Cavendish Update 9/27/19: Save Energy & Money/News/Events
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9/27/19 Cavendish Update
1. Reducing Greenhouse Gases Locally Saves Money
2. Cavendish Related news
3. Events
1. REDUCING GREENHOUSE GASES LOCALLY: Leaders from 200 countries attended the United Nations special summit on climate change Monday to work on reducing global greenhouse gas emission and global warming. In accordance with “climate week,” we have been posting to the Cavendish VT Facebook page various ways you can locally reduce greenhouse gases and save money in the process.
Reduce, reuse and recycle. The Cavendish Transfer Station offers free zero sort recycling and composting, Black River Good Neighbors offers both a thrift store as well as a used furniture store in Ludlow as well as twice yearly rummage sales.
Replace your Light Bulbs & Buy Energy Efficient Products: Efficiency Vermont helps all Vermonters live better while spending less. They provide a variety of rebates for lighting, heating, cooling, insulating, ventilation; renewable energy; appliances; electronics and more.
Calculate Your Home’s Energy Efficiency/Audit: Once you have calculated your efficiency, using the Efficiency Estimator, Efficiency Vermont can provide recommendations that can help you save money. Cavendish’s Energy Committee will soon be offering a “Button Up” workshop that can help keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer, all while saving money.
Drive Wise: Less driving means fewer emissions. Walk or bike when possible. Carpool or us The Current. If you are traveling to Boston (particularly Logan) or New York, consider the Dartmouth Coach. Amtrak now has more commuting opportunities including from Greenfield, Mass, Bellows Falls or Rutland. Check out Wanderu for bus service. When you do drive, make sure your car is running efficiently. For example, keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3 percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget; it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
Is it better to shop on-line or in-person? The worst option is driving to a store, checking out the product, then ordering it on-line with fast shipping. Check out the Sierra Club’s response to that question
2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS
GMUSD Board Tables Handbook, Reviews Budget Overages: Just prior to the Sept 19 Green Mountain Unified School District (GMUSD) board meeting, a dedication of a magnolia tree to long time school board member, Dr. Eugene Bont took place in the park next to CTES. The board received training on Vermont’s Open Meeting Law and voted in, for a trial of four months, expanding the public’s ability to comment at both the beginning and end of the meeting. Once again the Employee Handbook was tabled and not approved. TRSU Finance Director Cheryl Hammond went over several documents with the board. Special education actual budget was over by $644,174.30, resulting in the TRSU assessment being over by $212,503. There were also issues with food services as well as unbudgeted items. Board member Michael Studin discussed a survey he is writing to assess the climate of the school district as well as determine what’s important to stakeholders. The survey will be made available in multiple formats. For more reporting on the board meeting see reports from The Chester Telegraph and the Vermont Journal
TRSU dedicates magnolia tree to Dr. Gene Bont’s memory: Family and friends of Dr. Gene Bont, along with Two Rivers Supervisory Union administrators and School Board members, gathered at the Cavendish Town Elementary School Thursday, Sept. 19 for the TRSU dedication of a newly planted magnolia tree to honor Dr. Bont who passed away earlier this year. The tree has been placed next to a bench that was previously dedicated by CTES school board to honor Dr. Bont after he retired from the board in 2018 after almost five decades of service. VT Journal
Unclaimed Property: Each year, in conjunction with the Champlain Fair, the state reminds Vermonters they may have unclaimed cash. A search of the state's website shows that a number of Cavendish residents have unclaimed property. The average return is about $200.
Vermont Timber Works destroyed in massive blaze: A n early fire that destroyed the Vermont Timber Works factory in North Springfield Saturday was caused by spontaneous combustion of waste materials in a dumpster, fire investigators said. Chester Telegraph
Consolidated improved repair times for service outages. But officials still aren’t satisfied: Since the state opened an investigation into Consolidated Communications last year, after receiving reports that the internet and phone provider was taking days to restore downed service, the company’s performance has improved dramatically. But state officials say they’re still not satisfied with Consolidated, and that the company — the largest landline provider in the state — is still failing to repair outages and other issues in a timely fashion. VT Digger
Volunteer for SEVCA’s free tax assistance program: Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA) and Granite United Way of NH are partnering to offer the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program in upper Windham County and Windsor County, VT. VITA helps low- to moderate- income households by providing free federal and state income tax return preparation services. SEVCA is now recruiting volunteers for the upcoming 2019 tax filing season. To learn how you can make a difference in your community by becoming a VITA volunteer please contact Leslie Wood at (802) 722-4575, ext. 199 or lwood@sevca.org. Please put VITA VOLUNTEER in the subject line of your email.
VT’s Citizens Assistance Registry for Emergencies (CARE) Program: CARE was created to help seniors, those with disabilities or with other issues in times of prolonged emergencies (e.g. ice storms, floods, fires etc.) or who need an emergency evacuation. CARE’s key partners are the United Ways of Vermont, Vermont 211, Vermont 911, and Vermont Emergency Management. These agencies have worked together to provide a means for emergency responders to identify and aid CARE registrants in the event of a wide-scale emergency. You can register on line or by mail. Download the registration form and mail to Vermont 211, PO Box 111, Essex Junction, VT 05453
3. EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 27 (FRIDAY): Living with Lyme Disease talk, 6:30 pm at Gethsemane Church, 89 Depot St. Rebecca Zellis, the founder of www.vtlyme.org, will lead a roundtable discussion on living with Lyme disease. FMI: Robin 226-7736
OCTOBER 6 (SUNDAY): Paint & Munch benefit at the Cavendish Library. $35 per person. Only 20 seats available so register early. Menu includes: Sweet potato guacamole bites; Apple, Cheese and Cracker Board; Pumpkin Pie cupcakes; Chocolate/peanut butter snack mix; Goat Cheese pesto tartlets; Cranberry Meatballs; Roasted Veggie Platter cider, soda, tea, coffee and water. FMI: 226-7503
For information on upcoming events, go to the Cavendish Connects Calendar. For area events, check the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce calendar.