Tom Ashbrook, host of NPR’s On Point, a 2-hour daily call in show heard on 286 radio stations around the country, talks about his journey from growing up on a farm in Illinois to covering global hotspots as a journalist for the Boston Globe and NPR. He also reflects on life and grieving after the recent death of his wife of 42 years.
Nathaniel Vinton, a sports reporter for the New York Daily News, talks about ski racers Bode Miller and Lindsay Vonn and how climate change has made ski racing more dangerous, in his new book, The Fall Line: How American Ski Racers Conquered a Sport on the Edge.
In Vermont, more than 26,000 children under the age of 6 are in need of childcare. According to Building Bright Futures, licensed childcare providers have the capacity to serve only 40 percent of these children. Up to half of children are not sufficiently prepared to enter kindergarten. Vermont Gov. Shumlin has called for the formation of a Blue Ribbon Commission to research financing options for high-quality, affordable childcare .
We have four perspective on childcare:
Parent: Alison Maynard, Director, Center for Leadership and Innovation at The University of Vermont Continuing Education, mother 4 and 5 year old.
Provider: Sonja Raymond, Owner of Apple Tree Learning Centers in Stowe, and Quality Project Coordinator for the Vermont Association of the Education of Young Children (VAEYC), mother of 16 yr old.
Business person: Benjamin (Ben) Wilson, President of the Better Middlebury Partnership, an organization dedicated to making the greater Middlebury area a better place to live, work and play. Ben is active in the BMP’s efforts to recruit telecommuters and new businesses to the Middlebury area. Dad of 5 & 7 yr old.
Robyn Freedner-Maguire, Campaign Director of Let’s Grow Kids, public education campaign that aims to raise awareness about early childhood development, mother of 3 yr old twins and a 6 yr old.
What is a livable wage in Vt?
First, let’s look at what isn’t livable: The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. A person working full-time with two children at the current $7.25 minimum earns $14,500 annually, which is below the federal poverty line. In Vermont, the minimum wage is $9.15 an hour, and is scheduled to rise to $10.50 over the next 3 years. So a full time minimum wage earner in Vt makes about $18,000 per year, which is still below the federal poverty line.
A recent Vermont legislative report put the livable wage in Vermont for a single person living in shared housing at $13.48 an hour, rising to $32.41 for a single wage earner in a household with two adults and two children. Many small businesses insist they can’t pay such high wages.
Four Vermonters talk about their vision of “livable jobs” in Vermont:
Jen Kimmich, the co-owner of The Alchemist in Waterbury
Liz Holtz, the founder and CEO of Liz Lovely in Waitsfield
Russ Bennett, the owner of NorthLand Design & Construction in Waitsfield, and chairman of VBSR Policy Committee
Ellen Kahler, the executive director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund
Christo, the world renowned artist, has created massive and controversial public art works, including wrapping the German parliament in fabric, the 24-mile-long artwork called Running Fence in California, and The Gates in Central Park. He talks about his newest projects: Over the River, in which he plans to cover nearly 7 miles of the Arkansas River in Colorado, which has sparked lawsuits by local groups, and Mastaba, a pyramid-like structure built from oil barrels that will stand in Abu Dhabi, his first permanent structure. He talks about the meaning of his art and his lifelong partnership in art and life with his late wife Jeanne-Claude, who died in 2009.
Christo, public artist
The Vermont Symphony Orchestra–the oldest state-supported orchestra in the country–celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, and leading it will be a familiar figure: the world renowned violinist and conductor Jaime Laredo. Laredo has been conductor of the VSO since 2000. He has had a storied career, recording close to 100 discs and been awarded seven Grammy nominations. He taught for 35 years at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and was a principal figure in Vt’s Marlboro Music Festival, and he is now on the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He divides his time between his homes in Cleveland and Guilford, Vt.
Laredo talks about his life in music, reflects on the state of classical music, its meaning and its value.
