by Jane Dwinell and Dana Dwinell-Yardley

Here we are, at the beginning of a new year. Cold Vermont Januarys are great for dreaming, so as we head into 2009, the two of us have been thinking. What will make this a great year for our state? What changes do we want to see in 2009? What are our hopes for Vermont and her people? Here are our wishes for an independent 2009.

Freedom to ride
In 2009, how about more love from state government for public transportation? More bike paths and bus routes! Commuter rail! Incentives and support for bicycling to school or work! On an individual level, we wish that every Vermonter will drive their car half as often in 2009 as they did in 2008. Yes, it is possible — even in cold, snowy, rural Vermont. Ride your bike, carpool with friends, walk, take the bus, take the train, organize your trips to town to eliminate unecessary travels, have fun closer to home. Declare independence from the four-wheeled, internal combustion, fossil-fueled conveyance our nation is so unwisely enamored of.

Freedom to feed ourselves
Vermont is already far ahead of the United States when it comes to local food and local farms — let's keep it up. We want to see more support for diversified, small farms; cooking with local ingredients as part of the basic public school curricula; less regulating and more educating for new farmers of all kinds; Vermont grocers, restaurants, and schools valuing local over organic, offering more products grown and made by their neighbors. We wish that, this year, every Vermonter will grow some of their own food — whether it's a tomato plant in a pot or two more acres of wheat — or cook twice as many meals with local ingredients. If you don't know how to cook, find a friend to learn from. Declare independence from big agribusiness and less-than-flavorful, travel-weary, processed foods.

Freedom to be financially secure
Let's keep Vermont strong in this time of economic crisis, and we don't mean spend spend spend. How about mandatory, comprehensive financial literacy for all Vermont high school graduates? More Vermonters bartering goods and services (or, in central Vermont and the Burlington area, becoming members of a Time Bank — start paying with your time instead of your money!). More benefits for part-time workers, supporting a greater, more creative diversity of work and a happier workforce. More local currencies and less credit cards. We wish that every Vermonter will get out of debt in 2009, or at least make a good plan to sever their financial chains. Declare independence from ignorance about money, from reflexive, thoughtless spending, from traditional ideas about work and credit and riches.

Freedom to power ourselves
May 2009 be a year of energy independence! We're dreaming of small-scale hydro. . . solar-powered businesses. . . wind turbines sharing space with chairlift towers. . . more incentives and resources for home energy systems. . . Vermonters having more fun with less electricity. . . a state weaning itself of a dangerous nuclear-powered grid. We wish that every Vermonter with the financial means to do so will put solar panels on their roof this year(for hot water and/or electricity), and that all of us will find ways to reduce our electric bills by at least 10 percent in 2009. Declare independence from non-renewable, dangerous, polluting energy sources and the power-guzzling American culture of home life.

Freedom to live the good life
What we truly want for the people of our Green Mountains, what all four of our other wishes are really about, is a better, happier life, one more independent and self-sufficient, yet more connected to each other. We wish for more freethinkers. We wish for more independent, non-traditional, creative education — more homeschoolers and unschoolers, more hands-on learning, more support for young people who choose not to go to college, more inexpensive opportunities for people of all ages to learn new skills. We wish for equal marriage for all Vermonters. We wish for more entrepreneurs, farmers, and small business owners. We wish for more self-sufficiency. We wish for all Vermonters to be kept healthy — both with a universal health care system and with more knowledge of how to take care of common ailments at home. We wish for more appreciation of Vermont's great natural beauty and resources, more Vermonters getting outside, learning about the plants, animals, and natural geography sharing land with us, being in connection with the season. Most of all, we wish for more community, community that crosses political lines, community that's strong and deep and real. It is our greatest asset that, in our independence, self-sufficiency, and connection to Vermont, we find a common bond with one another as Vermonters, a strength in working together and caring for each other. May we all find new and creative ways to use this time-honored strength of community in 2009.

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What are your wishes for Vermont in the coming year? Let's get those comments going!

About Common Sense
Common Sense is written by Jane Dwinell and Dana Dwinell-Yardley, a mother-daughter blog team. They live on an urban homestead in Montpelier. Send them your questions and comments about food, fuel, family, or financial independence! Write to mountaingirl at vtlink dot net. You can also check out some of their other writings at their website: www.spiritoflifepublishing.com.