Draft Winooski River Basin Water Quality Management Plan ready for review

A series of public comment meetings will be held in February and March to gather comments on the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources’ Draft Basin 8 Water Quality Management Plan covering the Winooski River watershed.

The public is invited to attend the meetings, hear a presentation on the plan and offer their comments and suggestions.
Meetings will take place from 7:00 – 8:30 pm in the following locations:

February 22th
Fish and Wildlife Building
ANR Regional Office
111 West Street
Essex Junction, VT

March 8th
City Council Chambers
Montpelier City Hall
39 Main St.
Montpelier, VT

Copies of the plan may be obtained on-line at http://www.vtwaterquality.org/ or by requesting a copy from the number below. The public comment period runs until March 23, 2012. Comments received by this date will be addressed in a responsiveness summary.

For further information or to submit comments please contact:
Karen Bates
Vermont Dept. of Environmental Conservation
Watershed Management Division
111 West Street
Essex Junction, Vt. 05452
(802) 879-2339
karen.bates@state.vt.us

Vermont Communities in a Digital Age

Thursday, February 16th; 9am - 4:30pm
Vermont Technical College, Randolph Vermont
Visit http://www.evermontworkshop.org/ for links to more information and registration.

Join community leaders from around the state to share ideas and learn how online tools are being used to create jobs, reinvent schools, attract visitors, improve civic involvement, and enliven Vermont communities. The workshop is sponsored by the e-Vermont Community Broadband Project.

Anne Galloway of VtDigger.org will be the keynote speaker. Session topics include mobilizing community resources for emergencies, a hands-on lab exploring online tools for business, a showcase of how technology is expanding the classroom for 4-6th graders, a look at conducting town meetings in the digital age, and ways to increase public Internet access in your town (and why).

Registration is $20 and includes course offerings, refreshments, lunch and the chance to win a Kindle reader and other prizes in our raffle drawing.

For more information about the day go to http://www.evermontworkshop.org/. Pre-register online, by phone 802-859-3090, or by e-mail joanna@snellingcenter.org.

e-Vermont partner The Snelling Center for Government is the lead organizer for Vermont Communities in a Digital Age.

You can follow e-Vermont on Facebook and Twitter. Check out http://www.e4vt.org/ for more resources from e-Vermont.

CVRPC Newsletter

The January 2012 newsletter is ready and posted for reading.  The articles in this issue include.

Hazard Mitigation Grants Available
Municipal Planning Grants Awarded
Town River Debris Survey
Moving Forward After Irene
Community Recovery Partnership
Front Porch Forum

Click here to download a copy of the newsletter.

Please provide us with your comments.

Broadband Survey - please participate!

Hello and thank you for agreeing to share your thoughts about broadband access in Central Vermont. Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission and a group of volunteers representing a wide range of business sectors are working to develop a regional technology plan.

For the purposes of this survey, we are interested in how broadband is currently used in your profession AND how universal broadband in Vermont could enhance your professional, personal and community life. The survey responses will be used to help inform a strategic plan that identifies needs and opportunities related to new technologies, provide strategies to drive adoption of broadband, identifies key partnerships that will benefit from coordinated use of information technology (such as gov't services, education, health care, business, etc.) and encourages innovation among those key partnerships.

Broadband is the term used to describe high speed iternet Access. To learn more about broadband in your area, please go to www.broadbandvt.org.

Please click here to take the survey. Thank you!
 
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/690370/Central-Vermont-Regional-Broadband-Survey

Button Up Workshop

BUTTON UP WORKSHOP TO BE HELD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011 AT 7PM

BARRE ENERGY ACTION RESOURCE GROUP PRESENTS

ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR HOMEOWNERS

 

(Barre VT—11/2/2011)— Are you worried about heating costs for this winter?  Do you want to save money AND make your home more comfortable for the cold weather?  Please join BEAR (Barre Energy Action Resource) group for a free Button Up Vermont workshop on November 16, 2011 at the Barre Town Offices 149 Westerville Road, Barre, VT from 7-9 PM. Button Up Vermont is an informational session designed to help Vermonters learn the basics of building science and how to improve energy efficiency in their homes.

The free workshop was originally developed in 2008 by Central Vermont Community Action Council and is offered this year in partnership with Efficiency Vermont. It includes an overview of why building efficiency is so important here in Vermont, illustrates how homes lose energy,  and outlines clear steps that homeowners can take to address this energy loss. A Building Performance Institute-certified contractor is the main presenter and questions are encouraged.

Bob Somaini, proprietor of the East Barre Antique Mall, said, “Anybody who cares about the environment and energy consumption will find little things you can do to save energy.  For answers as to how, go to the Button Up workshop. It’s free,” he added.

Owners of homes and businesses in Barre and the surrounding area are invited to attend the two-hour session to learn about actions they can take to lower energy bills and make their homes and businesses more comfortable and affordable.

“We’re offering this workshop in Barre because with rising heating costs, everyone needs to be thinking about ways to make their homes more efficient,” said Elaine Wang – BEAR Co-Chair. “We hope that by sharing this information, we can help our residents be more comfortable in their homes and get more control of their heating expenses.”

