Thanksgiving Localvore Challenge 2011

Sustainable Rutland and the Rutland Area Farm Food Link’s Everyday Chef are partnering up for our third annual Localvore Challenge. SIGN UP HERE!

Say what?? LOCALvore challenge. Our challenge to YOU to use more local ingredients in your Thanksgiving dishes and meal. We’re talking local cranberries, fresh greens and squashes, carrots and potatoes from the farmers market, cheeses from the co-op, a locally raised turkey…you get the idea.

How it works: Sign up and commit to taking either a SMALL BITE or a BIG BITE of the challenge. Either way, you’ll get a handy Localvore Challenge toolkit to help you out, including a bunch of recipes, coupons to local restaurants and stores with local food, and more.

SMALL BITE: Commit to cooking a localvore DISH for Thanksgiving, either to add to your meal or to bring to your family’s event.

BIG BITE: Commit to cooking a localvore MEAL for Thanksgiving. It’s way easier than you realize!


RULES, EXCEPTIONS, AND WILDCARD ITEMS
1. For the challenge, LOCALVORE means grown or produced either in Vermont or within 100 miles of where you live.

2. Spices, locally-roasted coffee, salt, and pepper are freebies.

3. For anyone taking a BIG BITE, you are allowed three wildcard items. Choose carefully: these will be your only non-local ingredients you will use in your Localvore Thanksgiving Feast!

Registration: Sign up HERE. All we need is your name and e-mail. Once you sign up, we’ll let you know where and when you can pick up your LOCALVORE TOOLKIT. Questions? E-mail kris[at]rutlandfarmandfood.org.

Will this send me to the poor house? Nope. While local food is sometimes thought of as more expensive, in reality food bought directly from farm stands or farmers market is usually priced competitively with bigger grocery stores: sometimes it’s a bit cheaper, sometimes a bit more expensive. It depends on the year, the farm, and a million other factors. Don’t fall into the assumption that local food is too expensive for your budget!

Want proof? Check out NOFA-VT’s price comparison study about farmers market prices vs. grocery stores. Remember, when you buy from local farms you’re supporting the local economy, local jobs, and your neighbor.

And be sure to check out the Everyday Chef blog for updates, recipes and the latest Localvore Challenge news.

Water UPDATE from Alderman Ed Larson

Alderman Ed Larson posted this last night to Restoring Rutland's Facebook page:
We are not out of the woods yet with our Water Supply; however Mayor Louras just sent members of the Board of Alderman an email, some of which I will share with you. "Lew Hotaling installed a volumetric flow measuring device into the outlet pipe from the emergency supply system into the reservoir and has determined, given the current EMERGENCY rate of flow and water CONSUMPTION, coupled with current reservoir level, that he have a 32 day supply of potable water." Additional information was contained about some additional non chlorinated water supply that could be utilized. However please CONTINUE TO CONSERVE WATER you're efforts are working. Way to Go DPW.

Water Conservation in Rutland

Sustainable Rutland and the City of Rutland are reminding everyone to conserve water for the next 30 days. Today, we asked City and Town restaurants to do their part by not setting tables with water glasses and loading their dishwashers as full as possible, and overall being as efficient as possible while maintaining appropriate health/sanitation standards. Our request has been greeted with enthusiasm by local restaurants. Thanks, for you support. City residents can do their part by conserving as well. We'll have more info on how you can do so soon. In the meantime, visit this site. For additional Irene response information in Rutland County, visit Restoring Rutland.

Trash2Art 2011: RESULTS

Our third annual Trash2Art Contest & Exhibit was on Friday, and the results are in. Many thanks to all who participated for making this another great success. We had over 20 entries to the contest and each one was a great example of how creative people were able to get with things that might otherwise end up in the landfill. It was surely a difficult choice for our judges to decide on the winners. A lot of time and effort went in to the submissions, and this year's Trash2Art really shows that one's trash is another's treasure! We'll be posting more pics on our Facebook page this week so be sure to check in there, too. See the winners after the jump.

Schoolhouse Rock! "Energy Blues"

Remember the Schoolhouse Rock! videos? Thanks to our friends from Efficiency Vermont for posting this old gem on their Facebook page. We liked it so much, we thought we'd share it, too.

Florida's Finest Orange.... Juice?

Ever wonder why orange juice tastes the same regardless of what season in the year it is? An article from Food Renegade tells the truth about most "Orange Juices"

The article also points out the juices just don't make sense. The actual fruit itself is much more nutritious.

Click here to head over to Food Renegade to read the article. 

Smart Cities and the United States

Bruce Katz discusses America's slow adaptation of the "Smart City". He compares urbanity in America to the urbanity in developing nations like China. 

According to Katz, we are lagging behind those countries for several reasons. 

Click here to read the Katz' blog post

Cable Boxes Draw More Power Than You'd Expect

You might not expect this, but cable boxes have become the single largest draw of power in many homes in America.

Together, an HD Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and an HD Cable Box use 10% more power than an average refrigerator.

Click here to head over to The New York Times to learn more. 

Hydro-fracking on 'Colbert'

The Colbert Report
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Stephen Colbert gives a humorous report on the very unfunny practice of hydro-fracturing.

CVPS to merge with GMP

The below is from press release issued this morning by Central Vermont Public Service:

The leaders of Central Vermont Public Service Corporation (NYSE: CV) (CVPS) and Gaz Métro Limited Partnership (Gaz Métro) today announced that a definitive agreement for the sale of CVPS has been signed. This clears the path for the combination of CVPS and Green Mountain Power Corporation (GMP), a subsidiary of Gaz Métro, into one stronger utility for Vermonters. The new agreement provides significant benefits for customers, community, employees an d shareholders, including $144 million in customer savings over 10 years, a Vermont ownership interest in VELCO, and the establishment of the Headquarters for Operations and Energy Innovation in Rutland.