Jericho Energy Task Force

The Jericho Energy Task Force will hold its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday November

20 at 7pm via Zoom.

Although the name says energy, climate is also at its core as energy use and climate are

connected. We are always looking for new members interested in these subjects.

One of the topics that will be discussed and finalized is the winter movie series. See posts below for previous movie selections.

The Task Force would also like to know if there is interest in starting a climate and energy book group.

The Jericho Energy Task Force's first ever Repair Cafe on October 28th was a success. We had a cadre of incredibly accomplished and generous volunteers who worked on items ranging from clothes needing zippers and jewelry needing a light touch to dehumidifiers, oscillating fans, knives needing sharpening, a scythe, a musical teddy bear and oh so many sewing machines.

We had a steady stream of roughly 20 customers bringing in items and our tireless volunteers did what they could to make repairs. The JETF intends to hold another Repair Cafe next spring. We've learned from the first one and believe we can make the next one even better.

Photo credits: Chantal O'Connor

On October 28, the Jericho Energy Task Force will do its best to impede planned obsolescence by holding our first ever Repair Cafe from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Community Center. Our goal is to promote and teach the lost art of repair to all ages, keep perfectly good stuff out of the landfill, and build our town's sense of community by working together to meet each other's needs.

Need something fixed? Use this link to register in advance: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PTM-ZG7JwmXbEbFnwkxGc2m-24v4PYSJziemZIe_wKo/edit

To volunteer as a repair person please contact the committee directly.

We're hoping for people with the following skills:

Repair lamps–replace switches and cords, tighten wobbly bases
Repair jewelry (no soldering), replace watch batteries, fix watch bands,
Replace eyeglass screws
Repair camping and fishing gear
Repair furniture, clocks, dolls, favorite toys (wooden, metal, or plastic)
Troubleshoot and/or repair small appliances, electronics, radios, fans, heaters, (de)humidifiers, and sewing machines (I already know of two people who would like their sewing machines repaired)
Sharpen garden tools, replace wooden handles, repair electric trimmers
Sharpen knives, scissors, axes
Mend clothing by hand or sewing machine and repair holey knits
Replace zippers
Any other types of repair work that people might have expertise in

Please reach out to the committee if you think you can help.

You have seen the ads, now come see the cars and talk to their owners.

The Jericho Energy Task Force and Underhill Energy Committee have partnered with GMP and Drive Electric to showcase EVs on Thursday, June 29 from 4-6 pm at the Browns River Middle School.

From 5:30 - 6:30 pm at the Deborah Rawson Library fireplace room, there will be an opportunity to hear more about current incentives, charging stations and the ability to talk to owners about the pros and cons of EV ownership including traveling cross country.

On April 26^th at 7:00 the Jericho Energy Task Force will present a lecture by Seth Itzkan on The Role of Ruminants in Reversing Global Warming: How Local Farmers and Ranchers can be Climate Heroes at the Deborah Rawson Memorial Library. Itzkan is the co-founder and co-director of Soil4Climate, a global movement championing soil as a climate solution. Soil4Climate is a non-profit which advocates for soil restoration as a climate solution. They promote regenerative land management practices to capture atmospheric carbon and encourage collaboration with the larger body of climate activism.

Light refreshments will be served but this will be a waste-free event so please bring your own mugs and plates.

March 21, at 7 pm, the Jericho Energy Task Force will present Climate Change, Polar Bears and the Arctic at the Deborah Rawson Memorial Library. National Geographic author/photographer Kieran Mulvaney has traveled to Antarctica and the Arctic as a writer and as an activist for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Greenpeace, and SeaWeb. He spent seven years in Alaska before returning to the continental United States, settling in Bristol in 2014.

Mulvaney's books include The Whaling Season, At the Ends of the Earth, and The Great White Bear. His presentation will include plenty of photos of this charismatic species and a discussion of how their lives are impacted by climate change.

Light refreshments will be served but this is a waste-free event so please bring your own mugs and bowls. For more information, email vtphyl72@gmail.com.

The Jericho Energy Task Force recently hosted a meeting which discussed ways to burn wood more efficiently. Home heating is one of the top two sources for air pollution in Vermont (the other is transportation). If you can, replace your current wood stove (federal and state rebates are available!) with an EPA rated model, however even if you can't, these tips will reduce emissions from your current stove and save you money.

To learn how to reduce emissions, and save money by burning less wood watch a short video published by Burn Right Vermont here:

For additional details, including rebate resources, and step-by-step instructions to build a "top down fire" click here: https://www.burnrightvermont.org/

Join us for a film and panel discussion on regenerative farming and soil health on Wednesday, February 22, 7pm, at the Deborah Rawson Memorial Library.

Click Here To Watch Movie Trailer

VEC powers up two new solar arrays in Jericho in support of 100% renewables by 2030. The two new arrays developed by Encore Renewable Energy are sited on the closed landfill and former gravel put totaling 4.4MW.

Click on the photo below to view an article published in Vermontbiz.

photo courtesy Vermontbiz

Even though the weather may start to feel like spring is on the way, this winter with its cold and snow has brought a bumper crop of icicles. If your home has looked anything like the photo, not only are you spending money to stay warm inside, it is also costing you money to heat the outside. When you’re outside, study your roof. You may see areas where there is less snow than in other places or even bare. This can indicate where heat is leaking.

Efficiency Vermont - provides rebates of 50% of a project’s cost up to $5,000.00 for weatherization projects. There are programs for those meeting eligibility guidelines, which are quite generous, to have work done for free. There are also programs for very low interest loans structured so that there are no additional out of pocket costs. The monthly energy cost savings pay for the loan and the rebate will also offset part of the loan expenditures.

Work done this coming year will not only provide a warmer more comfortable home next winter, but will also cost less to do so. These weatherization projects that decrease home operating costs only increase comfort and do not increase the assessed value of the home.

To give you some ideas, check out Clean Energy States Alliance, for a pdf to a new guide for Vermonters on residential heating and cooling.