Why drive from the Adirondacks to northern Maine, when you can take a canoe!  That’s right, because of the hard work of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, you can now take a continuous paddling trail from Old Forge, through Vermont, Quebec, and New Hampshire to Fort Kent, ME.  This 740 mile trail represents a world class model of recreation management for public access to waterways, trail stewardship, economic development, and rural youth outdoor education.

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail’s Northern Forest Explorers Program connects rural youth aged 10-14 to the natural wonders of their own backyards by taking these young people on five-day canoe-camping trips along the trail. The program completes roughly 20 trips a year, with 9-12 youth participating in each trip. These trips immerse kids in natural settings, planting the seeds of desire for future outdoor recreation opportunities and increased environmental awareness.   NFCT makes this possible for as many children as possible by subsidizing the cost of these adventures.

Success:

-       In 2011, named “Best Canoe Trail” by Outside Magazine

-       In 2012, named “Best East Coast Adventure” by Outside Magazine

-       Between 2011 and 2012 the program grew by 66%

-       Through generous donations, NFCT supports 20 trips each year

-       Partnerships with 70 communities along the 740-mile trail, enabling both education for the kids and economic development for the communities.

Challenges: 

-       Subsidizing the cost of participation for over 150 participants in 2013

-       Forming partnerships with additional outdoor education/recreation organizations

NFCT is looking for support to keep the kid’s trip program in action.

To sponsor a child or a full excursion and to learn more about this critical program for rural youth in New England visit:  http://www.northernforestexplorers.org/.  To sponsor a child or a trip contact Kevin@northernforestcanoetrail.org

Sponsorship is easy:  At $600 you  can sponsor a single child from Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont on a trip of a lifetime on their backyard waterways.  Or sponsor a trip of 10 young people for $6,000.              

The success of this program is gauged by the increasing demand from local communities for this program to touch the lives of their young people.  As a result of this experience, the NFCT hopes to provide a growing awareness of the power of landscape and its ability to support healthy communities.  Providing a trip such as this will help to create the environmental stewards of the future.

Contact Kevin Mack, NFCT’s Director of Partnerships & Marketing, Kevin@northernforestcanoetrail.org, 802-535-5855 with any further questions.

Luckily, the diligent work of land trusts are helping to protect these places and reenergize sustainable local agriculture. The Vermont Land Trust’s (VLT) conservation efforts change the lives of families, invigorate farms, launch new businesses, maintain scenic vistas, encourage outdoor recreation, and foster a renewed sense of community.

This spring, VLT is asking for you to help save Bragg Farm! The Bragg Farm has been an important part of the Mad River Valley’s agricultural landscape for more than 200 years. Perched high above the Mad River, the farm’s iconic barn, hay fields and incomparable views of the Green Mountains showcase the beauty and agricultural productivity of the Valley’s working landscape.

In 2012, the Vermont Land Trust worked with Mad River Watershed Conservation Partnership to purchase the 48-acre property. VLT then searched for a new farmer through through our Farmland Access Program, which helps experienced farmers gain access to productive, affordable farmland.

Marisa Mauro was selected to purchase the farm from VLT. In 2008, Marisa started Ploughgate Creamery, which produced award-winning cheese until a fire destroyed the place she was leasing. If VLT is successful in the fundraising effort, Marisa will restart Ploughgate Creamery’s operations and establish a grass-based dairy farm that produces artisanal butter, fresh cheeses, buttermilk and suckling hogs.

Contributions will help VLT to raise the last $85,000 to protect this special Mad River Valley farm, forever!

And if you’re local to the farm, Have glass a wine and help conserve the Bragg Farm! VLT and Cork Wine Bar invite the public to an evening fundraiser on Wednesday, April 10, starting at 6 pm. $1 of every glass of wine poured will go towards the remaining $85,000 needed for the property’s protection. http://www.vlt.org/initiatives/bragg

Protecting the Bragg Hill Farm will:

• Permanently conserve scenic and productive farmland
• Ensure the long-term affordability of the farm to Vermont’s farmers
• Preserve the historic barn, a treasured community landmark
• Revitalize the Bragg Farm with a new agricultural operation

Partners collaborating on the project

The Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB), local conservation commissions and local land trusts are vital to raising the funds needed to protect the more than 50 properties VLT conserves each year. VHCB, the Mad River Watershed Conservation Partnership, and the Town of Fayston are key partners in the Bragg Farm project.

