partner organizations, and over 250 activists ready to learn and take strategic action on Vermont’s most pressing environmental issues. The full-day conference is chock-full of skill and knowledge-based workshops, networking opportunities and inspiring speakers including Gov. Shumlin who will present awards for citizen leadership, too!

Kate McCarthy to Join VNRC

The Vermont Natural Resources Council is pleased to announce that Kate McCarthy has been hired as Sustainable Communities Program Director. Most recently, Kate worked as a Regional Planner for the Windham Regional Commission in Brattleboro, where she provided technical assistance on a variety of community planning issues to member towns. She also coordinated the commission’s energy programs and managed their Brownfield redevelopment program.

VNRC Names Brian Shupe Executive Director

Brian Shupe recently took over as the executive director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council.
Shupe, of Waitsfield, steps into the position that is being vacated by Elizabeth Courtney who is taking on another role at VNRC.

Some Work and Some Play, at the VNRC Annual Meeting

VNRC’s annual meeting on Thursday, September 22, was big on variety. And fun! Well over 100 people – VNRC staff, board, members and visitors – gathered at the Lareau Farm Inn in Waitsfield to take in tasty food, a little policy, announcements of some well-deserved awards and to hear about a leadership transition at VNRC.

After Irene: How to Test Your Well Water

Could Tar Sands Oil Flow Through Vermont?

VNRC is deeply concerned about the possibility that tar sands oil from Canada could possibly be shipped through a pipeline that cuts across Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. VNRC was one of two U.S. environmental groups that signed on to an August 26, 2011 letter by Environmental Defence Canada to Canadian regulators expressing concern over plans to reverse current flows in pipelines in Canada to send tar sands oil eastward.