Oh yeah, we could suggest that Vermonters keep their federal rebate checks in Vermont.

Right. We're not a Gannett-owned giant corporate commercial behemoth for nothing.

Check out the story.

And remember - KEEP IT IN VERMONT. 

Just a day before Valentine's Day, the current occupant of the White
House demonstrated his love for United States citizen/consumers by
signing the so-called “Economic Stimulus Act of 2008” into law.
Sitting behind a small desk with a banner that shouted "Boosting Our
Economy," he inked a $107-million spending package that will send (any
week now) tax “rebate” checks ranging between $300 and $1,200 to
middle- and low-income taxpayers (which is to say, most of us).
Joining in the photo-op were Congressional Democratic leaders Nancy

To reference and adapt Barbara Kingsolver's newest book on localvore living...

Animal.

Vegetable.

Pants.

Or underpants.

Whole Systems Design, Inc. describes its work as “occurring at the interface of people and land --
where the built and biological environments meet.” Based in Vermont’s
Mad River Valley, Whole Design Systems integrates ecology, landscape
architecture, site development, construction, farming, education and
other disciplines. Founder Ben Falk holds a master’s degree in
landscape design and has taught at the University of Vermont and
Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum. Vermont Commons Editor Rob Williams
conducted this interview.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

By Tom Young

Thomas Fuller once said, “Many things grow in the garden that were
never sown there.” This is certainly true at the Waitsfield
Elementary School. Thanks to the work of many, the Waitsfield
Elementary School’s garden has been “reincarnated” over the past three
years. This garden initiative has offered both children and adults
alike a chance to explore the growing process, to think about the
benefits of growing locally, and to use the garden as a community
place.

Richard Heinberg, one of the foremost peak oil educators in the US, will be coming to Vermont this week. On Wednesday evening (April 23), he will speak in Brattleboro, and on Thursday evening (April 24), he'll be in Montpelier. Details on the places and times for these events, plus how to arrange transportation to the Montpelier event, are at the Vermont Peak Oil Network web site.

Heinberg will also be speaking to legislators at the State House on Thursday at 9 am, and the talk will be broadcast live and streamed by WGDR, 91.1 FM Plainfield. The topic will be "Energy Overview: Navigating the Transition from Fossil Fuels to Renewables."

In the northern half of the state, you can hear me interview him live, Wednesday at 1:05 - 2:00 pm on Equal Time, on WDEV 96.1 & 96.5 FM/550 AM.

In addition to his four books on peak oil, Heinberg writes a monthly Museletter. Several recent Museletters are especially interesting for Vermonters.

According to economists Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes, each
American houseold is spending approximately $100 per month toward the
current operating costs of the Iraq War.

Read more about their book The Three Trillion Dollar War here.

Happy Tax Day - might be a good time to consider joining S.E.C.E.D.E.

Read more about the Keep It In Vermont campaign in this April 11 Times-Argus article.

Take the Keep It In Vermont pledge here.

If every one of the 250,000 tax-paying households in Vermont
re-invested our federal rebate checks in our Green Mountain economies,
we'd inject $150 million back into the Green Mountains.

Take the Keep It In Vermont pledge, and e-mail it on to your Vermont friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

Read more at the A.P. Newswire. 

GBIC, the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation, released Wednesday morning its report on The Green Economy and Environmental Enterprise in Vermont. I attended their release ceremony in Montpelier. It was held three minutes by foot from the State House, starting at 8 am, so that legislators could attend before their committees began meeting. It worked. Quite a few legislators, as well as many people who participated in the study, filled the Ethan Allen Room at the Capitol Plaza.

The report, produced by the Snelling Center for Government at the University of Vermont, was the result of conversations that have been happening since last summer with businesses, non-profits, and government representatives. The project began as a way to boost the "Green Economic Sector" in Vermont, with high-wage jobs and entrepreneurial activities. As GBIC's Frank Cioffi introduced the report, however, he recognized that Vermont needs more green jobs just to stay where we are in the present economic climate. "There is going to be more churning in the economy. More people are going to lose their jobs. The world economy is changing, and we need to change right along with it."