Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Clean Up Litter Coupon - Businesses for a Green and Clean Vermont

 

Clean City Coupon               

Clean biz alert: This coupon tells store owners that 
                                                                                                                                                                Clean Branding is an Opportunity.  

Printable version: https://sites.google.com/site/litterwithastorytotell/clean-up-coupon (after going to the coupon web site, page, click on print, select landscape style, then print)

*Redeem at any store where you see litter/trash.


People want companies to help solve social problems. Littered trash is a detriment to both the economy and health of our community. Businesses can help eradicate litter-a social problem important to both parties. 

Use the coupon below at stores where you see litter accumulating on the storefront, parking lot or green space. Remind businesses of their shared responsibility to maintain a clean community year round. Your voice is a powerful agent for action.


 Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Clean-Up Coupon
Citizen: Present to the local retailer of your choice.


RetailerThere is littered trash on your storefront.  I am confident you will take action to clean up this blight and restore your welcome mat to its finest image.

The community and your patrons will thank you for cleaning up the litter on your store frontage including parking area, sidewalk, greenbelt, and roadside.

Please consider this clean up request redeemable / actionable on a weekly or even daily basis. Help yOUR shopping district remain CLEAN and inviting 365 days a year.
Elect clean storefronts; it is a matter of community pride. Moreover, it is a matter of differentiation for your business.
Rev. 4/29/2013
                                                       
Printable version: https://sites.google.com/site/litterwithastorytotell/clean-up-coupon


Monday, April 29, 2019

Jericho Seeks Patent - JOLT Maple Syrup, Photovoltaic Chicken. Made in Vermont


Jericho Adds a Jolt to Maple Syrup:

seeks patent, 

Vermont Electro (Jolt) Maple Syrup


(Locally sourced, Organic Jericho Satire)

JERICHO, VT - Jericho Settlers Farm is looking to diversify its CSA and local food stand offerings have come up with a novel new Maple Syrup offering. Research into old maple stands determined that some very old maple trees were cut down for firewood even though they were still producing leaves, and therefore, presumably, still producing maple sap.

Apparently, a few of these old Vermont maple denizens gained a following at Green Mountain Power as a way to fulfill their objectives of sustainability and sourcing locally.  Christa of Jericho Settlers Farm, being observant as ever, noted that the GMP power pole in front of the farm was stamped, “Made in Vermont – Maple Wood”.

Being industrious and observant, Christa devised an experiment to determine if there might be some remnant maple sap in the maple wood GMP poles.
Maple sap bucket on a power pole
in front of Jericho Settlers Farm
The method was simple and straightforward enough. She followed the true maple sugaring method of drilling a hole, inserting a tap, and hanging a bucket – only in this case, all done not on a maple tree, but on a maple wood power pole.

Not only did sap drip into the bucket, but during high (power) peak times the flow shot out in bursts.

The flow of positive maple ions mixed with the flow of electrons through the GMP conductor emanating from the power pole result in a chemical soupy sap. The chemical soupy sap similar to electrolytes is transformed into ions whereby the electrons are discharged through the metal bucket. The process does not work with plastic sap buckets.

The flow of charged particles – electrons - does add a small amount of weight to the sap, distinguishing it from normal maple sap.

The benefit of this type of maple sap is that it does not need boiling to make syrup. In this case, the effect of static electricity – instantaneous equalization discharges from the power pole to the metal bucket and quickly turns the sap into a sweet maple-like syrup.

Art by Chris Cleary
This produces three grades of (JOLT) Electro Syrup. The lightest color grade is called “300 Volts”, the medium amber is called “Zap Amber”, and the dark amber is called “Fried Toast”.

J.O.L.T. stands for 
Jericho
Overstimulating
Lucious
Thermochemistry
Maple Syrup

Christa is seeking a patent on the process. GMP is expected to co-brand the product with Jericho Settlers Farm, marketing the product as Sweet Local Power–Ade

 For some really great local maple products check with Tom at Birch Hill Sugar Works. He may not have any Electro Jolt Syrup, but he has some great-tasting Jericho VT Maple Syrup. 