Jaime Laredo, conductor and violinst
Surviving in Avalanche Country: In the aftermath of the death of two US Ski Team members in an avalanche in Austria this week (including 20 year old Burke Mountain Academy graduate Ronnie Berlack), there is renewed interest in the science and art of staying alive in avalanche country. We speak with the journalists behind The Human Factor, Powder Magazine’s new groundbreaking 5-part series on surviving avalanches:
John Stifter, editor, Powder Magazine, who survived an avalanche in 2012 that killed three friends
David Page, author, The Human Factor, Powder Magazine
Health Care Reform in Vermont After Single Payer: What’s next for health care reform in Vermont now that single payer has been abandoned? Four experts weigh in:
Rep. Bill Lippert, chair, House Health Care Committe
Neal Goswami, Vermont News Bureau Chief
Dan Barlow, VBSR public policy manager
Bram Kleppner, CEO, Danforth Pewter, and supporter of single payer
We tour Vermont to talk with some of the groups and people making a difference by helping others:
Katie Titterton, Children’s Literacy Foundation
Greg Stefanski, Laraway Youth & Family Service
Curtiss Reed, Vermont Partnership for Fairness & Diversity
Kim Fountain, Pride Center of Vermont
Cherylanne Linares, Warrior Spirit Ranch
We spend the hour talking with the award winning journalist and author Adam Hochschild about his writings on the soldiers and deserters from WWI, his writings about the past and present of Congo and South Africa, his recent op-ed on “why no one remembers the peacemakers,” his thoughts on despots, justice and CIA torture, and the future of journalism.
Adam Hochschild is a journalist and author and the co-founder of Mothers Jones magazine.His books include Half the Way Home: a Memoir of Father and Son; King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa; Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire’s Slaves; and most recently, To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918. Hochschild has also written for the New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, the New York Times Magazine, and The Nation and other publications.
We speak with two truth tellers:
Rory Fanning was an Army Ranger who fought alongside Pat Tillman in Afghanistan before leaving the military as a conscientious objector. In 2008-2009, he walked across America partly to heal, and partly as a protest against the Army’s coverup of Tillman’s death. He wrote about his experiences in Worth Fighting For: An Army Ranger’s Journey Out of the Military and Across America.
Sam Hemingway recently retired after 37 years as a reporter at the Burlington Free Press. He talks about the stories he’s covered that have made a difference: Gov. Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign, heroin in Vermont, the case of an apartheid-era sanctions buster. He also reflects on the changes in media and recent upheaval at the Burlington Free Press.
We talk with two Vermont women who are leaders in sustainable businesses about the challenges faced by women in business and the unique voice that they bring: They join us from the VBSR Fall Conference at Mt. Snow:
Allison Hooper, co-founder, Vermont Creamery
Sara Newmark, Director of Sustainability, New Chapter, the Brattleboro-based national brand of organic vitamins and herbal supplements
Domestic violence in Vermont
1 in every 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. Vermont’s domestic violence agencies served nearly 9,000 victims of abuse in 2012 and fielded over 12,000 hotline calls. Janice Santiago talks about her work with Women Helping Battered Women, which assists domestic abuse victims in Chittenden County. She speaks about her own experience with domestic abuse and the face of domestic violence in Vermont today.
“His True Self”: A transgender Vermonter’s story
Jesse Ray Thomas is a 20-year old transgender person in St. Albans who was recently profiled in a moving story by Natalie Handy in the St. Albans Messenger, “His True Self.” Jesse speaks about his challenge growing up transgender in Vermont, the emotional struggles and suicidal thoughts that he and other trans youth often have, and his joy at embracing his true identity.
Can capitalism solve the problems of capitalism? Can business be a force for good? Two pioneers of socially responsible business hold a public conversation and offer their experiences and views on these and other topics with The Vermont Conversation host David Goodman.This is an edited version of a Vermont Town Hall public conversation held on Sept. 26, 2014, at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe, Vt.
