Calendar
Annual Meeting
Woodstock Community Forum
Billings Farm and Museum Theater – RSVP with Pete Fellows, [email protected], (802) 457-3188
How will Woodstock businesses bounce back from the next storm?
We need your help identifying the risk to Woodstock’s business and infrastructure (road, water and sewer) related to flooding and severe weather.
- Why: We want to minimize rebuilding and recovery cost — and ensure our businesses stay open.
- Who should attend? Anyone who lives or works or owns a business in Woodstock
Moderator: Noelle MacKay, Commissioner, Department of Housing and Community Development
What you’ll hear from us:
- Project Overview
- Observations from River Scientists
What we need from you:
- Changes made since Irene to reduce risks
- Project ideas to reduce flood risks and speed recovery
What is VERI?
The Vermont Economic Recovery Initiative (VERI) is designed to help community leaders and stakeholders reduce threats to life, property, and employers that can result from flooding and severe weather. River scientists are currently walking the Ottauquechee collecting data. The information they collect will inform a local action plan with strategies to minimize losses and help businesses and communities recover quickly in the event of a flood and provide checklists to reduce risks to businesses farming, municipal operations, or tourism. The project is modeled on the success of a similar project in Bennington that reduced the flood impacts of Tropical Storm Irene and saved the town and businesses millions of dollars in avoided economic damages.
VERI is funded by the US Economic Development Administration (EDA), led by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, in partnership with the Regional Planning Commissions, Agencies of Natural Resources and Transportation.
DHCD – Chris Cochran, Montpelier, VT, [email protected], (802) 828-5212
TRORC – Pete Fellows, Woodstock, VT, [email protected], (802) 457-3188
To download a copy of the agenda, click here: TRORC Exec Com Agenda October 2014
The Donnella Meadows Institute is hosting a talk on how a public bank can strengthen our communities and economies. Come to ask questions and hear from public banking experts Dr. Thomas Keidel, CEO of the German Public Banking Association and Gwendolyn Hallsmith, Executive Director of the Public Banking Institute. This talk is free to the public, and is being offered as part of the Institute’s New Economy Week. The event will be held at the Norman Williams Public Library’s Mezzanine in Woodstock. For more information, click here.
The Wisdom to Survive: Climate Change, Capitalism & Community by local filmmaker Anne Macksoud accepts the consensus of scientists that climate change has already arrived, and asks—what is keeping us from action? In discussions with thought leaders and activists, the film explores how unlimited growth and greed are destroying the life support system of the planet, the social fabric of the society, and the lives of billions of people. Come see a public viewing of this documentary film in Barnard as part of the Donnella Meadows Institute New Economy Week. For more information, click here.
Solarize Upper Valley is a program of Vital Communities aimed at making residential and small business solar photovoltaic (PV) energy more accessible across our region. Randolph-Brookfield-Braintree has been chosen as one of their targets for Fall 2014, so come celebrate the possibilities of solar and its positive impacts on our economies and communities! You’ll have the chance to meet Vital Communities’ partner installer, learn about solar, talk with other interested residents, and sign up for a free site visit. For more information, click here.
Save the Date
October 16 & 17 | Burlington, Vermont
Renewable Energy 2014 (RE 2014) is Vermont’s annual convention bringing together key players in the clean energy sector. This year’s conference highlights current energy challenges, Vermont’s leadership role in the energy industry, and the steps needed to implement an integrated energy infrastructure. RE2014 will be held on October 16 & 17 at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center in Burlington, VT.
Learn more at www.revconference.org
All are welcome to attend the Randolph Area Community Development Corporation‘s Annual Meeting. Learn about new projects happening in the RACDC region, and share your outlook and insights with the organization and other participants! The event time and location are TBD at present. For additional information on the organization and updated program information, please click here.
Come join the Donella Meadows Institute and Vermont Law School for a free screening of the film Last Call, a new documentary that tells the story of the groundbreaking 1972 Limits to Growth study. With a wealth of high-quality historic footage and extensive interviews with the core Limits to Growth team, Last Call explores the thinking leading up to the study, the storm of controversy it sparked upon its publication, and the ways the sustainability narrative has changed over the past four decades. At its core, it is a revealing look at the complexities and roadblocks involved in creating a paradigm shift–even one grounded in good data.
Following the screening, Marta Ceroni of the Donella Meadows Institute will lead a discussion about issues raised in the film, including the meaning of sustainability today and approaches for creating change in today’s world.
To read more about the film, see: “Last Call: The complicated story of a study’s simple findings.”
Solarize Upper Valley is a program of Vital Communities aimed at making residential and small business solar photovoltaic (PV) energy more accessible across our region. Pomfret-Woodstock has been chosen as one of their targets for Fall 2014, so come celebrate the possibilities of solar and its positive impacts on our economies and communities! You’ll have the chance to meet Vital Communities’ partner installer, learn about solar, talk with other interested residents, and sign up for a free site visit. For additional information, please click here.