Action Alert 1/25/8

--HEMP Bill is ON THE MOVE - CALL NOW! Vote Likely to be next week!
--Upcoming Events

**HEMP FOR VERMONT! BILL ON THE MOVE**
YOUR CALLS are working! The House Agriculture Committee started "marking up" the hemp bill - after a week of testimony, this committee is convinced that Vermont farmers should be allowed to grow hemp in our state. The commtitee is working to ensure a strong bill that will be well-supported on the house floor. They plan to meet again on Tuesday to continue their work, and we hope that the bill will be voted on by the committee early next week, and then it will be on its way to the House Floor for a full vote by the Vermont House of Representatives. This is very exciting, and history in the making! You can find more info about the bill and why hemp is so great here:http://www.ruralvermont.org/hemp.html and here: www.votehemp.org. Meanwhile, WE NEED YOU to help this bill have a strong majority supporting it in the Vermont House!

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEKEND TO HELP GET THE HEMP FOR VERMONT BILL PASSED!

1) FIND OUT WHO YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES ARE. You can get this information here:
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/legdir/findmember.cfm . Make sure you are noting your REPRESENTATIVE(S) (not your senators). Then, get their home telephone number here: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/legdir/alpha.cfm?Body=H . If your Reps are not listed below, call them THIS WEEKEND - Saturday, Sunday, or Monday - at home and ask them to please SUPPORT H.267, THE HEMP FOR VERMONT BILL. Please BE POLITE when you call, and be friendly and encouraging. Most of the Reps are supporting the bill, and we just want to let them know it's a great idea.

2) WRITE SOME THANK YOU NOTES! If your Rep is on the list below, write a HAND-WRITTEN (not email!) thank you note to them for all the hard work they have been doing to get this bill passed. This list includes the House Agriculture Committee, plus a few others who helped this week to garner support from other members. If your rep is on this list, please DO NOT CALL them. Just write a really nice note and send it to them as soon as possible at the address below. Tell them why the hemp bill is important to you. You can write thank you notes to these folks even if they are not your reps, but please call your Reps first, if they are not on this list!
Here's the list:
Representative Ainsworth
Representative Bray
Representative Fisher
Representative Godin
Representative Lawrence
Representative Malcolm
Representative McNeil
Representative Nease
Representative Partridge
Representative Pearson
Representative Perry
Representative Randall
Representative Spengler
Representative Sharpe
Representative Stevens
Representative Zuckerman

Here's the address:
Rep. ___________________
Vermont Statehouse
115 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05633

3) WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR! If you have already called your Representative, please WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR of your local paper. Say why you support the Hemp for Vermont bill, and urge your neighbors to call their reps, too! You can find the contact info for your local paper here: http://www.ruralvermont.org/archives/001024.html.

4) MAKE A DONATION! Please consider making a donation to Rural Vermont's Hemp for Vermont Campaign. Your contribution will go directly to our campaign and will help us keep this bill moving to the Governor's desk. You can send a check (mark it HEMP) to Rural Vermont, 15 Barre Street, Ste. 2, Montpelier, VT 05602, or call 802-223-7222 to use your MasterCard or Visa. If you are one of the first 10 people to contribute $100, you will receive our limited edition Rural Vermont hemp-canvas tote bag, donated by Hemp Power Bag Company of Vermont (http://hemppowerbag.com/). We need your support to keep our campaign going!

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OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS
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**UPPER VALLEY FOOD CO-OP
RENEWABLE ENERGY AND LOCAL AGRICULTURE:
A PRESENTATION BY VERN GRUBINGER
OF THE NORTHEAST SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH & EDUCATION PROGRAM
AND UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT EXTENSION
WHEN: Thursday, January 31, 6 PM
WHERE: Upper Valley Food Co-op, 193 N. Main St., White River Junction, VT
FEE: Free
There's been a surge of activity around renewable energy on local farms over the past few years. This includes biogas digesters that make electricity from manure, the use of waste vegetable oil as a fuel, the production of biodiesel from oilseed crops, shell corn furnaces, wood furnaces, and small scale wind and solar. This presentation will show pictures of what farms are doing to make their own energy, and describe the economic and environmental considerations of different systems.
Please call 802-295-5804 to sign up for this free event.
Upper Valley Food Co-op is located at 193 North Main Street in White River Jct. Vermont. Look for the big red apple.

**INTRO TO HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT:
Sat(s) Feb 2 & 9; 9am - 5pm; All Together Now, 170A Cherry Tree Hill Rd., E. Montpelier. Taught by Abe Collins of the VT Grass Farmer's Association and Carbon Farmers of America. The Holistic Management framework is a conscious decision-making framework that helps us to live out our core values as we advance biological succession, strengthen our families and communities and transform solar energy, air, minerals and water into lasting wealth. Born from the successful work of Allan Savory to reverse desertification in dry environments, Holistic Management represents breakthrough thinking that will change the way you see and engage with nature. You will leave this workshop with new perspective into ecosystem functioning and the human ability to heal land in any environment. You will have the understanding you need to form a ho- listic goal and start managing holistically. Holistic Management will give you confidence that your every decision is simultaneously meeting your short and long-term needs while being simul- taneously socially, ecologically and economically sound. $150-250 sliding scale Potluck Lunch Info: 223-1242, or briant@pshift.com.