Jeffrey Hollender, founder of Seventh Generation and Sustain Condoms
Tom Chappell, founder of Tom’s of Maine and Rambler’s Way Farm
On September 21, 2014, some 400,000 people rallied at the People’s Climate March in New York City in an historic protest to demand that global leaders take action to slow climate change. Vermont sent 22 buses with over 1,000 people, and many more Vermonters traveled to the march on their own. Six alumni of the Narrative Journalism Fellowship at Middlebury College — Bianca Giaever, Ian Stewart, Kiya Vega-Hutchens, Luke Whalen, Veronica Rodriguez, and David Fuchs, along with teacher Sue Halpern — created an audio postcard featuring the voices of Vermonters at the march.
Woody Tasch, founder of the national Slow Money movement, talks about his evolution from being a venture capitalist to investing in sustainable food and agriculture and supporting a nonviolent economy. Eric Becker, co-founder of Slow Money Vermont, talks about how even small investors can help support sustainable food ventures in Vermont.
On the eve of the People’s Climate March in New York City, we speak with people involved in fighting climate change on different fronts:
Bill McKibben, author, activist, founder, 350.org, on building a global movement
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, on what VT is doing to move to renewable fuel sources and his view on fossil fuel divestment
Jonathan Lash, president, Hampshire College, on being one of the first colleges to divest of fossil fuel stocks
Clayton Thomas-Muller, co-director, Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign, organizer with Idle No More, on native resistance
About half of Vermont’s children arrive at kindergarten unprepared. Children who are not prepared for school are less likely to graduate from college and more likely to need special education, depend on social services, have health concerns, and commit crimes. Let’s Grow Kids is a campaign to educate Vermonters about giving children the support and preparation for success in life. Discussing early childhood initiatives:
Vermont Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe discusses why she has been hailed as “a hero of American education” for pushing back against the the “test and punish” policies of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic, talks about what is driving conflicts from Missouri to the Mideast, and his reflections on being chief speech writer for President Jimmy Carter.
Gov. Phil Hoff, the first Democrat elected governor in Vermont in over a century, permanently changed the politics of the Green Mountain state during his tenure, 1963-1969. Hoff — who pursued sweeping initiatives in civil rights, education, and was the first Democratic governor to break with LBJ and oppose the Vietnam War — is widely recognized as the founder of progressive politics in Vermont. Hoff celebrated his 90th birthday in June 2014. He talks about his victories and defeats, his relationship with Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, his struggle with alcoholism, his views on universal health care and education, his legacy, and he offers advice to today’s leaders.
We look at how sustainable food and agriculture has transformed the Northeast Kingdom community of Hardwick and Vermont, and the lessons this holds for the world.
–Sarah Waring, executive director, Center for an Agricultural Economy
–Tom Stearns, High Mowing Seeds, and board president, CAE
–Todd Hardie, Caledonia Spirits
–Terry O’Brien-Reil, Eden Ice Cider and Northeast Kingdom Tasting Center, Newport
On the fiftieth anniversary of Freedom Summer, Vermonter Gail Falk recounts her work as a civil rights volunteer in Mississippi in 1964 teaching in Freedom Schools, registering African American voters, dealing with violence, being jailed, and the historic legacy of that summer.
Gov. Peter Shumlin released a report this week showing that Vermont’s clean energy industry now employs over 15,000 workers at some 2,600 locations and comprises about 4% of the state’s workforce. We discuss the state of and prospects for Vermont’s clean energy industry with Gabrielle Stebbins, executive director of Renewable Energy Vermont, Duane Peterson, founder of Suncommon (residential solar); Karl Bissex of Clean Edge Energy (biomass/wood heating); and George Twill of Efficiency Vermont (efficiency).
Green business guru Andrew Winston, author of the bestselling book Green to Gold, discusses his new book, “The Big Pivot: Radically Practical Strategies for a Hotter, Scarcer, and More Open World.”
