Sustainable Charlotte and the Charlotte Library are thrilled to celebrate Earth Day, April 22 at the Charlotte Library, by watching Wrenched, a movie that looks at the early environmental movement, inspired by Edward Abby. The movie lasts 1 1/2 hours and discussion will follow the showing. This is just one of many events during April’s Earth Month.

Filmmaker ML Lincoln’s documentary Wrenched reveals how Edward Abbey’s anarchistic spirit and riotous novels influenced and helped guide the nascent environmental movement of the 1970s and ‘80s. Through interviews, archival footage and re-enactments, Lincoln captures the outrage of Abbey’s friends who were the original eco-warriors. In defense of wilderness, these early activists pioneered ”monkeywrenching” - a radical blueprint for “wrenching the system.” Exemplified by EarthFirst! in the early ‘80s, direct action and civil disobedience grew in popularity. With tree-spiking, forest occupation and high-profile publicity stunts such as the cracking at Glen Canyon Dam, this group became the eventual target of FBI infiltrators, leading to the arrest of various members.

Abbey’s message has lived on. Young activists are carrying the monkeywrenching torch, using his books as a source of inspiration. Wrenched captures a new generation as personified in Tim DeChristopher, who single-handedly stopped the sale of 100,000+ of acres of public trust lands in southeastern Utah. He was sentenced to federal prison for his actions. The fight continues to sustain the last bastion of the American frontier – the Wild West. And Wrenched, following in Abbey’s footsteps, asks the question, how far are we willing go in defense of wilderness?

Let’s talk about Robin Wall Kimmerer’s newest book, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World on Tuesday, April 15 at 7 pm at the Charlotte Library. Books are available at the library nearer to the event.

From the publisher, “As Indigenous scientist Robin Wall Kimmerer harvest Serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most?”

Author Elizabeth Gilbert writes, “Robin Wall Kimmerer is a great teacher, and her words are a hymn of love to the world.”

Join others for a free presentation of an award winning documentary on natural burials. “From Earth to Earth:  The Lost Art of Dying in America” at the Charlotte Senior Center.

This 20 minute documentary describes the reemergence of natural burial as an eco-friendly alternative to current funeral practices and cremation through personal stories of some of its major proponents that led to the (re)legalization of natural burial and the founding of the first cemetery devoted entirely to natural burial in Vermont, and from people who have experienced the ways that natural burial can help with the grief of the death of loved ones and bring comfort to those facing their own deaths.

The documentary will be followed by a Question and Answer session and time for personal discussions. Program provided in partnership with the Charlotte Library and Sustainable Charlotte Vermont. To register, call 802-425-6345.

This workshop will be hosted 3 times, February 4, 11, and 18 at the Charlotte Library, starting at 5:30 each time.

Snag in a favorite sweater? Tear in your best trousers? Chrissy Bedard brings her sewing savvy to the library for a 3-part series on clothes mending. She'll share the basic clothes mending essentials and provide hands-on guidance for you to mend and make new. 

The Charlotte Library, Charlotte Conservation Commission, and Sustainable Charlotte welcomes Ethan Tapper for a signing and discussion of his new book, How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World.

About the Author: Ethan Tapper is a forester, author, and digital creator from Vermont. He grew up in Saxtons River, a rural village in Vermont’s Connecticut River Valley. As the Chittenden County Forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation from 2016 - 2024, Ethan advised on the responsible stewardship of privately-owned forestland. He also managed Community Forests, administered Vermont’s Use Value Appraisal (“Current Use”) program, wrote a monthly column, and led dozens of public events each year. In this role, Ethan received numerous awards and distinctions — including being named the American Tree Farm Systems National Outstanding Inspector (forester) of the Year in 2024. Ethan left this role to start his own consulting forestry business, Bear Island Forestry, in 2024.

About the Book: How to Love a Forest walks us through the fragile and resilient community that is a forest, introducing us to wolf trees and spring ephemerals, to the cryptic creatures of the rhizosphere and the necrosphere. It helps us reimagine what forests are and what it means to care for them. This world, Tapper writes, is degraded both by people who do too much and by those who do nothing.  He writes that we must take action to protect ecosystems, and that the actions we must take will often be counterintuitive, uncomfortable, even heartbreaking. In this poetic and visionary book, Tapper weaves a new land ethic for the modern world, reminding us that what is simple is rarely true, and what is necessary is rarely easy.