Successes and Challenges

VLT purchased the farm using bridge financing for its appraised value of $760,000 and will sell the farm to Mauro at its appraised agricultural value of $175,000.  VTL is raising money for the conservation easement, appraised at $585,000, as well as funds to preserve the historic barn. The total fundraising goal is $792,000.

With funds already raised and additional grant support from the VHCB, only $85,000 is left to go. 

Call to Action

Make a tax-deducible gift until May 1, 2013 by sending a check to Vermont Land Trust with “Bragg Farm” in the memo line. To learn more about Bragg Farm and the Farmland Access Program, or to donate on line, go to http://www.vlt.org/initiatives/bragg

“As a farmer and Vermonter, I am so proud to be part of the Mad River Valley community. With this opportunity, I can’t wait to get to work at the Bragg Farm with my family, friends and neighbors and contribute to our working landscape.” – Marisa Mauro

Vermont Land Trust

Since 1977, VLT has permanently conserved more than 1,650 parcels of land covering more than 500,000 acres, or about eight percent of the private, undeveloped land in the state. The conserved land includes more than 700 working farms, hundreds of thousands of acres of productive forestland, and numerous parcels of community land. As a member-supported, nonprofit 501(c)(3) land conservation we provide technical and legal assistance to individuals, communities, and local land trusts to help them achieve their conservation objectives. We also have an ongoing stewardship relationship with landowners to ensure that conservation goals are upheld in perpetuity. Learn more about VLT here.

The following blog was written by Rob Thomas, the owner of Social(k), based in Springfield, MA. Social(k) joined 1% for the Planet in 2006 and recently completed their 2012 certification early with support of the Spikenard Farm and Honeybee Sanctuary. We appreciate Rob’s support of our network and would like to share the following blog post with the rest of our network, so they can learn how to add socially responsible investment (SRI) options to an employers retirement plan.

Farm Aid Mission

 Since 1985 Farm Aid has been at the forefront of protecting the nations family farms; family farms are essential components of the economy, providing good jobs, growing healthy food, and acting as stewards of the environment.  Along with hosting the 1-800-FARM-AID hotline, they provide the most comprehensive national database of farmer resource referrals available.

Farm Aid also provides the Farmer Resource Network, an online space where new and established farmers can find the information and tools they need to thrive.

1% for the Planet Partners 

Farm Aid works with a wide variety of partners including a number of 1% for the Planet partner.  Some of these include: 

Center for Rural Affairs (NE)

CAFF

Cultivate Kansas City

EarthDance

Family Farm Defenders

Growing Power

Intervale Center

National Farm to School Network

Organic Seed Alliance

Slow Food USA

Successes to Date 

-  Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert in 1985.

“Shoppers! Buy with a conscience and save the family farm.”

– Neil Young

 -  Dave Matthews joined the Farm Aid Board of Directors in 2001

-  Farm Aid has raised more than $40 million to promote a strong and resilient family farm system

-  For over 27 years, Farm Aid has answered 1-800-FARM-AID to provide immediate and effective support services to farm families in crisis

-  Fielded 800 farm contacts via the hotline in 2012 alone

-  Provided drought assistance funds to 45 farm and ranch families in 2012

-  Provided emergency support to 7 farm families in 2012

Challenges:

-       Over the last 30 years, America has lost an average of 350 small and mid-sized farms each week

-       According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, between 1982 and 2007, the US lost over 40 percent of its small and mid-sized farms - or 460,000 farms

-       93% of soybeans and 80% of corn grown in the US are under the control of one company

-       The effects of climate change make running small and medium-sized farms even more challenging

Call to Action

1. Anyone can help to support Farm Aid’s cause by first and foremost, supporting your local farmers.

2. You can also check out, Farm Aid’s Action Center, where you can use a number of tools to make your voice heard for family farmers.  Issues discussed include the US Farm Bill, mandatory labeling of GMO’s, fair markets for all farmers, and farm to school programs.

3. There are also a multitude of opportunities for volunteering at Farm Aid’s annual concert.

A Brighter Future for Farm Aid and America

Farm Aid’s longevity and commitment to the American family farm make them a unique and inviting resource for independent farmers. As new resources and new organizations spring forward to service the next generation of America’s family farmers, Farm Aid is committed to the task of mapping out and promoting these educational opportunities and tools.   If Farm Aid is successful, it will meet these objectives:

- Farm Aid’s Farmer Resource Network is known, utilized and effective in getting farmers the resources they need.

