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April 2010
A P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E P E A C E & J U S T I C E C E N T E RH I G H L I G H T S
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research policy action
Farm to PlateExerpted from the Interim Report to the LegislatureBY Ellen Kahler, Executive Director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund
n 2009, the Legislature createdthe Farm to Plate Investment
Program which directs the VermontSustainable Jobs Fund with the VermontSustainable Agriculture Council and otherstakeholders to develop a 10-yearstrategic plan to strengthen Vermont’sfarm and food sector.
Creating a Strategic Planfor Vermont’s Farm and FoodSectors
Vermont has a rich agricultural history.Yet there are both historic and recentthreats to the future of agriculture in thestate, including the loss of dairy farms,rising energy and feed costs, the volatil-ity of commodity markets, and globalcompetition. There are also many signs ofexpansion and opportunity, especially fordiversified farm operations and organicdairies.
The explosion of interest in local foodand the hundreds of organizations,programs and volunteer driven activitiesthat now exist has led many to call for acoordinated statewide plan for makingnew, strategic investments in our farmand food sector. Many believe thatfarming and food production are already avital and growing part of the state’seconomy, with even greater potential. Infact, jobs throughout the entire foodsystem represent 20% (or 54,334) of allprivate sector jobs and are connected to31% (or 9,166) of all private establish-ments. (VT Dept. of Labor (2007 QCEW)and the 2007 Census of Agriculture).
Building on what Secretary RogerAlbee calls a “renaissance in Vermontagriculture,” the Farm to Plate InvestmentProgram (F2P) will create a strategic planfor agricultural economic development toachieve the overarching goals ofstrengthening our local food system andstimulating economic development inVermont’s farm and food sector. This willin turn create jobs in the farm and foodeconomy, improve access to healthy localfoods, and expand local and regionalmarkets for Vermont products. A keycomponent of F2P is to identify infra-structure investments and public policyrecommendations which will support newand existing agricultural enterprises thatincrease local resiliency in today’schanging economic and global times.
The primary deliverable for thisprogram will be a comprehensive 10-yearStrategic Plan for Agricultural EconomicDevelopment in Vermont which willcontain, at a minimum, the followingcomponents:
Baseline/Existing Condi-Baseline/Existing Condi-Baseline/Existing Condi-Baseline/Existing Condi-Baseline/Existing Condi-tions, Trends, SWOTtions, Trends, SWOTtions, Trends, SWOTtions, Trends, SWOTtions, Trends, SWOT(Strengths, W(Strengths, W(Strengths, W(Strengths, W(Strengths, Weaknesses,eaknesses,eaknesses,eaknesses,eaknesses,Opportunities, Threats)Opportunities, Threats)Opportunities, Threats)Opportunities, Threats)Opportunities, Threats)
An inventory of Vermont’s foodsystem infrastructure by gatheringexisting data, studies, and analysis;
In-depth research to identify of gapsin the infrastructure and distributionsystems and ways to address these gaps
Farm to Plate continued on page 8
PAGE 2From the Center
Nancy Lynch talks about the organizationsthat have overlapping goals with the PJC..
PAGE 3
Youth Activist Institute 2The PJC’s 2nd Annual Youth Activist Institutewill be held at Vermont Technical College inRandolph, June 25-27.
PAGE 4350
350 is the level scientists have identified as thesafe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere.
Kids4PeaceInterfaith Walk for Peace.
PAGE 5Gross National Happiness
GNH envisions a future, based on values oflife, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Slow Money AllianceA strategy for re-localizing our economies.
PAGE 6Robin’s Nest
Oscar Romero and Vermont, Part 1.
PAGE 7No Nukes Rally, May 2, NYC
Get on the bus.
PAGE 9War Resister League Pie Chart
Where our income tax money really goes.
PAGE 10Calendar
PAGE 11Lifting the Yoke
Tea with author, Ron Krupp on April 24 at thePeace & Justice Store.
2 April 2010
research policy action
From the Center
EDITORS
Wendy CoeGene BergmanRobin Lloyd
PUBLISHED10/year
(See form on page 12)
CIRCULATION1,400
The opinions expressed inthe articles, including
those by staff, are thoseof the authors and notnecessarily those of thepeace & justice center.
60 Lake Street #1CBurlington, VT 05401
802.863.2345fax: 802.863.2532
BOARD OF DIRECTORS(alphabetical order)
Linda AyerAutumn BarnettGene Bergman
Stacy Graczyk-treasWoody Keppel
Hilary Martin-chairSpence Putnam
Tiffany Silliman-secAndy Snyder
Wayne TurianskyLinda Wheatley
Ed Everts, emeritus
STAFFNancy T. Lynch
Wendy CoeJennifer Reay
Colin RobinsonDiana Halbstein
PJC MISSION
Our mission is to create ajust and peaceful world.To this end, we work on
the interconnected issuesof economic and racial
justice, peace, andhuman rights througheducation, advocacy,
training and non-violentactivisim, and communityorganizing, since 1979.
t feels like spring! We can see bare ground, fed by the rain and occasional sun. Folks are makingplans for their gardens and starting to grow veggies from seeds in their homes. Meanwhile, we, at
the PJC, are also germinating ideas, and are moving forward with our own exciting plans, promot-ing a new way forward for Vermont’s economy. We have been working for over a decade providing researchand advocacy on livable wages, economic development, and the benefit of supporting local economies andfair trade practices.
