JOIN US THIS SATURDAY FOR THESE WORKSHOPS!
A Tale of Two Bridges
10:00-11:00 in Room 100
Jim Gish, the Town of Middlebury’s Community Liaison for the upcoming Merchants Row and Main Street bridges replacement project, will provide an overview of the project’s goals and timeline, its expected impact on our downtown, and the activities taking place to ensure the vitality of our town during the two-year construction.

How Walkable Is Your Town?
11:30-12:30 in Room 100
We will look at ways to measure walkability, focusing on the network of streets, and examples of connected and disconnected networks.

Transformative Transportation – Engaging, Active & Sensible Mobility for All
1:00-2:00 in Room 100
Join this interactive workshop and demo showcasing cutting-edge developments in transportation options for Vermonters and a connection to healthier lifestyle alternatives.

Energy Independent Vermont Messaging and Skill Workshop
10:00-11:00 in Room 101
We know the vast majority of Vermonters support climate action, reducing fossil fuel usage, and policies that encourage energy independence. However, to those unfamiliar with the concept, a carbon pollution tax can be met with some doubt. That doubt evaporates when people understand that our campaign shares many of their goals and concerns. As activists, the way we introduce this concept is critically important to building the support we need to be successful.

Solar PV and the Financial Case for the Ownership Model
11:30-12:30 in Room 101
We will outline the ways owning solar gives you the best long-term return on your investment, explaining the benefits of the Federal Tax Credit, Renewable Energy Credits, and net metering rate premium.

Hydrogen, The Next Wave of the Clean Energy Evolution
1:00-2:00 in Room 101
This workshop provides a general understanding of hydrogen technology currently available and in production today, and gives examples of specific applications - residential, commercial and utility scale.

What Are My Solar Options?
2:30-3:30 in Room 101
This workshop will be a broad discussion of how solar works in Vermont.

Recycling 101: Myths and Facts; Learn Why, What, and How to Recycle
1:00-2:00 in Room 105
We do it every day. Recycling is part of our lives now, but do you really know what you’re doing? What goes in your recycling bin and how do you prepare it? Is recycling even worth it? What happens to it all when it leaves your driveway? Why is it that some things still can’t be recycled? What are the challenges with managing our waste today?

Getting Off Of Fossil Fuels with the Zero Energy Now! Program
10:00-11:00 and 2:30-3:30 (repeated), in Room 105
The new Zero Energy Now! (ZEN!) program will enable Vermonters to bundle renewable energy and energy efficiency together to achieve more than 50% guaranteed energy savings. ZEN! provides up to $5,000 worth of incentives (in addition to other incentives) to help install heat pumps, biomass and renewable electric generation, and is available through 2016.

Qualitative Sustainability – Why Design Matters
11:30-12:30 in Room 105
Much of the conversation surrounding sustainability centers on the technical aspects of building. In this session, three young designers from Vermont Integrated Architecture (VIA) will discuss why beauty, delight, and contextual sensitivity remain critical aspects of sustainable design, and how they approach these issues in their daily work.

Herbalism: Growing, Harvesting and Making Plant Medicines
10:00-11:00 in Room 106
Learn about some of our most potent and abundant local plant allies, from garden propagation and sustainable wild harvesting, to the creation of infused oils, salves, tinctures and herbal teas.

Simplify Your Life By Conquering Your Clutter
11:30-12:30 in Room 106
Thisworkshop will provide de-cluttering principles that help anyone who is ready to climb out from under the “stuff” that gets in the way of living. It might just change your life!

Supporting Balance in the Midst of Stress
1:00-2:00 in Room 106
This workshop will cover the basics of stress response, how adaptogens work, and how they can benefit us. Eleven adaptogenic plants that we can grow in our Vermont gardens and woods will be introduced and some will be tasted!

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
2:30-3:30 in Room 106
We will be exploring beginner styles of mindfulness to incorporate into our every day life as an integrative, mind-body approach that helps people relate effectively to their experiences.

What’s New in Socially Responsible Investing?
2:30-3:30 in Room 100
This workshop will offer a solid understanding of the core practices and tenants of SRI, how to get started or refine SRI investments, how to choose an SRI firm, and an explanation of the many new SRI trends and products, such as ETFs, local and impact investments, fossil fuel divestment, green bonds, women’s investment funds, and more.