- Family farmers are no longer driven off the land by corporate greed and outdated governmental programs.

- Fair farm policies are enacted to defend and bolster family farm agriculture.

- Strong markets exist to support more family farmers.

- Consumers prefer food from family farms, and reconnect with their local farmers.

- Everyone can afford good food from family farmers to feed their families.

- There is no longer a need for Farm Aid! Hopefully everyone who wants to grow can successfully make a living farming

Contact Kari Williams, Farm Aid’s Development Director, kari@farmaid.org, 617.354.2922 with any further questions.

By now you’ve probably heard about our big 10th Anniversary event coming up this summer.  We’ve joined forces with the Mad Marathon here in our hometown of Waitsfield, VT to create the 1st ever 1% for the Planet Mad Marathon. Dedicated to sustainability and environmentalism in New England, this event will help us to provide awareness and funding for the nonprofits and partnerships that protect the places we play. Not only should all of our partners plan on attending, but we also want to help raise money for your important causes.  How can we do this you ask?

We are thrilled to welcome The Longfellow Club to our network.  Although I’ve never been to this Wayland, MA based athletic club, I hope to get down there soon to sharpen my tennis skills (and maybe we could have a network-wide round robin?!). Laury has created an impressive establishment that any business owner can learn a lot from.

The Club has eight indoor tennis courts, a full fitness facility, swimming pools and so much more- they have healthy fitness options for people of all ages and abilities. The Longfellow Club has eight core values which together create healthy minds, bodies and Planet. These values are: Community, Gratitude, Knowledge, Sparkle, Happiness, Health, Service and (our favorite) Sustainability. They have joined 1% for the Planet as a way to help share their giving story and to play a key role in New England, as one of our region’s largest members. We look forward to working with Laury and everyone at The Longfellow Club!

As you might have heard, this year we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary.  One of our big anniversary events will take place right here in our home town. We have joined forces with the Mad Marathon in Waitsfield, VT to create the first ever 1% for the Planet Mad Marathon designed to support the nonprofits and partnerships that protect the places we play.

WE WANT YOUR COMPANY HERE. Come celebrate the planet with us!

Save the date: Sunday, July 7, 2013 - Race Day
July 6th, 2013 – Kids run and 1% for the Planet (1% FTP) network meet-up

The marathon is a way to:

• -Grow our movement
• -Celebrate your company’s commitment, and
• -Raise funds for environmental organizations

There are three ways you can get involved:

1. Sponsor the race
There are various levels of sponsorship available.  Your sponsorship is considered a donation and part of your 1% FTP commitment for 2013.

• -be included in a virtual bag and a physical bag for participating runners
• -be highlighted in the 10th Anniversary marketplace grand opening

2. Donate product
If sponsorship is not in your company’s budget for this year, product donations for prizes and raffles are a great option. Remember, 25% of your company’s 1% annual commitment can be in-kind donations and/or employee volunteer time.

3. Run for a cause
Your company can support a nonprofit team by either running for or donating to them. Last year one nonprofit earned over $27,000! 1% FTP will also have a team fundraising on behalf of high impact partnerships in the region.

Next steps:

• -Email or call us at 802-496-5408. Please let us know if you have any questions and/or how you’d like to be involved
• -Join our event page on Facebook
• -Stay tuned for other ways to participate over that weekend

We’re looking forward to celebrating all that you do to support our network. Start your training!

Imagine a more just and vibrant future that integrates vision, systems thinking, reflective conversation, and creative expression. This could mean working with coffee growers in Central America, providing farm apprenticeships in rural Vermont, or promoting green chemistry in the pharmaceutical industry.

This is the world that the Sustainability Leaders Network is working to achieve.

SLN Mission

The Sustainability Leaders Network trains both seasoned professionals and youth to be lifelong sustainability and social transformation champions. Members of the network are skilled in:

• - establishing alliances with diverse stakeholders
• - building shared vision for a just, sustainable, and peaceful future
• - identifying and addressing root causes of complex challenges

The Sustainability Leaders Network helps each individual work at their highest capacity over a lifetime and to deepen the impact of the network now.

Working on sustainability issues on a global level requires collaboration with a variety of partners.  The Sustainability Leaders Network collaborates with a range of organizations including: Cobb Hill Ecovillage, Cedar Mountain Farm CSA, Sustainable Food Lab, Biomimicry 3.8, and Climate Interactive.  Their key stakeholders are the members in their network and, by extension, members’ organizations and companies.

