For more  information or to reserve your seat contact VEI at 802-333-3664 or vei@valley.net or The Nature Conservancy at 802-229-4425 or see www.nature.org/vermont.

Joanna Macy at Dartmouth College:  "The Great Turning"
September 27th, 7:30 p.m. - Filene Auditorium on the Dartmouth College Campus, Hanover, NH
Ms. Macy will discuss the concept she has developed for "the shift from the Industrial Growth Society to a life-sustaining civilization." This talk is free and open to the public.  Co-sponsored by Vermont Earth Institute and Sustainable Dartmouth.  Contact VEI for more information:   802-333-3664, or www.vtearthinstitute.org

At the conference you will:

    • Learn the latest information on Peak Oil and how it will affect our economy and our lives.

    • Discover the limitations of the proposed energy alternatives and how many could speed up global climate change.

    • Hear about solutions for food and farming, housing and transportation.

    • Explore the concepts of relocalization, sustainability, agrarianism, and more.

    • Strategize with fellow Peak Oil activists, academics and community organizers in the largest gathering of the Peak Oil movement in the country.

    • Become a part of this consortium of people involved in environmental action, social justice, voluntary simplicity, renewable energy, appropriate technologies, green building, climate change awareness, sustainability, relocalization, intentional community, perma-culture, and other movements, who find Peak Oil a bridging global event.

For more information:  http://www.communitysolution.org/

PORTLAND (OREGON) TAKES THE LEAD ON PEAK OIL   
(From Energy Bulletin):  In the US, it is politically unthinkable for a government confronted by Iraq, Hezbollah, Iran, global warming, and numerous other woes to openly acknowledge peak oil and all that it implies. From time to time, they have dropped hints — "Energy Independence," "Advanced Energy Initiative," need to drill more, "addicted to oil" — but the administration has yet to openly acknowledge that one of the greatest crises the country has ever known is just over the horizon.

This total abrogation of responsibility by the federal government has led to a handful of local governments to start considering action on their own to prepare for what is sure to come. The furthest along is Portland, Oregon. In May, the City Council passed a resolution establishing a peak oil task force "to assess Portland 's exposure to diminishing supplies of oil and natural gas and make recommendations to address vulnerabilities."  READ MORE

The recent rejection of the East Haven Wind project in the Northeast Kingdom by the Vermont Public Service Board and the more recent negative preliminary finding by the Vermont Department of Public Service regarding the proposed 20-turbine wind farm in Sheffield are the latest in a series of setbacks for the wind power sector in Vermont that has put the brakes on most large-scale proposals in the state. This might be a good time for the renewable energy community in general (and the wind power sector in particular) to step back and consider another option.

This other option, that falls in between the large-scale commercial wind farm and the small-scale backyard wind turbine, has been described as “The Third Way.” This middle strategy, also referred to as Community Supported Wind, relies on somewhat smaller scale projects that are developed, sited, and owned by members of the local community rather than out-of-state corporate entities. Community Supported Wind could fill a huge gap in Vermont’s present wind power sector. And this approach is not limited to wind power, but can be applied to virtually any type of local renewable energy project such as solar panels, biogas digesters, a variety of biofuels, and small-scale hydro.

When applied to a wide variety of renewable energy technologies, this strategy is known as Community Supported Energy (CSE). CSE projects are somewhat similar to Community Supported Agriculture. The main difference, however, is that instead of investing in potatoes, carrots, or cucumbers, with CSE, local residents invest in energy projects that provide greater energy security and a wide variety of other benefits.

Many Advantages

A cooperative or community owned energy project offers many advantages. It stimulates the local economy by creating new jobs and new business opportunities for the community while simultaneously expanding the tax base and generating new income for local residents. A locally owned energy project also generates support from the community by getting people directly involved.