The research we conducted in our first nine Vermont Job Gap Studies and on the Livable Wage Cam-paign has informed our perspective on what makes a stable and sustainable economy. In Part 1 of our latestVermont Job Gap Study, we offered alternative viewpoints regarding our state’s economic climate, high-lighting factors that positively affect economic development such as a high quality of life and strong andvibrant local, small businesses.
Spring brings various events and happenings – some sponsored by the PJC, some offered by othergroups and organizations that we’ve aligned with and support in order to pursue a strong, stable, sustain-able state with a high quality of life for all of its citizens. Many of these events are referenced in othersections of our newsletter, but I wanted to bring special attention to them because the organizationshosting these events have overlapping goals and priorities with the PJC.
We’re supporting the Farm to Plate Investment Program, an initiative of the VermontSustainable Jobs Fund and brainchild of former PJC executive director Ellen Kahler. Thisprogram bolsters Vermont’s agricultural sector, food safety and sustainable, environmentalpractices. The Farm to Plate Statewide Food Summit is taking place on April 10 at RutlandMiddle School. The keynote speaker will be Ken Meter, a premier food systems analyst.
In honor of Earth Day – April 22 – we’re supporting 350.org, an international campaigndedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis.350.org was founded by Bill McKibben, a Middlebury professor and one of the firstauthors to tackle the subject of global warming.
On April 24, PJC will host a Tea with Ron Krupp – a local author, farmer and gardener,who wrote Lifting the Yoke: Local Solutions to America’s Farm and Food Crisis.
The Gross National Happiness Conference will take place June 1-4 at Champlain College.The theme of the conference is “Changing What We Measure from Wealth to Well-Being.”One of PJC’s board members, Linda Wheatley, is at the heart of Gross National HappinessUSA.
PJC has joined the Slow Money Alliance, a group formed to encourage co-investmentand provide technical assistance in sustainable agriculture, local economies, organic food,and small enterprises. The Slow Money Alliance will host a national gathering June 9-11 atShelburne Farms. Bill McKibben is one of the featured speakers along with Will Raap,founder of Gardener’s Supply.
As we move forward with releasing Parts 2 and 3 of Phase 10 of the Vermont Job Gap Study, we will besoliciting input from our members, the community, policy makers, and other stakeholders. We will beholding a conference on November 18, the culmination of months of research and collaboration. On thatday, we’ll be rolling out our legislative agenda for the next biennium and explain the ideas put forth in Part 3of our latest Vermont Job Gap Study, “Toward a New Economy.”
Mark your calendars now, so that you don’t miss out on these exciting events, which promote positivecollaboration with allies who support moving Vermont in the direction of a new economy that promotes allforms of healthy capital—natural, social, human, and financial. Please join us in these endeavors!
In celebration of Peace and Justice,
Nancy Lynch
Greetings!
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3April 2010
research policy action
The Peace & Justice Center is proud toannounce our 2nd Annual Youth ActivistInstitute, held at Vermont TechnicalCollege in Randolph from June 25th-27th.
What is it?YAI is a grant funded project designed toengage high school aged youth inactivism, and empower them to inspireothers and make change. It is a weekend-long program filled with workshops,guest speakers and various activism-related activities. Our goals are to build acommunity of youth activists to sustainand support each other, as well ascultivate tools and confidence for youthto go forward and build campaigns.
Who can do it?If you are a high school student inVermont and you want to learn how tomake a change, we want you! You don’thave to have had extensive experience inactivism or inspiring change, all you needis passion and a desire to learn abouthow to make change in your community –local or global. By working with esteemedprofessionals during informationalworkshops, you will get a first-hand viewof how easy it is to make a difference.
How much does it cost?If accepted, you will be asked to submit a$25 deposit along with permission forms.The deposit will be returned to you uponarrival at the Institute. Deposit waiversare available. Essentially, if you commit tothe Institute and you arrive as planned,the entire weekend is free.
How do I apply?You can find the application atwww.pjcvt.org/what-we-do/youth-activist-institute/. Fill it out and e-mail itto Colin Robinson [email protected] or mail it to:
Peace and Justice CenterAttn: Youth Activist Institute60 Lake Street, 1CBurlington, VT 05401
Make sure your application isin by Friday, April 16th!
What students have saidabout YAI in the past…
“There was no time that I didn’tenjoy and I feel as though every minutefrom the moment I arrived, I was learningnew, useful things and having fun.”
“I realized how much power I haveas a youth, and that I can really change
things, because sometimes I feel like I’mnot taken seriously.”
“The most important thing I gainedwas inspiration. It gave me a lot of hopeto know there are other teens with similargoals to mine and now that I have theseskills and know these tactics, I feel like I’llget a lot more done.”
“I have been so blessed to grow upin VT where so many people haveempowered me. I want to pay that forwardand continue to inspire youth to enactchange.”
“I will speak! I will share myexperience and feelings and never believea problem can’t be fixed!”
“[I learned that] in order to changethe world you have to take it one step at atime.”
