Smart Growth Vermont Welcomes New Staff

Jason Van Driesche Mike Miller

We are pleased to announce that two new staff members will join our organization.  We have selected Jason Van Driesche as our new Director of Programs.  For the last five years, Jason has been Director of the Clean Air and Water Program at Upstate Forever, a non-profit conservation and smart growth advocacy organization in South Carolina.   A native of Westhampton, Massachusetts, a rural town in the Berkshire Hills, he understands the issues facing rural towns and small cities of northern New England. 

At Upstate Forever, Jason worked with public and private sector partners on low-impact development, ecologically-based stormwater management, traditional neighborhood design, greenway and park planning, and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure development.  Before working at Upstate Forever, he earned an MS in Urban and Regional Planning and an MS in Land Resources, both from the University of Wisconsin.

Michael Miller, AICP CFM will join us as a part-time Senior Planner.  For the last seven years, Mike has served as a Senior Land Use Planner for the Lamoille County Planning Commission.  He has used his extensive land use planning experience at all levels in Vermont, including serving on local commissions, preparing bylaws and zoning, developing regional plans and working on state panels and committees.  

With Jason and Mike on staff, we enhance our capacity to work for change at the state level, and respond to the increasing number of communities requesting land use planning assistance.  Welcome Jason and Mike!

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Bristol Reviews Community Survey As Part of Town Plan Update

Smart Growth Vermont is working with the Bristol Planning Commission to create an Implementation Plan that incorporates recommendations previously presented to the Town.  To inform the update process, Smart Growth Vermont intern, Abby Farnham, reviewed and analyzed the results of a 2006 community opinion survey on issues facing the town.  On March 18th, she presented an analysis and summary of the survey to the commission and the public. View the survey results on our Partnership Communities page.

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Online Toolbox Features New Resources

Since the launch of our Community Planning Toolbox in January, we have added new issues and tools to help your community address land use planning challenges. New sections on  Housing for All and Accessory Apartments provide you with information and resources about one of the most important issues facing Vermonters - housing.  To help your community protect scenic road corridors, we have added a new case study that details how our  Road Corridor Visual Analysis tool was used to protect the viewsheds on Route 7 between Middlebury and Shelburne.

We Want Your Feedback!
If you have used the Toolbox, we want to know what you think! Please take a moment to complete our brief feedback form and share your thoughts on improving this new resource.  Thanks!

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Spring Cleaning? Consider an In-Kind Donation to Smart Growth Vermont

Ah spring! Time to discard the old, dusty furniture you've been storing in the garage. But wait! Don't give it away before calling Smart Growth Vermont. We're currently looking for the following items: bookshelves, a copier stand, file cabinets, a small office table, bulletin boards, shelves and storage cabinets. We are happy to help coordinate the pick-up of any item you would like to donate. If you have any of these items and you’d like to support our work, please e-mail Serena or call her at (802) 864-6310. 

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Smart Growth Vermont is pleased to be a partner in bringing the “Next Communities Initiative” workshop to Vermont. This two-day workshop, developed by the University of Maine – Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service and the New England Environmental Finance Center, goes beyond talking about smart growth tools to discussing how communities can address underlying conflicts and accomplish their land use goals.  The workshop will be held in the NewsBank Conference Center in Chester on Saturday April 12th, and again on Saturday April 26th.  Other partner organizations include the Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies, Vermont Planners Association, Smart Growth Vermont, the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. For more information, or to register, click here.

Want to help reduce Vermont's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions by 500,000 pounds in one week?  Sign up for Way to Go! Week.  Smart Growth Vermont is sponsoring this unique challenge, which will take place from Monday, May 5th to Friday, May 9th, 2008. The event raises awareness about the many transportation options available to commuters. To reduce the amount of vehicle miles driven - and resulting greenhouse gas emissions, people are challenged to use alternative forms of transportation throughout the week. For more information about activities for the week, visit www.waytogovt.org.

Also, Be sure to check out the Upcoming Events page on our website!  You'll find information about conferences, lectures and presentations on a wide variety of topics.

 

Community Garden Mini-Grants Available

Friends of Burlington Gardens will be offering mini-grants to schools and community gardens throughout the state. $15,000 of grant funding will be made available to existing gardens for improvements, and to support the creation of new gardens. Sponsors of the program include the Bay and Paul Foundations, the Ben & Jerry's Foundation and the Ronald McDonald House Charities. For more information, or to apply, visit Burlingtongardens.org.

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Climate Change Could Affect Future Sugaring

Unpredictable weather has affected the beginning of sap gathering, and some in the industry are concerned that climate change is to blame. Ideally, sap gathering requires warmer days, followed by freezing nights, a pattern that hasn't been consistent in recent years. Although some feel that it's just nature taking its course, others are worried that the threat of climate change could hurt sugaring operations for future generations. Read more.

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Spend Your IRS Rebate at a Vermont Business

As many people continue to debate the wisdom of the Economic Stimulus Package recently signed by the President, those who will receive a check are deciding what to do with it.  Some will pay off credit card debt and others will donate some or all of the rebate to charity.  If you do decide to purchase that new washing machine you've desperately needed, or perhaps some new clothes, consider buying local.  Every dollar you spend at a local business supports a neighbor and strengthens the Vermont economy.  A number of Vermont organizations and businesses have started http://www.keepitinvermont.org, a website that explains how spending your rebate in Vermont can make a difference.

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How Big are the Candidates' Carbon Footprints?

With election season in full swing, candidates are criss-crossing the country seeking votes. Each candidate, accompanied by an entourage of analysts, journalists and assistants, must travel by plane, train and/or automobile.  Do do you ever wonder how much their carbon footprints are growing during this frenzy? Mother Jones Magazine asked the tough question to candidates and you can view their responses here.

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Call for Entries for 2008 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently accepting entries for the 2008 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. The application deadline is April 7th, and award categories include: overall excellence in smart growth, built projects, policies and regulations, equitable development and colleges, universities and medical/hospital research institutes. For more details, visit www.epa.gov.

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