**JANUARY FILM SERIES - FOCUS ON FOOD**
The common thread of the January Film Series being sponsored by the Lamoille County Natural Resources Conservation District & Nature Center, the Lanpher Memorial Library and Rural Vermont is food: how it travels, how it is grown, who profits and who loses. This film series is a FREE event; all films begin at 6:30 pm at the Lanpher Memorial Library in Hyde Park. Win an autographed copy of Joel Salatin's Everything I Want to do is Illegal or Jessica Prentice's Full Moon Feast. Call the Lamoille County Natural Resources Conservation District for more information 888-9218x13.
*January 29th, Super Size Me

**STATEWIDE PEAK OIL ACTIVISTS RETREAT:
February 3; VT Technical College, Randolph. Peak oil activists from around the state will gather at to reflect, train, network, and discuss. The main event is a workshop by Phil Rice from the Sustainability Institute in Hartland and colleagues on "Four Capacities for Effective Leadership on Peak Oil." Info: Annie at newsletter@vtpeakoil.net.

**VTCECH will hold the 12th annual Hunger Awareness Day at the Vermont Statehouse on Thursday, February 7th, 2008. Hunger Awareness Day is an opportunity to remind our elected officials about the continuing problem of hunger in our communities. Likewise, citizens have the opportunity to thank their state legislators for their continuing support of anti-hunger initiatives. VTCECH will be showing our new film Every Child. Every Day. The Vermont Foodbank and the Vermont School Nutrition Association will also be present. Encourage your legislators to visit the display and view the film. For more information, please call our office at 802-865-0255.

**CITIZEN ACTION DAY 2008 -- ACTIVATE YOUR VALUES!
February 13, 2007
10 am - 2 pm (registration starts at 9 am)
Vermont Statehouse - Rooms 10 and 11
Rural Vermont, in conjunction with the Vermont Alliance of Conservation
Voters, the Vermont Natural Resources Council, Vermont Public Interest
Research Group, and Vermonters for a Clean Environment will be hosting
their annual grassroots lobby day at the State House. Citizen Action
Day provides a great chance to lobby your legislators in solidarity
with many other concerned citizens about the issues that matter most to
you. Don’t Miss This Chance to:
-Learn tips on how to talk with your legislators and then go do it.
-Have lunch with your legislators.
-Observe a floor debate.
-Attend a committee meeting.
No prior State House experience is needed. In the early part of the
day, organizers of the event will brief attendees on key environmental
issues and lobbying techniques prior to meeting with legislators.
Dress for indoors. Bring quarters for parking in Montpelier ($1 for 1
hour). Light morning snacks will be provided. You can buy lunch in the
statehouse for around $7-$10. For more information and to RSVP (please
let us know you're coming if you can!), visit www.vtactionday.org, or
contact Shelby at (802) 223-7222 or shelby@ruralvermont.org.

**Save the Dates! NOFA-VT 2-Day Winter Conference Announced
NOFA-VT is pleased and proud to announce we will be offering, for the first
time ever, a 2-day Winter Conference, February 16th and 17th, at the Vermont
Technical College in Randolph, Vermont. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for
more information! If you’d like to be added to our mailing list to receive a
copy of the Winter Conference brochure, please contact the office, 434-4122, or
info@nofavt.org.

**Exploring the Small Farm Dream with Beth Claypoole
Are you interested in starting a small farm business? What type of
information do you need to start? What type of farming enterprise you
would like to develop? Do you know someone who has these same questions?
If these questions sound familiar, Cornell Cooperative Extension Wayne
County, in cooperation with Wayne County Agriculture Development Board
will be presenting a 4 session workshop on February 27th, March 5th, 19th,
and April 2nd to help answer these questions. This in-depth program will
run each evening from 6-9pm at the CCE Wayne County office in Newark, NY.
Applications for participation are now available by calling 315-331-8415
or by accessing the CCE website at:
http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/wayne, search for "Small Farm Dream".
Applications are due by Monday, February 11.

**2nd Annual Northeast Animal Power Field Days
September 26 – 28, 2008
Tunbridge Fair Grounds, Tunbridge, VT
The Northeast Animal Power Field Days is a celebration of sustainable farming and renewable resources promoting conservation, stewardship, small farms, healthy forests, and the roles that they play in vital communities. This 3-day conference will feature working animal and equipment demonstrations in field and forest settings, workshops, exhibits, networking sessions, and an auction and swap meet on Sunday. Workshop topics will include grazing management, working with draft animals, livestock health, getting started with animal power and more. For more information, go to: www.animalpowerfielddays.org or contact Carl Russell and Lisa McCrory, info@animalpowerfielddays.org, 802-234-5524. Join our discussion forum; www.draftanimalpower.com .