Home & Garden

I’ve been shoveling out driveways and sidewalks most of my life. With the exception of a few years in Florida and DC, grabbing a shovel and clearing snow has been a part of my winter routine.

Shoveling provides time to think about shoveling.

The type of snow matters. Light powder is easily removed but often blows around and stings the face. Heavy, wet snow is a chore to remove, but it usually stays in place while I move it. Following forecasts to know what sort of snow to expect is a starting point.

For homes (and businesses):  Tesla Powerwall Pilot Program from Green Mountain Power.

Do you want to safeguard your home (or business) against outages?  Would you like to have some reserve power when you need it?  If you already have some solar panels, would you like to extend their life?

Come to a workshop to learn about one advanced option for on-site battery storage.

I’m looking to buy your used utility trailer, which I can pull behind my riding mower. Maybe, if your trailer doesn’t get much use, I can recycle it….if the price is right. Thanks so much !

An about my obsession with my newest tool, the scythe. I touch upon hand tools vs. power tools and how I’ve transformed the land I live on in West Brattleboro in just a few years by doing less.

An about how I encourage the wild strawberries in my yard, with minimal effort:

They’re not so far away!

Starting in 2018, wood-burning appliances will be banned unless they meet rigorous new emission standards of
2.5 grams of fine particles or less per hour. The bylaw is among the strictest in North America, said Réal Ménard, the city’s executive committee responsible for the environment. Presently, transforming a stove or fireplace with inserts
so that it is in compliance with the coming regulations costs between $2,000 and $8,000.

Do cold climate heat pumps make sense for you? Cold climate heat pumps have rapidly emerged as a promising technology for Vermont. Come to a workshop to learn about heat pump options for both hot water and space heating to see if they make sense for your home, business, or rental property.

These devices provide heat and domestic hot water using 25-50% less energy than conventional systems. They are environmentally-friendly as well – 87% free of carbon emissions when the electricity comes from Green Mountain Power. Heat pumps can also be combined with solar electric panels to provide 100% renewable energy.

The Brattleboro Food Co-op (BFC) is sponsoring a series of four wild mushroom foraging workshops this summer and fall. Led by Justin Garner, a clinical herbalist and founder of Sweet Flag Medicinals, each workshop will focus on whatever edible fungus is popping up in that particular month. Precautions will be taught for harvesting wild mushrooms, as well as cooking instructions and some on the ecology, natural history, flavor and medicinal value of the different species.

Pay As You Throw wasn’t so bad, now was it? All you have to do is spend a few extra hours (and/or dollars) a week on your trash and voila! It’s trash day and out to the curb it goes, in multiple assorted bins, to be sure, but at least it’s gone and that’s what matters. End of story, right?

Oh, how we wish. Unfortunately, now that we’re all composting, recycling, and reducing our landfill waste to little piles of plastic and metal oddments, we have a new problem. Curbside recycling is not profitable. It doesn’t even pay for itself. In many places, including Brattleboro, the recycling companies have to be propped up financially by the municipalities, costing taxpayers money (again).

Sunny Skies Forecasted for First Annual Statewide Celebrate Solar Tours Saturday

Sunny skies are forecasted for the weekend of the Summer Solstice when more than forty locations throughout Vermont will open their doors for Celebrate Solar Tours. Like the open sugarhouse weekend in the spring and open art studio weekend in the fall, the summertime tours will give Vermonters and visitors the opportunity to get an up-close view of solar systems to learn about the technology, solar economics, and the benefits of solar to our communities. Many locations will offer refreshments, music or other entertainment like community walking tours, miniature golf and on-site yoga.

Two great low or no-interest financing options are now available to help Vermonters make energy improvements in their homes: PACE financing and the Heat Saver Loan.

A public informational forum on these energy financing options will be held on Tuesday, June 16 at 5:30 pm at the Marlboro College Graduate School, 28 Vernon Street in downtown Brattleboro. Pizza and beverages will be provided. Space is limited – to register, contact Paul Cameron at 251-8135 or pcameron@brattleboro.org.

Two great low or no-interest financing options are now available to help Vermonters make energy improvements in their homes: PACE financing and the Heat Saver Loan.

A public informational forum on these energy financing options will be held on Tuesday, June 16 at 5:30 pm at the Marlboro College Graduate School, 28 Vernon Street in downtown Brattleboro. Pizza and beverages will be provided. Space is limited – to register, contact Paul Cameron at 251-8135 or pcameron@brattleboro.org.

BRATTLEBORO – Hilltop Montessori School of Brattleboro is launching a “Tiny House Raffle” to benefit the school’s financial aid program and Morningside Shelter. Jamaica Cottage Shop has donated a tiny house kit that Hilltop students and families will assemble this spring. The 7’ x 12’ house is built on a trailer for easy mobility and will be raffled off at 3pm on the Brattleboro Common after the Strolling of the Heifers parade on June 6th.

Come to “Road Map to Efficiency”, a regional energy roundtable Wednesday, January 20, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Windham & Windsor Housing Trust’s community room located at 68 Birge Street, Brattleboro

The roundtable will offer tools, resources, and support to homeowners, energy committees, and interested community members.

Roundtable topics include community grant opportunities, programs for schools, cold-climate heat pumps, residential solar options, on-bill repayment for residential efficiency projects, NeighborWorks H.E.A.T. Squad program updates, advice for starting an energy committee and how to spur action in communities.

Don’t miss this great light display!

 video.

Your house is drafty and your kitten is cold. It’s time to do something about that. If you’re a Brattleboro homeowner, schedule a home energy audit today and learn how you can save money and make your home more comfortable. Contact Brattleboro Town Energy Coordinator Paul Cameron to get started. 802.251.8135 or pcameron@brattleboro.org. Do it for kitten.

This is a project of the Brattleboro Energy Committee. Please watch and share this video on social media sites, email, blogs and list serves. Thanks!

The following dates have been scheduled for Brattleboro’s curbside Fall Leaf Collection. All locations will be picked up each Friday:

Leaf Pick Up Date

ALL RESIDENTS Friday, October 24, 2014

ALL RESIDENTS Friday, November 7, 2014

Greetings Friends,

If you have a stone wall that needs repair, please be in touch. I’ll explain how you can get it done, and do a good deed in the process – very much in the spirit of what our town stands for.

The Westminster West School invites you to its annual (and much anticipated!) spring plant sale, on Saturday, May 31 from 9am – 1pm. Come early for the best selection, including a wide variety of annuals, perennials, and vegetable starts from some of the area’s finest gardeners and farmers.

Dear Neighbors,

My partner Chad Mathrani and I would like to invite you to tour the Straw Bale Timber Frame home we are building in West Brattleboro. This will happen during the straw bale installation and plastering phases in July. Throughout the tour we will share samples of natural non-toxic material options, field questions, and discuss natural building.

Space is limited, so we ask that you reserve a spot. To do so, or to be put on a list to receive information about other talks and tours, please send an email to info@vermontnaturalhomes.com