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“If you want to know what to do in Farm to School, you might want to take a look at what Vermont is doing because they've got a good program." -- U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Vermont in February delivering the keynote address at the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s annual conference. While in the area the Secretary, joined by Vermont Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, and Representative Peter Welch, met with local advocates to discuss hunger and nutrition issues. Shelburne Farms staffer Dana Hudson shared the good news that Vermonters report higher consumption of fruits and vegetables than other states. Want proof? Check out these maps of fruit and veggie consumption from the Centers for Disease Control.
“You guys are helping to make an energy revolution. There is a world of opportunity out there and there is nothing more important." -- Senator Bernie Sanders, addressing recipients of federal "Solar in Schools" grants. Senator Bernie Sanders was at the Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes to announce the ten schools recently awarded federal "Solar in Schools" grants secured by Sanders. Each school is in line for $50,000 to install solar panels and educate about renewable energy. The Sustainability Academy, a partner of Shelburne Farms, was one of the grant recipients. With the funds, the Academy will purchase and install two solar arrays, monitoring equipment and software. Students will collect data and analyze the school's energy use as the first phase in a "Net Zero" initiative. The goal is to engage the entire school community in the learning challenge of taking the building to "net zero" (on-site energy production meets or exceeds the building's energy consumption on average) over the next five years. More from VPR on the day, including the other nine recipients, here.
In early February, the entire community of the Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes in Burlington came to Shelburne Farms for a field day to celebrate winter, the outdoors, and our partnership. Through our Sustainable Schools Project, Shelburne Farms partners with the Academy by offering professional development for their educators, curriculum planning, and on-site classroom teaching, as well as technical assistance through the Burlington School Food Project. Last week, though, we just served up fun!
We've just launched Green Tips with one of our partners, MobileFeat to help educate adults and kids on becoming more green. This app gives hundreds of tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint, suggests green activities for kids and families, and gives you a chance to ask questions to leading Green experts. Check it out! Back making cheese, that is. On February 23rd, Andy, Nat, and Paul made the first cheese of 2010, with just over 7,000 pounds of milk. Nat reported that a few mechanical difficulties made their first day "a little rough," but now they'll be making three times a week through April, when production will kick up. Where can you purchase our cheese? We have a new list of retail outlets that carry our cheddar, so you can find out if there's one near you. This list is ever-changing, so call ahead. And if there's a store that you'd like to see carry our cheddar, let them know--and let us know, too, by emailing Carolyn Golojuch. Of course, you can always find our cheddar at the Welcome Center & Farm Store, or order it online.
The sheep are waiting out their "confinement," (so to speak) in the Children's Farmyard. Sam Smith expects the first lambs sometime around March 1. Forester for a Day "Every time we come to Shelburne Farms we appreciate Vermont more because we learn more about it." -- Leigh Steele of Burlington, program participant, from WCAX story. The team at WCAX-TV was on hand last Saturday for our "Forester for a Day" Family Program. The video clip isn't available, but you can read the story here. |
Shelburne Farms is the kind of place where I tip my head back and watch the birds. Where I stand by the lake and watch the sun set, or wander in the woods to my heart's content. It's also the place where I've watched my children grow from their early years in Shelburne Farms' 4-H Club, training calves that weighed four or five times as much as they did, to being young adult 4-Hers, leading heifers (who weighed six or eight times as much as they did)! Shelburne Farms overflows with opportunities to learn about the natural world -- it teaches us "how it's meant to be." I hope you will join me this spring at Words Take Wing, or Bedrock to Birds, or any one of the many other wonderful opportunities that Shelburne Farms offers.
U.S. Secretary of Ag recognizes 
Bernie at Barnes celebrating solar in schools
Celebrating a Partnership 
New iPhone app launched!
The Boys are Back!
Waiting for Lambs
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Shelburne Farms cultivates a conservation ethic by teaching and demonstrating the stewardship of natural and agricultural resources.
We are a nonprofit environmental education center, 1,400-acre working farm, and National Historic Landmark.