Melody Badgett, managing director of 1% for the Planet, Esbert Cardenas, CEO of Image Outfitters and ishareworks.org, and Roy Tuscany, founder of High Fives Foundation, talk about innovative ways to do charitable giving, and how giving away money is making businesses money. Also, Scott Buckingham of VBSR talks about the new edition of VBSR’s Buy Local Book.
Breaking the corporate media sound barrier: Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, talks with her brother, journalist David Goodman, about her life, work, the importance of independent media, and “going to where the silence is.” This is a broadcast of a Vermont … Continue reading
While Vermont is getting national attention for its plans for universal health care, a quiet revolution is already underway in doctor’s offices. Vermont Blueprint for Health is improving health care delivery at lower cost and already serves half the state’s population. Dr. Craig Jones, director of Blueprint, Dr. Jennifer Gilwee, Dr. John King, and patient Patty Orgain Wood discuss their experience and outcomes with Vermont’s innovative and nationally acclaimed primary health care program.
Live from the VBSR Spring Conference. Alternative ownership & worker-owned co-ops: Daniel Shearer, worker/owner, Tamarack Media Co-op; Bekah Mandell, worker/owner, Webskillet Co-op, and Kelsy HenneBarrows, worker at Webskillet describe the benefits and challenges of co-op businesses. Alisa Gravitz, CEO & … Continue reading
Dartmouth College students and activists Jillian Mayer and Becca Rothfeld and Dartmouth Professor Peter Hackett discuss the prevalence and impact of sexual assault
both personally and on their campus. The students outline the changes that they are
demanding, including why they sat in at the president’s office and why they are calling for ending the fraternity system. UVM vice provost for student affairs Annie Stevens talks about sexual assault at UVM. Scott Buckingham of VBSR previews the upcoming VBSR spring conference and Dan Barlow recaps the status of legislation at the State House.
ReSource is reducing poverty in Vermont by training low income people how to fix recycled household goods and computers, and training high school dropouts to weatherize homes and install solar systems. We talk about this unique poverty reduction program with Curtis Ostler, … Continue reading
Vermont attorney David Kelley discusses domestic surveillance vs. the bill of rights. In the second half of the show, Vermont Senator David Zuckerman discusses the passage of Vt’s historic GMO labeling bill today and what it means for the state and the nation.
Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos and Public Citizen’s Aquene Freechild talk about money in politics after the US Supreme Court McCutcheon decision.
Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Vermont native, on how she became an activist, why she can’t quit, the key role of women in making peace, and her advice to others who want to make change.
Mark Larson, commissioner of the Vermont Dept. of Health Access, talks about Vermont Health Connect and the larger need for universal health care. Peter Sterling, executive director of Vermont Leads, a nonprofit organization working towards a universal, publicly
funded single payer health care system in Vermont, discusses the history and
status of Vermont’s struggle for universal health care.
Vermont Secretary of Education Rebecca Holcombe discusses her childhood attending schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan, her work as a teacher and principal, her view of education as the new civil rights issue, equity and school funding, and what she hopes … Continue reading
Allen Gilbert, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont, discusses his concerns about Tasers, threats to privacy, surveillance, drones, the revolving door in politics, education overhaul, and how his experiences traveling in former Soviet bloc countries after college shaped his views on protecting civil liberties.
Bill McKibben, author, activist and co-founder of the global grassroots climate change organization 350.org, joins David Goodman in a public conversation. Time Magazine called McKibben “the planet’s best green journalist” and the Boston Globe says that he is “probably the country’s most important environmentalist.” In this public conversaiton, McKibben recounts his journey from journalism to activism, the three scariest numbers relating to climate change, the struggle against the Keystone XL pipeline, being arrested, and his other great passion, the Boston Red Sox. This was the inaugural event in the Vermont Town Hall public conversation series. It took place on January 31, 2014, at the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe, VT.