Button Up Vermont workshops are being offered in communities around the state this fall and winter. To find a workshop, or to find information about hosting one in your community, visit buttonupvt.com.

We hope to see you on Wednesday November 16^th at 7PM for this useful, money saving workshop.

####

About Barre Energy Action Resource group (BEAR)

The Barre Energy Action Resource group is a newly formed ad-hoc group of Barre Town and Barre City residents.  BEAR’s focus is to promoting energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources and to engage the community in reducing carbon emissions in Barre Town, Barre City and the surrounding area. For more information about upcoming events or to join the group, send an email to BarreEnergyActionResource@gmail.com 

About Central Vermont Community Action
Founded in 1965, Central Vermont Community Action Council helps people achieve economic sufficiency with dignity through individual and family development. CVCAC is part of the nationwide network of Community Action Agencies; a 501(c)3 nonprofit agency and a Community Development Corporation. The Weatherization Program has been operating since 1978, and has weatherized over 10,000 homes at no cost to the residents. www.cvcac.org

About Efficiency Vermont

Efficiency Vermont was created by the Vermont Legislature and the Vermont Public Service Board to help all Vermonters reduce energy costs, strengthen the economy, and protect Vermont's environment. Efficiency Vermont is currently operated by Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC), an independent organization under appointment to the Vermont Public Service Board. VEIC is a Vermont-based nonprofit organization founded in 1986. For more information, contact Efficiency Vermont at 888-921-5990 or visit www.efficiencyvermont.com.

VECAN Annual Conference is December 3rd!

~~Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network ~~

Invites you to

REGISTER NOW FOR VECAN'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON DECEMBER 3rd!

The Vermont Community Energy and Climate Action Conference will be held on Saturday December 3rd, from 9:00 am- 4:00 pm, at the Lake Morey Inn in Fairlee, Vermont.  Register for the conference HERE. 

Organized by VECAN and the UVM Extension Service, this daylong conference is for town energy committees, municipal officials,   local and regional planners,   Conservation Commissioners,    Selectboard and City council members,   Town public works staff ,    Environmental business professionals,     State government officials,  Academics,     Professional and Citizen planners   and  Concerned Citizens…

who are all interested in reducing energy costs and tackling climate change. *

• The goal for the day is to provide strategies communities can implement to reduce energy costs and reduce the damaging greenhouse gasses released into the environment. Participants will gain an increased understanding of a wide range of local opportunities for tackling energy and climate change. We invite you to take this opportunity to share your successes, challenges, and opportunities for addressing community energy and climate action with others in similar situations

·         This year’s conference  will open with Commissioner Elizabeth Miller with the Vermont Department of Public Service Commissioner and Secretary Deborah Markowitz with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. Commissioner Miller will talk about the new State Energy Plan and what it means for communities, and Secretary Markowitz will discuss the work of the State’s Climate Cabinet. 

• The conference’s Key Note is environmental activist, actor, and writer Kathryn Blume who will talk about how one individual can make a difference in affecting climate change. 

The day will include 14 different workshops focused on promoting efficiency and renewable energy at the local level, along with a number of different roundtable discussions topics designed to promote dialogue.  For more information, contact: Jessie Schmidt, UVM Extension at 866-860-1382 extension 203 or by e-mail.

Concurrent Workshop Session A

A1. The Smart Grid is Coming.

A2. Climate Adaptation and Your Community.

A3. Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) for Vermont.

A4. Going Solar..

A5. Working with Small Businesses to Save Energy.

A6. Promoting Real Transportation Alternatives—Effective Partnerships Making the Difference.

A7. Rooted in Community – Local Food Solutions.

Concurrent Workshop Session B

B1. Financing Options for Schools and Municipalities.

B2. Community-Supported Renewable Energy Projects.

B3. State Energy Policy and Your Community.

B4. Local Energy Projects in Vermont: A Smorgasbord of Opportunities.

B5. Action-Oriented Energy Planning Tools.

B6. Working with Local Officials and Engaging Your Community.

B7. Stimulating Significant Efficiency Improvements in Your Community.

Concurrent Roundtable Discussions

􀀀 R1. Ensuring the Sustainable and Environmentally-Sound Use of Vermont’s Biomass Resources

􀀀 R2. Ensuring the Sustainable and Environmentally-Sound Use of Vermont’s Wind Resources

􀀀 R3. Getting Your Community Involved in the Smart Grid.

􀀀 R4. Grassroots Efforts and Climate Change: Affecting Climate Policy at the State and National Level.

􀀀 R5. Community Energy Programs and Efficiency Vermont

􀀀 R6. Sustaining and Mobilizing the Volunteer Base in Your Community.

􀀀 R7 Making a Real Impact on Transportation Use in Your Community

􀀀 R8. Disaster Response, Energy, and Your Community

http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1010106

Woodbury, Fayston Berlin, and Warren Mitigation Plans

The Woodbury, Fayston, Berlin and Warren Local Mitigation Plan drafts are available to review for public comments. If you would like to review and submit comments, please contact Jen at mojo@cvregion.com or 802-229-0389 for a copy of the draft plan.