Have more questions?You can e-mail Colin Robinson [email protected] or call him at(802)863-2345 ex 8, or you can e-mail AmyDunki-Jacobs at [email protected] call her at (802)863-2345 ex 9.
ACelebrationof
HowardZinn
Film: You Can’t be Neutral on a Moving Train, by Vermont filmmaker, Deb Ellis.Matt Damon narrates this biographical portrait of historian and activist Howard Zinn, author of thepivotal A People’s History of the United States, who’s been at the forefront of progressive thoughtin America for decades. The documentary chronicles his commitment to social change througharchival materials, commentary from Zinn and interviews with contemporaries Noam Chomsky,Daniel Ellsberg, Tom Hayden and Alice Walker, among others.Followed by readings of Howard Zinn’s work. $10 to benefit the Peace & Justice Center
Friday, April 23, 7pm,Contois Auditorium, City Hall, Burlington.
4 April 2010
research policy action
BY Bill McKibben & folks at 350
he science is clear: global warmingis happening faster than ever and
humans are responsible. Globalwarming is caused by releasing what arecalled greenhouse gases into the atmo-sphere. The most common greenhousegas is carbon dioxide. Many of theactivities we do every day, like turn thelights on, cook food, or heat or cool ourhomes rely on the combustion of fossilfuels like coal and oil, which emit carbondioxide and other heat-trapping gaseswhen burned. This is a major problembecause global warming destabilizes thedelicate balance that makes life on thisplanet possible. Just a few degrees intemperature can completely change theworld as we know it, and threaten thelives of millions of people around theworld.
350.org is an international campaigndedicated to building a movement tounite the world around solutions to theclimate crisis – the solutions that science
and justice demand.Our mission is to inspire the world to
rise to the challenge of the climatecrisis—to create a new sense of urgencyand of possibility for our planet.
Our focus is on the number 350 – as inparts per million, the level scientists haveidentified as the safe upper limit for CO2in our atmosphere. But 350 is more than anumber – it’s a symbol of where we needto head as a planet. (We are at 387 now.)
In order to unite the public, media, andour political leaders behind the 350 goal,we harnessed the power of the internet tocoordinate a planetary day of action onOctober 24, 2009. There were actions atthousands of iconic places around theworld – 5,281 to be exact. People as-sembled all over the world – from theHimalayan peaks to the Great Barrier Reefto your community – to send a clearmessage to world leaders: the solutionsto climate change must be equitable, theymust be grounded in science, and theymust meet the scale of the crisis.
We pushed on towards the UN ClimateSummit in Copenhagen, and helpedorganize a massive mobilzation on theweekend of December 12th, with candle-light vigils, marches, and local actions ofall kinds.
Our slogan for 2010 is ”Get ToWork.” Get to work to start changing ourcommunities, and get to work to make ourleaders realize that they actually need tolead. We’ve sifted through thousands ofemails from all over the world, and comeup with an action plan for this year thatmay break the logjam and get us moving.But only, of course, if we act together tomake it happen.
Mark your calendar: October10. Working with our friends at the 10:10campaign, we’re going to make the tenthday of the tenth month of themillennium’s tenth year a real startingpoint for concrete action. We’re calling itthe 10/10 Global Work Party, and in everycorner of the world we hope communitieswill put up solar panels, insulate homes,erect windmills, plant trees, paint bikepaths, launch or harvest local gardens.We’ll make sure the world sees this hugeday of effort – and we’ll use it to send asimple message to our leaders: “We’reworking – what about you? If we cancover the roof of the school with solarpanels, surely you can pass the legisla-tion or sign the treaty that will spread ourwork everywhere, and confront theclimate crisis in time.” 10/10/10 will take asnapshot of a clean energy future – theworld of 350 ppm – and show people whyit’s worth fighting for. It’s not too early tosign up at www.350.org/oct10.
Every nation is not created equal inthis climate crisis, of course. If we can’tget the biggest polluters and the biggesteconomies to change, then we’ll neverwin. So we’re going to focus someparticular attention on China, the UnitedStates, and India with a Great PowerRace – college and university campuseswill compete to see who can come up withthe most, and the most creative, climatesolutions. We hope friendly competitionwill help governments see that they havea lot to gain by diving into clean energy –and a lot to lose by missing this opportu-nity.
Our theory of change is simple: if aninternational grassroots movement holdsour leaders accountable to the latestclimate science, we can start the globaltransformation we so desperately need.
Go to www.350.org to find out moreabout how you can be part of thesolution to our global climate crisis!
Kids4Peace1st Annual Interfaith Walk-4-Peace
Join us in our mission for interfaith peace on our WALK-4–PEACE.Your donations will support Kids4Peace.Goal: $10,000 - or 100 walkers w/ 10 sponsors @$10 eachSunday, April 11, 2010 from 1-3pm Where: St. Paul’s Cathedral, BurlingtonRegister at www.kids4peacevermont.org or call Debbie @ 802-349-7222
Calling Campers for Kids4Peace VermontKids4Peace joins 12 Israeli & Palestinian 11-13 year olds of Muslim, Jewish and Christianfaiths with 12 Vermont kids of similar ages/faiths. This is a unique opportunity to learnabout different faith traditions while enjoying the fun of a sleep-away camps at theKids4Peace Camp on Lake Champlain.Camp information:July 23 - August 1st
Bishop Booth Conference Center on Lake ChamplainCost: $500Application deadline May 1st, 2010
Please visit www.Kids4PeaceVermont.org for application forms and additionalinformation or call Ronen Schechner 802-922-4487.
