ZERO WASTE HOLIDAY SEASON TIPS

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the average American household’s waste increases by 25%. Below are ways to help reduce that:

GIFTS

• Shop local (saves on gas and keeps money in the community)

• Make Memories, not garbage: Give something to do, which they’ll long remember such as gym membership, dinner for two, classes at Fletcher Farm or Six Loose Ladies, music lessons, pass to the state parks, a membership in Cavendish’s only CSA Little Village Farm to name just a few ideas.

•  Area Business Services Gift Certificate. Check out the Cavendish Business Directory to arrange unique and one of a kind gifts.

• Buy handmade: There are a number of wonderful local artists whose work is available in area stores-check out Fletcher Farms Gift Shop, Six Loose Ladies as well as the Cavendish Business Directory under Artists.

• Make a donation in someone’s name and support one of the local non-profits. Hint hint, give the gift that gives back year round by supporting Cavendish Connects, and we’ll send a very special card announcing your gift.

• Give homemade gifts in reusable containers such as glass jars, tins, boxes, baskets etc.

• Re gift: Black River Good Neighbor (BRGN) Thrift Store is an excellent place to shop. Craigslist  and Freecycle Springfield  are all good places to check out.

• Reusable Gifts: Encourage family and friends to eliminate disposable items by giving them water bottles, lunch kits, LED lights etc.

• Upcycle: Turn trash into gifts they’ll love. Check out DIY Upcycled Handmade Gift Ideas. 

• Spend time not money: Instead of buying something for someone, do something with them or for them, such as a hike where you provide the lunch; or babysitting so they can go out for an evening where you’ve arranged the activities. If you have the skills, massage, haircut, landscaping, gardening, car repair are all great gifts.

 GREEN GIFT WRAP

• Put the gift in a reusable shopping bag thereby giving two gifts in one.

• Decorate scrap paper, newspaper, grocery bags, or leftover tissue paper with ink or poster paint using cookie-cutters or rubber stamps.

• Use fabric (check out the fabric bins at BRGN) and wrap using Furoshiki techniques (Japanese art of wrapping with fabric) or make some bags/sacks.

• Baskets, tins, or boxes that can be reused year after year.

HOLIDAY PARTIES

• E-mail invitations, or make a few phone calls.

• Avoid disposable and use your own dishes and silver ware. Borrow from friends and family if you don’t have enough. Want a few festive touches, try BRGN and the Dollar Store for inexpensive glassware that can be used year after year. If you end up with items you don’t want to store, donate them to BRGN or save for the July Town wide tag sale.

• If you must have matching dishes or absolutely refuse to deal with them altogether, compostable food ware  is now available at local grocery stores. 

• Make cloth napkins by cutting up holiday fabric with pinking shears or check out what BRGN might have. They generally have their holiday items in one section for easier shopping.

• Save glass jars and other reusable containers and encourage guests to take leftovers.

CARDS

• E-mail electronic greeting cards. Spend time on the greeting cards, include on-line photo albums etc.

• Buy recyclable and ones that support a local charity. CCCA has a variety of beautiful photography cards by local artists. These are available at Crow’s Bakery in Proctorsville.

• Repurpose greeting cards by cutting them up to make new cards or “to/from” gift tags.

• Recycle by sending them to: St. Jude's Ranch Card Recycling, 100 St. Jude Street, Boulder City, NV 89005. 

HOLIDAY DECOR 

·  Trees: According to Post Consumers, real trees support farms and natural eco systems. Buying a real tree isn’t just a “more” eco-friendly decision than using a fake tree, it’s actually a way to actively help the environment and enjoy the aroma/feeling of nature in your home. You’re also helping local farmers, which is always a good thing.

·  Decorations: Most people have tree ornaments that they use year after year. To keep them safe pack them with newspaper, reused packing peanuts, or old clothes.

·  Centerpieces: Use potted plants or evergreen cuttings from your yard, instead of buying cut flowers to make centerpieces. Compost/mulch the greenery after using.

·  Lights: Use LED Christmas Lights, which are up to 90 percent more efficient than their incandescent counterpart. Use a timer so they don’t burn all night and recycle old lights. Remember that both incandescent and LED holiday lights are recyclable. 

Cavendish Update 12/12/14 Bridge/SB Mtg/News/Events

GIVE THE GIFT THAT GIVES BACK with news and information that you use throughout the year. Support Cavendish Connects by mailing a check to Cavendish Connects, PO Box 3, Cavendish VT 05142 or clicking the Support Button and donating on-line. 

 Other ways to support Cavendish Connects:

• Make a donation for an issue of the Cavendish Update in someone’s name

• Organize a fundraiser.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DAVIS RD BRIDGE IS CLOSED, DUE TO CONSTRUCTION, FOR THE NEXT WEEK.

THE 12/12/14 EDITION OF THE CAVENDISH UPDATE

1. Cavendish Select Board Meeting

2. Cavendish Related News

3. Events

1. CAVENDISH SELECT BOARD MEETING 12/8/14: Select board (SB) meetings are recorded by LPC-TV and are available at their website  and on Comcast Television.  Written minutes are available at the town’s website. 