Another advantage of community energy projects is that they can be owned cooperatively or collectively through a variety of legal mechanisms. Ownership strategies can include limited liability corporations (LLCs), cooperatives, school districts, municipal utilities, or combinations of these models. Sometimes a partnership with an existing utility can be mutually beneficial. The appropriate model varies from project to project and from state to state, depending on a wide range of variables. What these strategies all have in

The main point is to identify the project as belonging to the community, which may avoid (or at least minimize) the usual conflicts between local residents and developers, whose large-scale, commercial proposals are often viewed as primarily benefiting absentee owners. Local ownership is the key ingredient that transforms what would otherwise be just another corporate energy project into an engine for local economic development and greater energy security.

Community Supported Energy projects offer yet another advantage; they retain a greater amount of income in the local area and increase the economic benefits substantially over projects owned by out-of-area developers, according to a study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL compared the effect of a large corporate wind farm owned out of area with a similar project owned locally. The study found local ownership yields an average of $4 million in local income annually, over three times more than the $1.3 million produced with out-of-area control, while job creation was more than twice as large in the local model.

A European Model

With benefits like these, why aren’t there more CSE projects? For one thing it’s a relatively new concept in this country, although it’s a well-established strategy in many European nations. In Denmark and Germany—world leaders in wind energy development—many commercial-scale wind turbines are installed as single units or in small clusters distributed across the countryside, or sometimes in or near urban areas. And many of these turbines are either owned by the farmers on whose land the turbine stands, or by groups of local residents. This idea has spread to many other EU nations as well and is beginning to catch on in North America, especially in states like Minnesota and Iowa, where dozens of community owned wind farms are sprouting up like mushrooms after a spring rain.

The main barrier to wide-scale implementation of Community Supported Energy in Vermont is a regulatory environment and process that does virtually nothing to encourage these types of projects. For the most part, CSE isn’t even on the radar screen of most regulators, and the typical high cost of the approval process (often $100,000 to $500,000 or more) halts most community based initiatives before they even get started. This situation needs to change, and it needs to change soon, because all viable forms of renewable energy, regardless of their size, need to be supported and encouraged if we are going to meet the substantial energy challenges of the next few decades.

One of the best regulatory models in North America at the present time is the new Standard Offer Contracts in Ontario. Announced earlier this year, the new Standard Offer Contracts (Advanced Renewable Tariffs) are an historic step towards a sustainable energy future. Standard Offer Contracts allow homeowners, landowners, farmers, co-operatives, schools, First Nations, municipalities and others to install renewable energy projects up to 10 megawatts in size and to sell the power to the grid for a fixed price for 20 years. The Ontario Standard Offer Contracts provide a powerful model that other Provinces and States (especially Vermont) should consider when developing their own renewable energy laws and regulations.

CSE in Vermont

Vermonters currently spend over $1 billion to heat and light their homes and businesses. If just 5 percent more of the state’s energy needs could be met at the community level, it would keep $50 million circulating in the local economy, rather than flowing mainly out of state as it presently does.

In Addison County, a new community based-group, the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACoRN) is actively engaged in developing or supporting a number of CSE projects. Several other community groups in other parts of the state are considering similar projects as well. But in order for these initiatives to succeed, the regulatory environment needs to be streamlined for smaller projects, group net metering needs to be expanded further, and some changes to the state’s Cooperative laws also need to be made by the legislature. In addition, a comprehensive set of financial, contracting and permitting incentives directed towards community projects need to be developed and implemented by the state.

Community Supported Energy is an idea whose time has definitely arrived, and I am convinced that if this strategy were to be adopted across the state that it could fundamentally alter the entire debate about most renewable energy proposals. Almost every city and town in Vermont has the potential for one or more Community Supported Energy projects. Perhaps you can get one started in your community.

(Greg Pahl is a Weybridge writer and a founding member of the Addison County Relocalization Network (www.acornvt.org). His next book: The Energy Survival Plan: Personal and Community Solutions for a Post-Oil World, will be published in January. Its main focus is on Community Supported Energy.)

1.     Define opportunities for advancing in-state energy and fuel development

2.     Build starting points for the deliberations of the Vermont Rural Energy Council

3.     Bring together entrepreneurs and developers of the energy sector with policy leaders and supporters

4.     Consider policies and investments needed to expand the sector

5.     Set recommendations for VREC, Legislature and Gubernatorial consideration

The Vermont Rural Energy Council, a sub-unit of the VCRD, will study these issues during the next year and submit a report to the legislature and administration in July 2007.  The members will consider the deliberations of the attendees at the summit among other testimony.