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5April 2010
research policy action
BY Linda Wheatley
here is a new Vermont-based, non-profit organization whose mission
is to support development andapplication of an expanded set of indica-tors that measures well-being and isapplied to policy-making. Gross NationalHappiness USA, or “GNHUSA,” envi-sions a sustainable future, based on thiscomprehensive set of social progressindicators that reflects our Americanvalues and truly supports life, liberty andthe pursuit of happiness.
The founders of GNHUSA are follow-ing the lead of a tiny, Himalayan country,Bhutan, where the king famously declaredto an American journalist in the ’70s that“Gross National Happiness is moreimportant than Gross Domestic Product.”Bhutan, the world’s youngest democracy(first elections held in March 2008) hasdrafted its constitution and national five-year plan, and structured its entiregovernment, around the four pillars ofGross National Happiness: good gover-nance and democratization, the promotionof sustainable development, the preserva-tion and promotion of cultural values, andthe conservation of the natural environ-ment. Intense research over the pastdecade to define the conditions ofBhutanese happiness has resulted in anextensive survey that gathers data on 72measurable indicators grouped undernine principal domains – time use, livingstandards, good governance, psychologi-cal well-being, community vitality, culture,health, education, and ecology.
Economic data, like GDP and the flowof the Dow, do not necessarily reflect ourwell-being. Vermonters get this. Thefourth annual international researchconference on Gross National Happinesswas held in Bhutan in November 2008. Ofthe 67 international guests, SIX were fromVermont, including Linda Wheatley, nowthe President of GNHUSA. Over the pastyear Linda has gathered a team ofenthusiastic and knowledgeable moversand shakers around the idea of starting aGNH movement in the US, through thesocially progressive gateway of Vermont.
June 9-11, ShelburneFarms, Shelburne VTSlow Money Alliance was formed byWoody Tasch, along with some other,really forward thinkers, such as theamazing Jodie Evans, Co-Founder ofCODEPINK, Vermont’s own Ian andMargo Baldwin, the co-founders ofChelsea Green Publishing, and many,many other very cool people and busi-nesses.
The Principles of SlowMoney1) We must bring money back down toearth.2) There is such a thing as money that istoo fast, companies that are too big,finance that is too complex.3) The 20th century buy low/sell high andwealth now, philanthropy later, is so lastcentury. The 21st Century needs to be theera of “nurture” capital, built around theprinciples of carrying capacity, care of thecommons, sense of place and non-violence.4) We must learn to invest as if food,farms and fertility mattered. We must
Slow Money Alliance Conferenceconnect investors to the places wherethey live, creating vital relationships andnew sources of capital for small foodenterprises.5) Let us celebrate a new generation ofentrepreneurs, consumers, and investorswho are showing the way from Making aKilling to Making a Living!6) Paul Newman said, “I just happen tothink that in life we need to be a little likethe farmer who puts back into the soilwhat he takes out. “ Recognizing thewisdom of these words, let us beginrebuilding our economy from the groundup, asking: What would the world looklike if we invested 50% of our assetswithin 50 miles of where we live? What ifthere were a new generation of compa-nies that gave away 50% of their profits?What if there were 50% more organicmatter in our soil 50 years from now?
Sound good? Curious? Then registerfor the Slow Money Alliance NationalGathering from June 9-11 and learn moreabout this important strategy for re-localizing our economies and workingtoward a better quality of life for us all! I’llsee you there!
The movement will launch on June 1-4,2010 at Champlain College. A three-dayconference, “GNH2010: Changing WhatWe Measure from Wealth to Well-Being,”will be followed by a one-day GNHAmbassador Training. Internationalguests from Bhutan, Brazil, and Canada,where GNH movements are underway, willset the GNH stage and bring Vermont upto speed. A powerful list of Vermonters,including Bill McKibben, Robert
Costanza and Con Hogan will help nearly200 registered conference participantsunderstand how this shift could trans-form how we think, live, and worktogether. Just imagine making happinessthe centerpiece of our decision-making!
For more information about GNH2010and the Ambassador Training, take a lookat www.gnhusa.org. If you’d like to beinvolved, contact Linda Wheatley (802)229-6932 or [email protected].
Gross National Happiness
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6 April 2010
research policy action
Robin’s Nest
BY Robin Lloyd
“How Oscar Romero got disappeared bythe Right wingers – for the second time.”– Jon Stewart on the Daily Show,explaining how Oscar Romero gotdumped from US history books by theTexas School Board since “no one knewwho he was.”
TS Eliot said April is the cruelestmonth. But if I had to choose thecruelest decade in recent memory, itwould be the 1980s. Presided over byJimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan,and bookended by the assassinationof Archbishop Oscar Romero (March24, 1980) and the cold bloodedmurder of six Jesuits at the Univer-sity of El Salvador (November 16,1989), most of the high profilemurders that traumatized CentralAmerica during that decade tookplace in tiny El Salvador, the smallestcountry of Central America.
