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Vital Communities Program News

Five Inspiring Stories

On March 18, Vital Communities held a webinar featuring five inspiring stories from energy committees across the Upper Valley. Stories included: Electric charging stations in Bethel An Upper Valley eBike lending library Energy saving window ...more

13th Annual Roundtable - September 15

You're Invited! The 13th Annual Upper Valley Energy Committee Roundtable will be held Tuesday, September 15, 5-8 pm in West Lebanon! This annual gathering of local energy volunteers is open to all, whether you serve on an ...more

Upper Valley Farm to School Forum: Trauma & Nutrition

Event Postponed We will be rescheduling the forum to the late spring or next fall Upper Valley Farm to School Forum: Trauma & Nutrition March 19 4:30-7pm Sharon Elementary School 75 VT Route 132, Sharon, VT 05065 Join the Upper Valley ...more

Climate and Community Resilience: Lessons from the Soil

Climate and Community Resilience: Lessons from the Soil Spring Community Webinar Series to Unpack What Creating Our Future Looks Like What is good for the soil is good for our communities. Deep healthy soil governs flood resilience, ...more

Renewable Energy Funding for Farms and Small Businesses

Get the information you need to move forward with a renewable energy or energy efficiency project in Vermont or New Hampshire. Join Ken Yearman, Rural Development Energy Coordinator for Vermont and New Hampshire; a farmer ...more

Renewable Energy Funding for Small Businesses

Improve Your Small Business Digital Marketing Presence!

Calling all Upper Valley farms and small businesses! Could your business benefit from professional consulting services to improve your marketing? With Rural Development funding, Local First is hosting free marketing workshops AND providing an opportunity ...more

TLC Upper Valley Success!

Local Investing Success with TLC Upper Valley! The Local Crowd (TLC) Upper Valley is a locally based crowdfunding platform that empowers individuals to invest in the businesses, organizations and initiatives that support vital communities in our ...more

Efficient Heating in Vermont

Check out this newly produced, six-minute YouTube video on Efficient Heating in Vermont, created by Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission. The video describes the types and benefits of home heating options and describes the current rebates ...more

Fall Guided Quest: Trees of Dartmouth Quest

Join Vital Communities' Valley Quest Coordinator Beth Roy on a guided treasure hunt of the trees of Dartmouth. Celebrate fall as we discover many exotic trees around the Dartmouth College Campus and learn about their ...more

A New Quest to Celebrate the Mascoma River Greenway!

Have you been on the Mascoma River Greenway yet? If not, it is time to check it out. I had a fantastic time follwing the new Quest of the Mascoma River Greenway. I took my ...more

A New Quest in Pomfret, Vermont

Earlier this summer I had the fortune of working with the amazing staff of the Artistree Community Arts Center in Pomfret, Vermont on offering a Questing Camp. Over the week the campers learned about the ...more

Stand in Your Circle of Strength and Lead

Ed. Note: On May 30, Vital Communities honored 12 community leaders who’ve added immeasurably to the vitality of the Upper Valley at its annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration. The following are the event’s keynote remarks ...more

Heroes & Leaders: Creating a Vital Upper Valley

Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts the annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the Upper Valley. In 2019, we are pleased to honor ...more

2nd Annual Curb The Car Day - Friday, May 17!

On May 17, 2019 the rest of the country is celebrating National Bike to Work Day, but here in the Upper Valley we’ll be taking it a step further with our second annual Curb The ...more

Dazzlingly Reflective, 80's Style

We love pairing style with nighttime visibility, so we've ordered REFLECTIVE SLAP BRACELETS to reward people who bike or walk to Flavors of the Valley on Sunday, April 7! If you bike and walk to the ...more

Get your bike, boots, or shoes ready!

Get your bike, boots, or shoes ready! From our friends at Local Motion comes the Winter Edition of Vermont's Bike-Walk Challenge, February 1 to 8! Simply record two bike or walk commutes in the Go! Vermont app ...more

A Lot Lighter with More Hands: Leadership Upper Valley

On the bright, sunny morning of June 13, Cobb Hill was waking up, and the soon-to-be graduating 2018 Leadership Upper Valley class was just arriving for their final meeting. Before the ceremony at Harpoon Brewery, ...more

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What's Happening

Public Investment AFTER Covid19

How can we know which uses of our public funds are the most productive in a recovery? Join this free webinar at 1 pm March 31 by Joe Minicozzi of Ur [...]

Climate & Community Resilience Spring Series

Climate and Community Resilience: Lessons from the Soil Spring Community Webinar Series to Unpack What Creating Our Future Looks Like What is good f [...]

13th Annual Energy Committee Roundtable – March 18

You're Invited! The 13th Annual Upper Valley Energy Committee Roundtable is Wednesday, March 18, 5-8 pm in West Lebanon! This annual ga [...]

Make Your Pitch to The Local Crowd UV!

We're accepting proposals for the next round of The Local Crowd Upper Valley crowdfunding campaigns! Do you have an incredible project just waiting [...]

Flavors of the Valley Vendor Registration is Open!

Registration is open for the 19th annual Flavors of the Valley, the Upper Valley's premier local food tasting expo. With 50+ vendors and more than 80 [...]

Get Involved With Workforce Housing In Your Town

The workforce housing shortage is a challenge that impacts everyone in the Upper Valley. Many communities are working toward solutions—and you can g [...]

Canaan Keeps FarmRaisers Alive

Kale. Carrots. Beets. Potatoes. Powerkraut®! These are just a few of the delightful local foods I've received from Root 5 Farm over the past few m [...]