Photo Credit: Clemens Kalischer, 2009

Some of these include approved 1% for the Planet non-profit partners:

• - American Rivers - Protects and restores U.S. rivers, and the variety of life they sustain, for the benefit of people, fish and wildlife.
• - Center for Whole Communities - Leading a new movement for change – building healthy, whole communities by reweaving the connections among people, land and community.
• - Ocean Foundation – Supports, strengthens, and promotes organizations dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world.

Successes to Date

Creating a more sustainable world is challenging, but the SLN is making progress.

• - The Fellows network consists of 80 professionals around the world, plus dozens of young leaders.
• - 90% report that the network has been essential to their professional growth.
• - 80% collaborate with other Fellows in their sustainability efforts.
• - Fellows work with and directly influence over 170,000 people and indirectly reach over 2 million through publications, presentations, and videos related to their efforts.

Success for SLN is a well-trained and connected network of diverse professionals and young people who increase their impact and effectiveness – individually and collectively – in bringing about the transition to sustainability.

For example, Fellow Tse-Sung Wu is leading GreenBioPharma at Genentech.  Drawing on his SLN training, he has helped lead a successful effort to reduce costs and benefit the environment in the research and development of medicines.

Here are just a few testimonials from SLN’s network of sustainability champions, participants:

“These practices have been phenomenal for me. This is probably the most caring, sensitive, deep thinking group I have experienced. The content regarding systems thinking, visioning, the area of coaching, and deep listening are my touch stones.”

“I still go back to the binder to look through and use the program material, both for my own learning and for training others. Mostly visioning, coaching, systems thinking and reflective conversation.”

“I see the fellowship as a continuing process, rather than something completed and over. I feel very appreciative of the ongoing learning, resources, and support in my professional life.”

Contact Edie Farwell, Executive Director, edie.farwell@gmail.com,  802-291-2896, with any additional questions.

The simple truth is that people are addicted to oil. Unfortunately as we continue to burn it, the amount of carbon in the atmosphere continues to rise.  Scientific evidence shows that the world is now suffering the disastrous impacts of climate change caused by elevated levels of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.  As oil supplies dwindle there is a push to uncover new resources by using dirty tar sands mining practices as in the case of the tar sands of central Canada.  The 240 gigatons of carbon stored in the tar sands is equivalent to adding at least 4 million new cars to the road. Current plans will pipe this dirty oil west, south, and east to coastal waters.  Areas around these pipelines will be put at risk of serious environmental disasters, while the entire globe will be increasingly threatened by climate change.

Oil companies plan to pump tar sands oil through some of the most pristine areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Linking tar sands oil production centers in central Canada to international shipping facilities in Maine will boost the industry’s profits, while ignoring the potential risks imposed upon the people and environment of New England.  Unlike the Keystone XL pipeline and the Northern Gateway pipeline, the proposed project does not require new pipeline construction.  The plan is to simply reverse the flow of two existing pipeline systems: the 40-year-old Enbridge Line 9 and the 62-year-old Portland-Montreal Pipe Line.

The areas through which these lines travel include some of the most spectacular ecological resources in the region.  The tar sands that will be flowing through this line are not like conventional oil.  Tar sands diluted bitumen is mixed with natural gas liquids and other volatile petroleum products and it is transported at high temperatures and high pressure.  This combination can weaken pipelines and increase the risk of spills.

Important Areas:

• Saint Lawrence River – Canada’s most important river provides drinking water to 50% of Quebec.
• Lake Memphremagog – 27-mile long glacial lake, provides water in the U.S. and Canada.
• Victory State Forest – A 15,000-acre state complex in Vermont’s pristine “Northeast Kingdom” that is home to 130 bird species.
• Connecticut River – One of New England’s most important watersheds.
• Missisquoi River – A major tributary to Lake Champlain.  A 767,000-acre watershed, with a 6,700 National Wildlife Refuge at its mouth.
• Coos County – known as the “North Country,” this is the least developed area in New Hampshire.
• Androscoggin River – The pipeline will cross this important river twice and run alongside it for 13 miles.  Recent rehabilitation efforts are once again threatened.
• Crooked River – A favorite area for outdoor enthusiasts, this river is also the primary spawning and nursery ground for Sebago Lake’s landlocked Atlantic salmon.
• Sebago Lake – Covering 30,000 acres, this area includes Maine’s busiest state campground and provide clean drinking water to Portland.
• Gulf of Maine – One of the ten most productive marine ecosystems in the world and essential to Maine’s economy.