Around every anniversary ofRomero’s death, I’ve hoped to go toEl Salvador to pay my respects to Romeroand the Salvadoran people. His deathpropelled me into activism. This yearSchool of Americas Watch (SOAW) wasorganizing a delegation that would takepart in the 30th anniversary commemora-tion of the assassination, and alsopetition the government to cease sendingsoldiers to be trained at the School of theAmericas. A new, potentially progressivepresident, had been elected, MauricioFunes. SOAW founder Roy Bourgeoisand Lisa Sullivan would lead the group. Itwas too good to be missed. I got the lastavailable slot on the delegation.
Why was El Salvador the largestrecipient of US military aid in CentralAmerica during the 80s? Looking back 30years, and talking with fellow delegationmembers, I came to understand moredeeply the US paranoia against commu-nism, even under the “human rightspresidency” of Jimmy Carter. As he andhis advisers saw it, Cuba “going commu-nist” back in 1959 was the first affront.
Oscar Romero and Vermont
Then, twenty years later, leftists tookover Nicaragua. Now El Salvador was onfire. The White House could not letrevolutionary forces prevail in El Salva-dor. Three strikes and you’re out. Fromtheir perspective, it was beginning to looklike the domino theory from Vietnam wastaking hold in Central America.
The person standing in the way of
increased US military aid to the undemo-cratic government of El Salvador was theArchbishop of San Salvador, OscarRomero. In an act uncharacteristic of aCatholic leader, Romero sent Carter aletter asking him to end military aid to theJunta. Meanwhile, the White House wastrying to convince the Pope to “muzzle”Romero. None of this worked.
As members of his congregation werekilled in increasing numbers by deathsquads, Romero intensified his advocacyfor the poor. “The Church in El Salvadorseeks to fulfill its commitment to defendthe poor,” he said, even though by doingso it risked sharing in its persecution. OnMarch 23, 1980, he spoke his perhapsmost famous homily: “I would like tomake an appeal in a special way to themen of the army….Brothers, you are partof our own people. You kill your owncampesino brothers and sisters…In thename of God, and in the name of thissuffering people, whose laments rise toheaven each day more tumultuous, I beg
you, I ask you, I order you in the name ofGod: Stop the repression.”
The next day he was killed by onebullet while saying mass in a small chapelin San Salvador.
I remember being awestruck that theblatant murder of an archbishop holdingan important position in the hierarchy ofthe most powerful religious institution inthe western hemisphere could take place,and nobody seemed to mind. The dayafter Romero’s funeral, which itself wasmarred by violence when armed men inplainclothes fired into a crowd of mourn-ers, Carter approved an increase in “non-lethal” US aid to the Salvadoran govern-
ment, which included cargo trucks,radar, riot control gear, and night-visiontracking equipment. Three days beforehe left office, Carter lifted the ban onUS arms sales to El Salvador.
These acts galvanized the Vermontpeace movement. Progressive CatholicsMarmete Hayes and Miriam Wardcreated the Burlington chapter of PaxChristi in 1981. In 1984 activistsoccupied the office of Robert Stafford(and renamed it “The Maura Clark andOscar Romero Peace Center.”) becausehe was not willing to hold a publicmeeting with us to discuss military aidto Central America. (In our subsequent
trial, called ‘The Winooski 44’, we arguedthat the necessity defense gave us thejustification to break a law – occupyingthe offices – in order to bring attention toa larger crime – the war against the poorin Central America. We won!).
We held multiple demonstrations infront of the General Electric plant onLakeview Ave. There, GE was manufactur-ing the dreadful rapid fire machine gun,called the gatling gun. Mounted onhelicopters, it was used routinely in ElSalvador, most dramatically during theSumpul River massacre, where peasantsfleeing the Salvadoran army tried to crossthe Sumpul River to Honduras. Thegunships swooped down and machinegunned women and children crossing theriver holding on to a rope.
Every gun was tested at the EthanAllen Testing Range in Jericho, Vermont.Sneaking in early one morning undercover of darkness, we built a few shacks
Robin’s Nest continued on page 7
7April 2010
research policy action
BY Joseph Gainza
An international festival, rally, and marchagainst nuclear weapons is taking placein New York City on Sunday, May 2, 2010when the UN is holding a historic reviewof the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty(NPT), the most important disarmamenttreaty of the 20th century.
A bus of Vermont youth will betraveling to New York City to join youngpeople and others from around the worldin calling on the nations assembled at theUN to abolish all nukes. An opportunityfor youth from Japan, Europe, and the USto network is being arranged for the dayof the festival, rally, and march.
What’s the big deal aboutnuclear weapons?
Nine countries maintain arsenals ofnuclear weapons – all together, over23,000 warheads – and more nations aretrying to acquire them. The likelihood that
representing the village Esperanza (Hope)a few hundred feet in front of the targetson the testing range. We succeeded instopping the tests for a few hours, and noarrests were made.
Meanwhile, Peter Schumann of theBread and Puppet Theater created asummer pageant featuring a two storyhigh Romero puppet. Side eventsportrayed the terror imposed on theCentral American people by the US. Thenext year, we at Green Valley Mediaturned the B&P production into a book:Stories of Struggle and Faith fromCentral America.