Could Charlotte Become a “Regenerative Community?”

Author of The Regeneration Handbook to visit Charlotte for presentation and book signing at the Charlotte Library, July 17 at 7 pm

 Ever wonder what people are talking about when they talk about “regeneration”? Currently applied to fields as diverse as ecology, spirituality, health, and economics, regeneration has become a bit of a buzzword lately.

Defined by Merriam-Webster as the “renewal or restoration of a body, bodily part, or biological system,” Don Hall, author of The Regeneration Handbook: Transform Yourself to Transform the World, argues that we might come to understand regeneration more broadly as the “act of helping to bring something back to life – ourselves, our communities, and, ultimately, the Earth.”

 In the face of mounting environmental, economic, and social crises, Hall, a long-time activist with the international Transition Towns Movement, observes that “more and more people genuinely want to help bring about a just and regenerative future, but feel overwhelmed or don’t know where to start.” “Fortunately,” he says, “there are so many things we can do right now to make a real difference, starting wherever we are.”

 According to Hall, a regenerative community might look like one where there’s an abundance of small farms and gardens, a vibrant culture and economy powered by sustainable local businesses, solar panels on every rooftop, more bikes than cars, good public transit, and plenty of spaces to gather and commune with nature. It would also be a place where people from all walks of life regularly come together to dream, discuss, and design their own destiny.

Don Hall has served in a variety of capacities throughout the Transition Towns Movement over the past 15 years and is currently Training Coordinator for the international Transition Network. Don holds a Master’s in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University, blogs at evolutionarychange.org, and lives in community in Boulder, Colorado. https://evolutionarychange.org/don-hall

Overwhelmed with Invasive Plants?!  Is buckthorn and honeysuckle overrunning your woods?  Is your field becoming a poison parsnip minefield?  Is your garden a garlic mustard mash?  Let’s tackle them together!

Sustainable Charlotte, the Charlotte Conservation Commission and the Charlotte Library is hosting a workshop on Invasive Plants at the next Green Drinks gathering on July 9 at 5:30-7:00 PM  (rain date July 10) near the pollinator gardens at the corner of Roscoe and Lewis Creek Rds in Charlotte .  We will have appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages.  Suggest bringing a folding chair, work gloves, and bug repellent.  Spread the word and hope to see you there!

We are bringing together four speakers with expertise and experience  to help us with identifying, understanding, and managing these plants.  Various tools and techniques used in removal work will be demonstrated and all can try their hand on removing onsite plants.  Speakers will include:

-Julie Parker Dickerson, master gardener and creator of the many Pollinator Pathway gardens in East Charlotte who can talk about why we should be concerned about invasives and what to plant in their place.

 -Andrea Morgante, conservationist and professional landscaper who can share her professional experience helping landowners deal with invasives through a variety of methods.

-Debra Sprage, Monkton Conservation Commissioner  who works with a group of volunteers and solo clearing Monkton public lands of all kinds of invasives.  She has lots of experience doing this hands-on work.

-Mark Dillenbeck, Charlotte's former tree warden, can share his experiences in dealing with invasives on his land.  

One goal of the workshop will be to explore the creation of a “system" for us to volunteer and team together in tackling invasives on each others properties.  E.g., next Saturday afternoon a bunch of us are going to tackle buckthorn and honeysuckle at Suzie’s place.  We’ll bring the tools and she’ll provide some beverages and snacks and we’ll have a ball ripping out nasty plants.  The following Saturday we’ll work on Joe’s woods. Next, the Town park.  You get the idea.

We will have appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages.  Suggest bringing a folding chair, work gloves, and bug repellent.  Spread the word and hope to see you there!

Email info@sustainablecharlottevt.org with questions or comments.

Register in advance for this meeting here to receive the link.

Wildfires, hurricanes, blizzards, droughts. The extreme effects of climate change are frightening—and threaten every aspect of our daily lives. But award-winning climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe has a hopeful message. This is a very timely book and it should be a springboard for engaged conversations.

We will gather via Zoom over 5 Wednesdays beginning March 13, 2024.

Register in advance for this meeting here to receive the link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Books will be available to borrow at the Charlotte Library about a month before the first meeting.

Katharine Hayhoe is chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy. She has been named a United Nations Champion of the Earth and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. Her TED Talk, “The Most Important Thing you Can Do to Fight Climate Change: Talk About It” has been viewed over 5 million times.