The summit opened with a welcome by VRCD chair Barbara Grimes.  Pat Leahy followed with a rousing talk on current and future energy issues.  Bernie Sanders could not make it, but one of his staff members read portions of his prepared remarks.

Following these opening remarks, there was a panel titled “Realizing the Opportunities for Vermont Power.”  Six panelists presented prepared answers to questions offered by moderator and executive director of VRCD, Paul Costello.  The panel consisted of Dr. Alan Betts, Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering, Jim Volz, Head of the Public Service Board, Lawrence Mott, of Earth Turbines, Inc., Avram Patt, Director of Washington Electric Co-op and Beth Sachs, Director of Energy Investment Corporation (the company which has the contract for Efficiency Vermont).

After a break, the summit attendees broke into work sessions for discussions around the issues of The Current Status of Local Energy Generations and Fuel Development: Successes and Challenges Today.  The eleven work sessions were in the areas of Vermont Solar, Hydro Opportunities, Developing Utility-Scale Biomass, Farm-Based Methane, Transportation and Bio-Fuels, Waste-to-Power, Efficiency and Conservation, Co-Gen and Distributed Generations, Community and Household/Business Scale Wind Power, Creating the Vermont Green Brand Around Energy and Community Energy Planning.  Each work session considered:  1. What is the current situation, 2. What are the opportunities for the future and 3. What are the obstacles to achieving these opportunities.

After lunch, Edgar May was presented the VCRD Community Leadership Award.  Governor Douglas gave a brief offering of “Vermont’s Energy Future.”  Dan Reicher, the Director of New Energy Capital offered his thoughts on a Survey of Best Practices and Strategies by States and Internationally which presented some alternative to the comments of Governor Douglas.

The work sessions reconvened to produce a report.  The reports of each session were presented by the facilitators of each session.  After this, Lt. Governor Dubie offered some comments during which he acknowledged his differences with the governor around the issue of wind turbines on Vermont’s ridgelines.

The summit was a stimulating experience, and some of us got an opportunity to inject our concerns about peak oil into the discussions and reports.  The Vermont Rural Energy Council will now meet monthly in closed sessions to consider separate issues in each session.  Those interested in learning more of the work of VCRD can visit their web site at www.vtrural.com.  The report of VREC will appear on the web site also.

THREE MORE VERMONT BUSINESSES POWERED BY COWS
from Steve Costello, CVPSCVPS

Cow Power™ is the nation’s only manure-based renewable energy program linking consumers and farmers.  CVPS customers can choose to receive all, half or a quarter of their electrical energy through Cow Power, and pay a premium of 4 cents per kilowatt hour, which goes to participating farm-producers, to purchase renewable energy credits when enough farm energy isn’t available, or to the CVPS Renewable Development Fund.  The fund provides grants to farm owners to develop on-farm generation. Farm-producers are also paid 95 percent of the market price for the energy sold to CVPS.

The program was designed to help farmers improve manure management while providing new financial opportunities to Vermont dairy producers.  Manure and other farm waste are held in a sealed concrete tank at the same temperature as a cow’s stomach, 101 degrees. Bacteria digest the volatile components, creating methane and killing pathogens and weed seeds.  The methane, which is roughly 20 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere, fuels an engine/generator (ed note:  instead of leaking into the atmosphere as happens in manure pits that are not tapped for energy...).

Blue Spruce Farm in Bridport was the first CVPS Cow Power™ producer, starting in January 2005.  Four other farms in are in the process of developing generators and are expected on-line late this year or early in 2007.  The four farms, which received grants totaling more than $660,000 from the CVPS Renewable Development Fund to help get them started, include:

    * Green Mountain Dairy Farm in Sheldon, owned by Brian and Bill Rowell;
    * Montagne Farms in St. Albans, two farms owned by Dave Montagne;
    * Newmont Farms LLC in Fairlee, owned by Walter and Margaret Gladstone; and
    * Deer Flats Farm in West Pawlet, owned by Dick and Rich Hulett.