I took several copies with me to giveto activists and libraries. It features onthe cover a towering Romero puppetembracing his people, and, inside, adramatization of his life complete withphotos of cardboard death squads, whitebirds, and the immolation of evil in a giantbonfire.
Here in Vermont we have done ourbest to remind people of who Oscar
they will be used against populationcenters is increasing. These weapons cannot only destroy life on our planet manytimes over, but they are also used aspolitical weapons of terror, reinforcingglobal inequality, and threatening topollute the earth with deadly radiation.Getting rid of these weapons will free upenormous resources to address climatechange, other environmental damage, andmass poverty.
What can the UN meetingdo?
Remove the threat to all life on earthposed by nuclear weapons with a treatythat stops the building, storing, andthreat of use of nuclear weapons andeliminating those which presently exist.Nuclear weapons will never bring peace.They only bring more fear and hatred intothe world and threaten our future.
May 2: International Day of Action Against Nukes
Why do youth voices makea difference?
Young people will inherit the world.They must have a voice in abolishingthese most destructive weapons and helpinsure a more just, peaceful and sustain-able future. What the UN decides willaffect our lives and the lives of genera-tions to come. Whether there are futuregenerations literally hangs in the balance.Join the peace-bus and ensure that thevoices of VERMONT youth are heard.
Activities in New York include:meeting of youth from Japan, Europe, theUS and elsewhere, Rally near TimesSquare, March across 42nd Street to theUnited Nations, and an InternationalPeace & Music Festival in DagHammarskjold Plaza across from the UN.To learn more about the activities in NewYork: http://peaceandjusticenow.org/
Get on the Bus!Leaving Burlington around midnightSaturday and leaving NYC around7:30pm, arriving back in Vermont veryearly Monday morning. Stops inBurlington, Berlin, White River Junction,Brattleboro. To get a ticket for the bus,contact: VT Action for Peace (VTAFP):802-522-2376; [email protected]. Youthunder 18 must have written permissionfrom parent or guardian; permission formsare available from VTAFP. Youth Scholar-ships reduce the cost to $10.00 roundtrip.Others will pay a reduced fare (approx.$30).
Romero was. Perhaps I’ll send a copy ofStories of Struggle and Faith to theTexas School board.
In the next issue of P&J News, I’ll reporton the huge 30th anniversary Romeromarch to the cathedral in San Salvador,and our meeting with the vice minister ofdefense.
Robin’s Nest continued from page 6
Father Roy Bourgeois, founder of School ofAmericas Watch, reads Bread & Puppet:Stories of Struggle and Faith.
8 April 2010
research policy action
– e.g. food aggregation facilities, lightprocessing, storage and new distributionmodels;
In-depth research to identifyopportunities for increasing food securityand local food access for low-incomeVermonters;
Identification of all the organiza-tions and their programs which serve thefarm and food sector in Vermont.
Blueprint for the NextBlueprint for the NextBlueprint for the NextBlueprint for the NextBlueprint for the Next10 Y10 Y10 Y10 Y10 Yearsearsearsearsears
Goals, objectives, and strategies forstrengthening Vermont’s farm and foodsystem over the next ten years;
A prioritized list of investmentswhich, if made, would help implementgoals and substantially strengthenVermont’s food system over the next 10years;
A list of policy changes needed tosupport the growth and development ofVermont’s food system over the next 10years;
Suggestions for how to improvecoordination and collaboration amongstakeholder organizations;
GIS based maps that visually depictbasic demographic, land, infrastructureand related resource data, and theopportunities for infrastructure invest-ment;
A local food expansion plan (i.e.identify ways to further expand theavailability of locally produced, afford-able food).
Potential Impacts ofPotential Impacts ofPotential Impacts ofPotential Impacts ofPotential Impacts ofImplementing This PlanImplementing This PlanImplementing This PlanImplementing This PlanImplementing This Planand How to Measureand How to Measureand How to Measureand How to Measureand How to MeasureProgress Over TimeProgress Over TimeProgress Over TimeProgress Over TimeProgress Over Time
An economic impact analysis (usingthe REMI model) of the anticipatedincrease in the number of jobs andrevenue that would result from fullyimplementing the strategic plan;
An ecological services analysis ofthe anticipated improvements to air andwater quality, soil health, etc. that wouldresult from fully implementing thestrategic plan (planned if funding can befound);
A plan for how the Strategic Plan forAgricultural Economic Development in
Vermont will be monitored and evaluatedover time, including indicators and othermetrics, and identification of organiza-tions who will be responsible for the on-going monitoring and evaluation.
We believe that the final Strategic Planfor Agricultural Economic Development inVermont will be a valuable roadmap foreveryone interested in growing Vermont’sfarm and food sector.
Farm to Plate Statewide Food SummitSaturday, April 10, 2010 from 9:30am-4pmRutland Middle School, Rutland
Keynote Speaker: Ken Meter, President, Crossroads Resource Center (www.crcworks.org)Meter is one of the most experienced food system analysts in the United States. His work integratesmarket analysis, business development, systems thinking, and social concerns. Ken’s pioneeringstudy of the farm and food economy of Southeast Minnesota, Finding Food in Farm Country,helped strengthen a collaborative of food producers and led to the creation of the Hiawatha Fund,a regional investment fund. Ken’s work serves as a national model for analyzing rural economics andhas been adopted by 45 regions in 20 states across the US and in one Canadian province.
