Community Garden Scholar

Re-posting this article from Green Mountain College : May 14, 2013 The Green Mountain College board of trustees approved divestment from 200 publicly-traded companies which hold most of the world’s known coal, oil and gas reserves at its May 10 meeting. The decision aligns the college with its strategic plan "Sustainability2020,” which commits GMC to socially responsible investments. Following the decision, the college administration will work with its investment advisors to implement the plan. "We see this as another step in an ongoing effort to connect our investment decisions with our ideals,” said Paul Fonteyn, president of Green Mountain College. "Investing endowment funds on the basis of social, economic and environmental criteria is one of the ways Green Mountain College expresses its values." GMC has long been committed to reducing its own consumption of fossil fuels on campus. The College built a $5.8 million dollar biomass plant in 2011 which successfully...

Here's a wonderful little article that will put a smile on your face. (I think I'll start with #10, hit #4 this summer, and work my way up to #5 for my 10-year anniversary.) 10 Skills to Hone for a Post-Oil Future BY ANA MARIA SPAGNA Published in the May/June 2013 issue of Orion magazine 1. BLACKSMITHING To learn how to live in a post-petroleum world, recall the pre-petroleum world where blacksmiths made everything: tools, nails, hinges, lamps, hooks, gates, and railings. Wheels, even! With a barrel and some fire, a blacksmith could turn rusted car panels into cookware. Think of all the scrap metal we’ll have when the oil’s all gone. 2. KNOT TYING Find a shoelace and a copy of The Shipping News. Knots can weave rugs, fashion snowshoes, repair almost anything. A diamond hitch holds a load on a mule or a sled. A bowline to cinch a tarp, a Prusik to climb a tree. While fighting a forest fire, a friend once fixed a shovel with parachute cord, half-hitches, and pine pitch. And ...