Items covered in the meeting included:

• Telecommunications: SB members were e-mailed the preliminary findings of the Cavendish Telecommunications Survey. Rich Svec, town manager, said that representatives from TDS, but not Comcast, would attend the January Select Board meeting.

• New England Clean Power Link: A representative spoke to the board about the proposed 1,000 MW High Voltage Direct Current transmission line that would deliver clean, affordable hydropower to Vermont and the New England marketplace. The privately financed line would be submerged in Lake Champlain and buried in existing rights of way and would run from the Canadian boarder to a converter station to be built on Nelson Rd in Ludlow, just over the Cavendish line, and be connected to the Coolidge substation located in Cavendish.

• Request for Funds: Various non-profits requested funds for FY 2016 Town Budget

• Solar Project: Panels are up and will be partially on-line by Dec. 31 as several parts wont be delivered until January.

• Skate Park at Greven Field: Members of the Recreation Department provided drawings of a proposed skate ramps etc. for Greven Field.

• Bridge Projects: The East/Brook Rd Bridge is now open. An approach guardrail will be installed in the spring. Weather dependent, work has been taking place on the Davis Rd Bridge, which is now closed for approximately a week. Completion and first use will not be until spring 2015.

For a full report on the SB meeting, go to The Dish. 

2. CAVENDISH RELATED NEWS

Congratulations to Lily Calabrese: Lily, a Proctorsville resident and currently a student at the University of Vermont, took 2nd place at the Killington Rails to Riches Snowboard competition.

Congratulations to Justin Stearns: Congratulations to PFD Jr Firefighter Justin Stearns on being named PFD Jr Firefighter of the year for 2014. Justin has been a Jr Firefighter for 4 years now, and has made great improvements over that time. Justin continues to train very hard and work towards the status of Firefighter in 2 years when he turns 18. Special note of thanks to Bob Glidden who is responsible for the Junior’s program.

 Public Has Say in $1.2 Billon Power Line Project: One longtime resident wonders if a proposed $1.2 billion underground hydropower transmission line would carry the electrical dangers of trolleys a century ago. Another worries it could interfere with ham radio signals today. But so far, most Vermonters are taking a wait-and-see approach. Transmission Developers Inc. used a sparsely attended Cavendish Select Board meeting in this town of 1,367 Monday night to announce it is seeking state approval for a New England Clean Power Link to run 150 miles from the Canadian border to a planned $200 million converter plant in Ludlow. Times Argus 

More GMP Crews Responding to Outages Than During Irene: After more than a foot of snow fell on parts of Vermont Tuesday and Wednesday, road crews and utilities are working around the clock to restore service across the state. Officials say the heavy, wet snow caused outages and road closures across much of the state. While several hundred households were affected for more than 10 hours, by Thursday, all of Cavendish had power restored. VPR 

 115th Annual Christmas Bird Count: The longest running citizen science program in the world, the count originally began on Christmas Day in 1900 when ornithologist and legendary birder Frank Chapman posed an alternative to an earlier traditional holiday “side hunt.” Chapman proposed “hunting” birds to record their numbers. The 115th Christmas Bird Count will take place from December 14, 2014 through January 5, 2015. This is perhaps the longest running citizen science project in Vermont! Each count occurs in a designated circle, 15 miles in diameter, and is led by an experienced birder, or designated “compiler”. Read more to learn where Vermont CBCs are located, date of counts and compiler contact information. Vermont e-Bird 

VT Ranked 2nd Healthiest State: According to the annual America's Health Rankings report from the United Health Foundation, Vermont trails only Hawaii. Vermont scores well for its best-in-the nation high school graduation rate, second lowest percent of children living in poverty and second lowest rate of violent crime. Vermont also had the fourth lowest rate for low birth weight babies, fourth lowest for physical inactivity and seventh lowest for obesity rate. WCAX

 3. EVENTS: Last weekend for the tree and green sales at both fire departments.  Juniors of the PFD will also be conducting a bottle drive, so please drop your cans and bottles that are worth a .5¢ deposit. Santa will be on hand at both the Stepping Stones Breakfast Buffett as well as the Proctorsville Fire Department

For more information on these and other upcoming events, go to

• Cavendish Connects Calendar 

•  Okemo Valley Calendar 

SUPPORT CAVENDISH CONNECTS  

Davis Rd Bridge Closed

The Davis Rd Bridge is closed due to construction for the next two weeks. Please seek alternative routes. As soon as it is open, we'll post to Cavendish VT Facebook page and The Dish. 

Power Outage: Shower and Food Available Today

Due to the power outage in Cavendish, a hot lunch and shower are available from 11:30 to 1 today, Wednesday Dec. 10, at the Cavendish Baptist Church Shelter on Main Street Cavendish. 
• It's recommended that you bring a towel, since these are in short supply. 

• If you want a shower at another time, please call 226-7131.

• If you would like to donate an item for the luncheon, please drop it off after 11:00 am. 

• If the power outage continues, a dinner schedule will be posted to the Cavendish VT Facebook page. and the blog of the Cavendish Connects website at 2 pm.