There is a history of pipeline spills, including an incident near Marshall, Michigan in 2010.  More than 1 million gallons of diluted bitumen spilled and drained into the Talmadge Creek, eventually spreading down a 30-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River.  The results included health effects among the local population and devastating effects on the ecosystem.  Enbridge, the owner of Line 9, has had 804 spills between 1999 and 2010, which resulted in 6.8 million gallons of hydrocarbons.

The proposed tar sands pipeline threatens both humans and the natural environment.

An effort between 350Vermont, the Sierra Club, 350.org, the National Wildlife Federation and other eco-activist organizations are attempting to end this proposed tar sands oil pipeline.

The main objectives of this movement are:

• Take action and call on our governments to thoroughly review all pipelines that might carry tar sands,
• Call on President Obama to require a Presidential Permit for the proposed New England pipeline, necessitating a full environmental impact review.
• Conduct long-range clean energy plans before committing to infrastructure that will increase oil consumption.
• Embrace policies that will reduce oil demand.

Successes to date:

• Successfully organizing grassroots efforts.
• 24 Vermont towns with a Tar Sands Free Resolution on the March ballot
• Nationwide Fossil Fuel Divestment campaign at several universities
• Filed a request with the Act 250 Commission for a Jurisdictional Opinion on whether any pipeline reversal would require an environmental review
• Demonstrations in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Québec: no tar sands in the East!

Challenges to completing the project:

• Lack of public knowledge in the areas surrounding the tar sands pipeline
• Building political support of this opposition movement
• Creating long-range energy plans that will provide alternatives to tar sands oil
• Embracing new policies that promote renewable energy and reduced consumption
• Fighting the power and financial resources of the oil industry

Call to Action

Get involved in the Tar Sand Northeast Solidarity Actions.  Events will be taking place throughout New England. There is a national rally to stop the Keystone XL Tar Sands pipeline in Washington, DC on February 17^th, 2013.

Please consider donating directly to, joining and supporting the partner organizations doing this vital work:

350Vermont

An independent state chapter of the 350.org movement focused on building a volunteer-based grassroots movement to confront climate change issues in Vermont. Campaigns include Rethinking Transportation, Tar Sands Free Northeast, Fossil Fuel Divestment.

350.org

A grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis.  Online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions are lead by volunteer organizers in over 188 countries.

Sierra Club

America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.  Sierra Club’s 2.1 million members and supporters urge the president to cement our nation’s position as the global clean energy leader by going all in on sustainable energy, holding polluters accountable, and rejecting the dangerous tar sands pipeline.

National Wildlife Federation

Providing a voice for wildlife, this organization is dedicated to protecting wildlife and habitat and inspiring future generations of conservationists.

Contact Emily Tompkins, Development Coordinator at 350Vermont, emily@350vt.org or the 350Vermont office, 802-444-0350 with any further questions.  

Back to the grind we go, but not before partaking in one last holiday tradition we have all come to know: the choosing of a New Year’s Resolution. We say we’ll hit the gym more, aim to clean out our closets, and try to be healthier and more balanced in the coming year. Whatever the resolution, we all see the New Year as an opportunity for a new beginning and goals – a new calendar providing the perfect opportunity to switch things up individually or as a business.

It is the perfect time for companies to consider joining 1% for the Planet.

We’d like to encourage a challenge that will start small in New England and one we hope will carry through the rest of the network. In the first half of the year, we’d like to see how many new businesses in New England will pledge to donate 1% of their sales to our nonprofit partners. We think this is a conservative (read: attainable!) goal for the New Year. We have exiting things planned for our 10th anniversary year and it would be great to have new members participate in a meaningful way. Look around our website and see who of your neighbors is already involved – we bet you already know someone who is an active member. We want our network to keep expanding and as companies are setting their goals for the next calendar year, it’s the perfect time to start seriously thinking about giving back to our planet.

Have you thought about getting involved? Talk to us! We’re happy to answer your questions and put your mind at ease – your involvement is important to us and your commitment to the program makes a huge impact worldwide.

Here’s to a bright 2013 and an even more impactful network!