The purpose of the summit is to bring together stakeholders from the whole state to review thedraft goals and provide specific feedback to guide final drafting of the Farm to Plate strategic plan.An inspirational keynote by Ken Meter will begin the day, followed by breakout work sessions toseek feedback on draft goals. We are planning for a large gathering, up to 500 people. Registrationrequired due to limited space at the school. Convened by: Farm to Plate Initiative, VT SustainableAgriculture Council, and VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets.
REGISTRATION:REGISTRATION:REGISTRATION:REGISTRATION:REGISTRATION: Please contact Heather Pipino at [email protected]. $10 registration fee to coverlunch– scholarships available. Send check to: Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, ATTN: Farm to PlateSummit, 3 Pitkin Court, Suite 301E, Montpelier, VT 05602. Registration: 8:30-9:30am
PPPPPARKING: ARKING: ARKING: ARKING: ARKING: There is not a lot of on-site parking at the Rutland School. Participants are encouragedto carpool. On-street parking is available. Parking is also available in the Rutland City ParkingGarage, which is a few blocks walk from the school.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: If you live in the Rutland area and would like to volunteer to help withthe Statewide Food Summit, please send an email to Heather Pipino [email protected].
Farm to Plate continued from page 1
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10 April 2010
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C A L E N D A R
April 2010
[4] Sunday 12-1 Vets for Peace live call-in show on Channel 15.
2pm Vets for Peace at Dave Ross’ house: 28 Laurel Hill Dr., S. Burlington.
[5] Monday 6:15pm Burlington-Bethlehem-Arad Sister City Committee meeting at
Burlington College.
[8] Thursday 11:30am-2:00pm Managing and Retaining Employees in Hard Economic
Times: Livable Jobs and Working Bridges at World Learning (SIT), Rotch108/109, Kipling Rd, Brattleboro. This interactive workshop is specificallygeared towards Human Resource professionals and CEO/Presidents willprovide participants with an introduction to the Livable Jobs Toolkit. TheToolkit provides innovative workplace practices that facilitate employeeretention while finding alternative forms of compensation. The workshopwill also look at the Working Bridges project as one example of utilizinginnovative workplace practices to facilitate both employee and employersuccess. Cost $10.00: includes lunch and Livable Jobs Toolkit.
[10] Saturday 9:30-4 Farm to Plate Statewide Food Summit at Rutland Middle School.
See page 8.
[11] Sunday Kids4Peace 1st Annual Interfaith Walk-4-Peace. See p. 7.
[12] Monday 6-8pm Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel meeting at PJC.
7pm Rekoning with Torture: Memos & Testimonies from the “War onTerror” at Memorial Lounge, Waterman, UVM.
[14] Wednesday 5-6:30pm Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
(WILPF) meeting at the Peace & Justice Center. Info: 372-6117.
[16] Friday Deadline for Youth Activist Institute applications. See page 3.
[23] Friday 7pm A Celebration of Howard Zinn. Film: You can’t be Neutral on a
Moving Train. Followed by readings of his work. $10 to benefit the PJC.Contois Auditorium, City Hall, Burlington.
[24] Saturday 2-4pm Author Ron Krupp will present a slide show and discuss his book
Lifting the Yoke: Local Solutions to America’s Farm and Food Crisis.. Atthe Peace & Justice Store. See p. 11.
[30] April – [1] MayInternational Conference for a Nuclear Free, Peaceful, JustInternational Conference for a Nuclear Free, Peaceful, JustInternational Conference for a Nuclear Free, Peaceful, JustInternational Conference for a Nuclear Free, Peaceful, JustInternational Conference for a Nuclear Free, Peaceful, Justand Sustainable Worldand Sustainable Worldand Sustainable Worldand Sustainable Worldand Sustainable World Join with thousands of people from around the world on the eve of the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference at the UnitedNations, NYC. Hundreds of international organizations have cometogether to organize a weekend of action to bring pressure to bear onworld leaders who will be attending the NPT conference to make nuclearabolition a reality “in our lifetimes!” We also understand that nucleardisarmament is interconnected with ending the wars in Iraq andAfghanistan, funding human needs and environmental sustainability, sowe will march together to call for: No Nukes, No Wars, Fund HumanNeeds, Protect the Earth!
May 2010[1] Saturday Green Up Day: The Peace & Justice Center and Store is a site for getting
your free bags for picking up trash. We will have them starting Wednes-day, April 28.
11am VT Workers’ Center: Healthcare Is A Human Right Rally. Meet atMontpelier City Hall, 39 Main St. March to the Statehouse. 12noon, Rallyw/Senator Bernie Sanders. Let’s prove that Vermonters want real change.Bring everyone you can. Need a ride? Can give a ride? Want to helporganize? Call 802-861-4892 or email info @ workerscenter.org
[2] Sunday 2:00pm Disarm Now for Peace and Human Needs. New York City.