Here is news of three businesses in Vermont who have made the switch to Cow Power.  Interesting to note the environmental impact, re: how much carbon they are said to be removing from the atmosphere by having their electricity produced by the cows.

Newbury Village Store joins CVPS Cow Power™
NEWBURY – It’s been serving customers since 1840 and has a look straight out of an historic New England postcard, but the Newbury Village Store has moved to the cutting edge of renewable energy.  Owners Maggie and Gary Hatch recently signed the store up for CVPS Cow Power™, buying half their electricity through the nation’s first cow-to-consumer renewable electricity program.

“The whole philosophy of our store is to make our community a better place to live, and to do the right thing,” Maggie Hatch says by way of explanation.  “Given the environmental challenges we face and our hopes for the future, Cow Power is the perfect fit.   We want to do what we can to make the Earth a better place for our kids.”

The Newbury Village store consumed over 100,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity last year, making it the largest Cow Power customer in the Northeast Kingdom.  Cow Power produced to serve half the store’s load is expected to have an environmental impact equivalent to removing 146 metric tons of CO2 from the air annually.  That’s akin to removing 31 cars (burning 16,500 gallons of gasoline) from the highway.

The impressive Greek Revival Newbury Village Store is at the center of the town of 2,000 people, adjacent to the Post Office, the local school and a church, right across from the town green.  The Hatches plan to promote CVPS Cow Power with interior signage.

“The store really is a focal point for the community, and we see our enrollment in CVPS Cow Power™ as a logical step in supporting community in the larger sense,” Gary Hatch said.  “Through our participation, we want to support renewable energy, the environment and farming, and encourage others to enroll.”   

Hawkins House Craftmarket runs on CVPS Cow Power™
BENNINGTON – One of Vermont’s largest handcrafted jewelry retailers is also one of southern Vermont’s largest Cow Power supporters.  Hawkins House Craftmarket, a Bennington mainstay since 1977, has built its business on quality, a trait owners Elizabeth Ganger and her husband Jonah Spivak say relates to Cow Power.

“Cow Power is improving the quality of our environment, the quality of life for farms that participate, and the quality of our energy supply,” Spivak said.  “For a small business, controlling costs is always a top priority, but we see our enrollment in CVPS Cow Power™ as an investment in Vermont.”

Hawkins House Craftmarket, which consumed more than 64,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity last year, is enrolled to receive 25 percent of its energy through CVPS Cow Power™.  Cow Power produced to serve a quarter of the store’s load is expected to have an environmental impact equivalent to removing approximately 40 metric tons of CO2 from the air annually.  That’s akin to 33 acres of pine forest storing carbon for a year.

“I’m proud of our participation, and proud of what it means to the environment,” Ganger said.  “By enrolling in Cow Power, we are making a specific, direct contribution to improving air quality, reducing greenhouse emissions, and supporting Vermont’s farm economy.”

Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont runs on CVPS Cow Power™
MIDDLEBURY – Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont, which has been dressing men for success since 1993, is now wearing its support for farmers and the environment on its sleeve.
The Middlebury company, which sells thousands of bow ties to aficionados around the world, has signed up its manufacturing plant for 25 percent CVPS Cow Power™.

“We’ve always manufactured our products right here in Middlebury, and we try to rely on local providers for goods and services whenever possible,” Beau Ties cofounder Bill Kenerson said.  “Vermont means so much to my family and the company.  We see our support for CVPS Cow Power™ as a way to support a state, and a way of life, that we love, while protecting the environment and improving the outlook for some of our farmers.”

Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont consumed nearly 60,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity last year.  CVPS Cow Power™  provides a quarter of the company’s load, which is expected to have an environmental impact equivalent to removing 40 metric tons of CO2 from the air annually.  That’s equivalent to 93 barrels of oil not burned or 1,000 tree seedlings growing for 10 years.  

“We have created a successful business built in part on the Vermont name, so it makes sense to help preserve Vermont’s farm culture and working landscape,” Kenerson said.