Jostein Solheim, CEO of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, discusses political stands that have cost him business (and why it’s worth it), why businesses need to offer solutions to global problems,
What is a social entrepreneur and how do you become one? The Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Middlebury College is a leader in the field of social mission-driven business. We speak with faculty director Jon Isham, student Gaby Fuentes, and Per LaFarge, a Middlebury grad and CEO of Spark about dreaming big and doing good.
Affording college: Scott Giles, president of the Vermont Student AssistanceCorp. (VSAC); Pam McNulty, TIAA CREFF, and Rich Westman, who oversees the 529 college savings plan for VSAC, discuss how Vermont students and families can save and pay for college.
Voices of LGBTQ Vermonters: Ariel Goodman and Eloise Reid traveled the state to record
the stories and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer
(LGBTQ) Vermonters. This broadcast includes an edited version 23 minute version of their piece. The full 28 minute version of this audio documentary and the website can be found here.
Former Vermont Gov. Madeleine Kunin discusses her new book, We Do!, about same-sex marriage, her lifelong campaign to encourage more women to run for elected office, and her legacy.
Mark Johnson of WDEV previews Gov. Peter Shumlin’s 2014 budget address. Advocates discuss their legislative priorities: Avram Patt, energy consultant and former general manager of Washington Electric Co-op, talks about net metering; Chris Miller, activism manager of Ben & Jerry’s speaks about GMO labeling; and … Continue reading
David Glickman, owner of Vermont Butcher Block and Board Co., talks about surviving rejection when he asked for money on the ABC TV show “Shark Tank,” and Janice St. Onge, president of the the Vermont Flex Fund, talks about the financial lifeline and socially responsible investment the Flex Fund made in Vt. Butcher Block. In the second half, Porter Fox, author of Deep: The Story ofSkiing and the Future of Snow, talks about his global journey to explore the impact of climate change on skiing.
Investing in the future: August Burns and Jane Dale discuss how Grounds for Health, a small international nonprofit organization based in Waterbury, Vt., has pioneered a low-cost way to screen and treat cervical cancer, the #1 killer of women in developing countries. And … Continue reading
Duncan McDougall discusses the work of the Children’s Literacy Foundation in prisons and in rural communities in Vermont and New Hampshire. Author Ann Jones speaks about the plight of soldiers returning from war, which she writes about in her book, “They Were Soldiers: How the Wounded Return from America’s Wars—The Untold Story.”
Jeffrey Hollender, social biz pioneer and founder of Seventh Generation, and his daughter Meika Hollender talk about their new business venture: sustainable fair trade condoms, along with the challenges and opportunities of starting a family business. We also talk with Andrea Cohen and … Continue reading
Bruce Seifer and Ed Antczak discuss their new book, Sustainable Communities: Creating a Durable Local Economy. Filmmakers Nora Jacobson and Nat Winthrop talk about their 6-part film project, “Freedom & Unity: The Vermont Movie.”
Four guests discuss literacy and school dropout in Vermont and what is being done about it. Pixie Loomis and Ethan Maurer from Vermont Adult Learning (VAL); Roger Sweet, a retired logger who learned to read at age 60, and Calvin … Continue reading
Dirty wars, peace, & the media: A conversation with two of America’s top muckraking journalists: former NY Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges, and Jeremy Scahill, bestselling author of Dirty Wars and national security correspondent of The Nation.
Vermont global adventurer and author Jan Reynolds talks about her life as “one of the guys” and her new book, High-Altitude Woman. We also speak with Peter Kriff, director of the Vt Statewide Independent Living Council and founder of AccessibleAdventuresVT.org, which helps people with disabilities navigate Vermont.
Workers: We look at key current issues confronting workers in Vermont and nationally with James Haslam, executive director of the Vermont Workers Center; Amanda Sheppard, organizer with AFSCME Vt.; Shelly Mangden, organizer with the Vermont Fair Food Campaign; and Saru Jayaraman, founder and director of Restaurant Opportunities Center-United.
Vermont Conversation 