Rally • March • Peace & Music FestivalRally • March • Peace & Music FestivalRally • March • Peace & Music FestivalRally • March • Peace & Music FestivalRally • March • Peace & Music Festival
Get on the Bus! Leave Burlington around midnight Saturday, May 1, andleave NYC around 7:30pm Sunday Returning to Vermont very earlyMonday morning. Stops in Burlington, Berlin, White River Junction,Brattleboro. To get a ticket for the bus, contact: Vermont Action forPeace: 802-522-2376 or [email protected]. Youth under 18 must havewritten permission from parent or guardian; permission forms areavailable from VTAFP. YYYYYouth Scholarships Reduce the Cost toouth Scholarships Reduce the Cost toouth Scholarships Reduce the Cost toouth Scholarships Reduce the Cost toouth Scholarships Reduce the Cost to$10.00 Roundtrip. Others will pay reduced fare.$10.00 Roundtrip. Others will pay reduced fare.$10.00 Roundtrip. Others will pay reduced fare.$10.00 Roundtrip. Others will pay reduced fare.$10.00 Roundtrip. Others will pay reduced fare. To learn moreabout the activities in New York: http://peaceandjusticenow.org/
[9] Sunday 3-5pm Mother’s Day Event: Intergenerational celebration of the origin
of Mother’s Day and Mother’s Against War. Help us celebrate Mothers andPeace Activists Robin Lloyd and Wendy Coe, the founding mothers of PJCand long time activists. Celebrate the mothers in your lives...Music, Fun,food, flowers for moms! Bring the family! Unitarian Universalist Society,Burlington!
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Lifting the Yoke: Local Solutionsto America’s Farm & Food Crisis
• The Globalization of Food and Farming• The Battle of the Bulge• Sustainable Markets and Regional Solutions
BY Ron Krupp, author of the The Woodchuck’s Guide toGardening.
Foreword by Bill McKibben, Author andActivist, Ripton, VTA few years ago, just before it became fashionable, I decided tospend a year feeding my family solely from the food grown in ourVermont valley. I hesitated at first, worried about bland andchangeless dinners; but Otter Creek, our local brewery, had juststarted brewing beer made with wheat from the valley, so Idecided to give it a shot.
It turns out it was one of the best eating years of our life – notjust because the food was delicious but because the food meantsomething. We knew where it had come from, and by whosehands. We made dozens of new friends that year as we soughtout cider and beef and bread. (And root vegetables. Lots ofthose.) It turns out we’re not unique. A recent study found thatshoppers at farmers markets had ten times as many conversa-tions on average as shoppers at supermarkets.
In other words, the local food revolution that Ron Kruppdescribes so beautifully here, made so real that you can almosttaste it, is also a social revolution, though a calm and gentle one.The process of rebuilding local food networks will be one of thekey tasks in rebuilding working communities generally. Afterdecades of relying on cheap fossil fuel, we need to start relyingon neighbors again. This book shows how in practical terms, andin political terms too, because our leadership will need to spurthis process.
Vermont, for instance, could be far further down this roadalready with real help from both Montpelier and Washington. Wedon’t need ethanol. We need carrots, and cheese, and wheat.And beer. And Ron Krupp.
Meet Ron KruppOn April 24, 2-4pm, come to the Peace & Justice Store to meetRon Krupp and to enjoy some tea (Love & Tea Co.) and goodies(Just Desserts). Lifting the Yoke: Local Solutions to America’sFarm and Food Crisis is available at the Peace & Justice Store.
Testimonial: “It is time to revitalize America’s local food networks. Ron Kruppnavigates the issues and provides exemplary stories of peopledoing just that. The grim tale of our global food system mayleave you feeling powerless, but you are sure to find inspirationin this book, thick with examples of grassroots efforts focused onputting people, integrity, and real food back into America’s foodconsciousness.”
–Meghan Sheridan, Vermont Fresh Network
Ron Krupp has been involved with local farm and food issuesin Vermont for 39 years. He started one of the first farmers’markets in the early 70s in Brattleboro. Twenty-nine years ago,Ron published The Green Mountain Farmer, a monthly Vermontnewspaper dedicated to farm and food issues. He was a commer-cial organic/biodynamic vegetable grower for 10 years. Hecoordinated the 3-acre 165 plot Tommy Thompson CommunityGarden in the Intervale for 15 years. Ron currently teachesgardening to interns at Heartbeet, a farm community inHardwick for adults with disabilities. Ron has been doing farmand garden commentaries on Vermont Public Radio for 12years. He loves to tell stories and weave anecdotes as he did inhis first book, The Woodchuck’s Guide to Gardening. Lifting theYoke is his second book.
Rekoning with Torture: Memos &Testimonies from the “War on Terror”Librarians, professors, students, lawyers, and others read from recentlyreleased secret documents – memos, declassified communications, andtestimonies by detainees – in a public event to promote awareness of acts oftorture and abuse carried out by the US since 9/11.
Monday, April 12 at 7pm, Memorial Lounge, Waterman, UVM.Presented by the ACLU of Vermont and UVM Libraries.
Featured Readers: Philip Baruth, David Budbill, Stephanie Farrior, RobertGensburg, Traci Griffith, Ateqah Khaki, Trina Magi, Travis Nelson, HilaryNeroni, Adelit Rukomangana, David Sleigh, Emma Vick, and Sydnee Viray.With Opening and Closing Remarks from Allen Gilbert, executive director,ACLU-VT and Jeffrey Marshall, acting dean, UVM Libraries.
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