Celebrating our Volunteer of the Year

Ed. note: Vital Communities Executive Director Tom Roberts made the following remarks to honor 2019 Volunteer of the Year Bill Geraghty at our Ope [...]

Support TLC Campaigns Now!

Invest in your community and contribute to campaigns today! Visit the TLC Upper Valley campaign page The Local Crowd (TLC) Upper Valley is a communi [...]

Join Us: Open House December 6!

Our annual Open House is one of our favorite events of the year—a chance to catch up with old friends of Vital Communities, make welcome new con [...]

Calendar

	April 2020
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
			1	2	3	4
5 Climate and Community Webinar: Lessons from the Soil #2 Climate and Community Webinar: Lessons from the Soil #2 Starts: 7:30 pm Ends: April 5, 2020 - 10:00 pm Description: Historical Landscape: Learning from the Past Take a deep dive into the history of the Upper Valley to understand its watersheds, landscapes, climates, and inhabitants – and how they affect each other. Use the lessons of the past to envision a just future. Free and open to all. https://vitalcommunities.org/valleyfoodfarm/climate-and-community-resilience-lessons-from-the-soil/ More details... •	6	7	8 LUV Transportation Day - Online LUV Transportation Day - Online Starts: 11:00 am Ends: April 8, 2020 - 9:15 pm More details... Leadership Upper Valley - Transportation & Livable Communities Day Leadership Upper Valley - Transportation & Livable Communities Day Starts: 12:00 am Ends: April 8, 2020 - 11:59 pm Description: This is a Vital Communities Leadership Upper Valley Class of 2020 event. If you'd like to learn more or apply for next year's LUV Class, please contact Rob Schultz at rob@vitalcommunities.org or visit vitalcommunities.org/leadershipuppervalley. LUV alumni are welcome at current year classes with advanced notice. Please contact Rob for details. More details... • •	9	10	11
12	13 Climate and Community Resilience Webinar: Lessons from the Soil #3 Climate and Community Resilience Webinar: Lessons from the Soil #3 Starts: 9:30 pm Ends: April 14, 2020 - 12:00 am Description: Here and Now: Human Impacts The world today has been shaped by human decisions to rearrange Earth’s systems. Learn about how and why the world exists in its current unstable state and explore possibilities to make better decisions in the future. Free and open to all. https://vitalcommunities.org/valleyfoodfarm/climate-and-community-resilience-lessons-from-the-soil/ More details... •	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23 UVTMA Monthly Meeting - REMOTE UVTMA Monthly Meeting - REMOTE Starts: 8:00 pm Ends: April 23, 2020 - 9:30 pm Location: By video conference Description: This is the meeting of the Upper Valley Transportation Management Association. For spring 2020 and until further notice, meetings will be held remotely. Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/271593187 Meeting ID: 271 593 187 One tap mobile +19294362866,,271593187# US (New York) +13126266799,,271593187# US (Chicago) Dial by your location +1 929 436 2866 US (New York) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 301 715 8592 US +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US Meeting ID: 271 593 187 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adi4QNnzvZ More details... •	24	25 Guided Valley Quest: Hurricane Town Forest Guided Valley Quest: Hurricane Town Forest Starts: 5:00 pm Ends: April 25, 2020 - 7:00 pm Location: Hurricane Town Forest, Hartford, VT, USA Description: Join Vital Communities’ Valley Quest Coordinators Beth Roy & Sandy Gmur along with Kevin Tolan, Vermont Center for Ecostudies' Vernal Pool Monitor Coordinator, on a guided exploration of a vernal pool in the Hurricane Town Forest of Hartford. The Sally Salamander Meander will take us on a moderate hike to celebrate spring and all that comes to life at this time of year. This is a great opportunity to complete one of the Quests for the 2020 Super Quest and start the Questing season with an adventure! This guided Quest is appropriate for families and adults, all are welcome. REGISTER: https://hartfordvt.myrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=29865 More details... •
26 Climate and Community Resilience Webinar: Lessons from the Soil #4 Climate and Community Resilience Webinar: Lessons from the Soil #4 Starts: 7:30 pm Ends: April 26, 2020 - 10:00 pm Description: Systems Collapse: Climate and Ecological Crisis The environment is destabilizing, along with societies, economies, and cultures. Understand the collapse through various lenses to explore adaptation and avoid false solutions. Free and open to all. https://vitalcommunities.org/valleyfoodfarm/climate-and-community-resilience-lessons-from-the-soil/ More details... •	27	28	29	30 Business Leaders VIRTUAL Housing Breakfast - Spring 2020 Business Leaders VIRTUAL Housing Breakfast - Spring 2020 Starts: 11:30 am Ends: April 30, 2020 - 1:00 pm Location: Virtual event - details to follow Description: Business Leaders Housing Breakfast - Spring 2020 Thursday, April 30, 7:30 to 9 am. We are a resilient and flexible region! COVID19 precautions have made this a virtual event. Details to follow. Our topic this spring is housing solutions that are being implemented around the Upper Valley. We will hear from people leading efforts in Claremont, Bradford, the Mount Ascutney Hospital 13-town service area, Lebanon, and the four-town group of Sharon, Strafford, Royalton, and Tunbridge. We'll apply what we learn in small-group discussions of action steps employers and employees can take to expand the impact or replicate the projects presented. Please register here. More details... •

Vital Communities Program News

What's Happening

Calendar

April 2020