The recent flooding has been devastating for many Vermonters. The effects of Tropical Storm Irene in particular underscore the critical nature of VNRC’s mission. As an organization that strives to protect and enhance the quality of Vermont’s waterways, downtowns, forests and open landscapes, we will be advocating strongly in the coming months that Vermont rebuild in a resilient way – a way that minimizes damage to our communities from future floods caused by storms like Irene.

Thank you to the thousands of VNRC members and activists who make our work possible! Your support and dedication mean a lot to us – and to Vermont.

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Jake Claro Joins VNRC's Energy and Climate Program

VNRC  Intern Travels to DC, Protests Tar Sands  

Jordana Jusidman, an intern with VNRC who recently earned a JD from Vermont Law School and is completing her Master of Environmental Law and Policy degree this fall, was arrested several weeks ago during the protests in Washington DC over the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

Jordana joined many other protesters, including VNRC advisors Bill McKibben and Gus Speth, in being arrested as part of the multi-day protest.  

Jordana reflected on the experience in an essay that describes how, because of the urgent nature of the tar sands issue, she decided to head to Washington to take part in the protest. Click here to read her account.

In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene, VNRC's water program director and staff scientist Kim Greenwood reflected, in an op-ed that ran in the Stowe Reporter and other places, on those things we can do as a state to reduce the threat of the kind of destruction Irene wrought.

"The vast costs associated with flooding are, unfortunately, fresh in our minds," writes Greenwood. "The devastation of people’s lives that we have all seen in recent days is, in almost every way, beyond description," she writes.

"The state should invigorate policies to keep forestland intact and undeveloped through incentives such as the current-use tax program and conservation funding. This will, over the long term, help keep flooding down. Land with trees — rather than pavement — is more stable, filters water and discharges far less runoff," according to Greenwood.

Click here to read Kim's full piece.

Last week, the Vermont Department of Public Service released the draft Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP) for the state and is now looking for input on it from Vermonters.

This plan, if done right, can provide critical guidance on how the state should pursue an efficient, clean and sustainable energy future. It’s a very broad plan: it touches not only on electricity but also on the energy we use to get around in our cars and trucks and how we heat our homes and businesses. 

The DPS is seeking input on the draft plan. Click here for the schedule of public hearings and to learn more about the comment process. All comments are due October 10.

Please note: The Comprehensive Energy Plan website has not been working properly lately, but appears to have been fixed. If you have trouble reaching the page, please keep trying.

(Note: Route 100B is closed due to flood damage. Please expect to travel through Waterbury to Route 100 to reach American Flatbread in Waitsfield)

Enjoy Flatbread, beverages, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, hear from House Speaker Shap Smith and celebrate the merger of Smart Growth Vermont and VNRC and the the oragnization's transition to new leadership. Entertainment will be by local music talent 440Hertz ... and do it all in the good company of VNRC staff, members, activists and friends.

A $20 donation is suggested. We appreciate your support!

Join Richard Heinburg, Senior Fellow in Residence at the Post Carbon Institute for a presentation and disccusion on building community resilience in a world of declining energy.

The event takes place Thursday, October 13 – 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Vermont State House (Room 11) in Montpelier.

The future we must plan for is starkly different from the world we live in today. This event – free and open to the public – encourages regional planning commissions, state government officials, lawmakers and others with an active role in community planning and development to look at how to best move forward, realizing that our finite resources cannot sustain our current growth pattern. We hope you will come, learn, and join the discussion.

This event is sponsored by the Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies.

Join hundreds of Vermont environmental activists and organizations for the annual Environmental Action Conference

The event takes place on Saturday, October 29 at the Vermont Technical College in Randolph.

The conference is looking to be even bigger than last year's, with over 25 workshops covering the hottest and most pressing issues facing Vermont including Vermont's Comprehensive Energy Plan, strategies for cleaning up Lake Champlain, buidling Vermont's localized food systems and many others. Join dozens of experts in different environmental fields as well as keynote speakers Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator of the EAP Office of Air & Radiation and May Boeve, Executive Director of 350.org. Most importanly, join the network of activists from across the state who share your interests. Find out more and register here!

Forbes contributor Peter Gleick, in a short article recently posted at Forbes.com, fleshes out the notion that the United States could be reaching “peak water.” He writes that there are increasingly very serious constraints on water supplies in parts of the United States, even in places that are thought to be water rich, like the Great Lakes region and the Southeast. The specter of peak water spells trouble for food production in certain areas, among other things, Gleick says.

Click here to read Gleick’s thoughtful article on the Forbes website.

Do You Get Your Water from a Well? A Test Might be Smart

If you get your household water from a well, and the flooding from tropical storm Irene had an impact near you, it might make sense to test your drinking water.  Floods can cause nasty stuff to flow into groundwater where many Vermonters get their drinking water. In this video, VNRC’s water program director and staff scientist Kim Greenwood tells you how you can take sample at home and send it away for testing.