LATE UPDATE - Christa is reportedly said to be working with Gro Solar to produce Jericho fried chicken fresh off the solar panel. The (so far secret) concept: Photons or particles of light knock the electrons free from chicken's atoms generating a flow of electricity that fries chicken in a matter of seconds. The new food product is tentatively named Jericho Fried Photovoltaic Chicken

KFC is said to be interested pending further experiments with the solarized chicken process. McDonald's is also inquiring about a possible sunny-side-up solar egg McMuffin

Stay tuned, things are happening at Jericho Settlers Farm. Meanwhile, check out their website for CSA and other great local food options - FOR REAL!


When the lights are out
JERICHO ELECTRO MAPLE IS ON!

THIS JUST IN: KFC considers Jericho Photovoltaic Chicken as Really FAST food and may add Jericho's Electro Syrup to the menu as well. 

From Europe: Jericho USA - Electrical Jolt creates a new Maple product. Warning: product is untested as of yet. It may cause brain zaps!

This story was compiled by a prankster in Jericho’s Division of Community Engagement in service of April Fool’s Day. Please do not climb the telephone poles in search of maple syrup. (Or for any reason for that matter.)

See more Maple Syrup news at - University of Vermont Tapped to House Nation’s Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve

Like my creative license? Send me a note that will sweeten the ink on my quill!
~Bernie
Laugh, Dream, Try, and do good.

Email comments

The way I heard it, Joan Baez, growing up in upstate New York, had a nosy neighbor who often, when he thought he was unnoticed, I guess, could be seen peering from behind the edges of his minimally parted curtains.
 
So together with siblings, I think it was, she tapped a power pole in the vicinity - and they were rewarded, from behind their curtains, by the sight of him surreptitiously checking the bucket for content!
 
Just couldn't stand it!
 
Stuart

Friday, April 26, 2019

Green Up Day May 4 2019 Poster Design Contest winning entries

GREEN UP DAY (May 4, 2019) is a great Jericho and Vermont family tradition proving once again that caring + contribution equals community.
2019 Poster Design Contest 
Overall winner: Chloe Jenkins, Grade 8, Chester. 
View more poster entries below.
SATURDAY MAY 4th 2019 is
 GREEN UP DAY
Green Up Day Volunteers are all invited to the Annual Green Up Day Breakfast
Community Center in Jericho Center
Bring a breakfast dish to share
 8:30 am to 10 am

Drop off full bags of Green Up Day Trash at:
Jericho Town Garage 510 Brown’s Trace,
        10AM to 2PM on Saturday May 4th *only.

*Do not leave bags along side of the road unless you have made arrangements to have them picked up. 

To sign up for a Jericho Road to clean up go to :
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409044fada628a75-greenup1
 Or call to Volunteer: Jericho Town Office    899-4936 x1
  (OK to leave a message after hours)
Bags available at:Deborah Rawson Memorial Library, Jericho Town Library, Jericho Town Hall,  and at the Community Center Breakfast

GREEN UP DAY POSTER MAKING will be at the Community Center in Jericho Center on Friday May 3rd from 3pm to 4pm with possibility of jazz music from the ROAD BEATS

If you have more ideas for Green Up Day (for this year or next years event) please consider submitting them onto the Jerichovt.org web site under the IDEAS section. 

Scroll to the bottom of this post to participate in a one question poll about picking up litter. 

2019 Green Up Vermont Writing Contest winner:

Bella Schultz-Mitchell, Grade 6, Bakersfield, VT
Green Up Day
Vermont, what a beautiful name for something you want to keep clean and brilliant
We are so proud of our people, Vermont's People, we are so diligent
The signs around our state that make us aware of the first Saturday in May
We clean our state with the way we know
With the green bags that we pick up from our local town hall
The love that we have for our state calls out our tall confidence for our beautiful state
We breath in the clean air and ignore the chemical hate
In twenty twenty it will b the fiftieth birthday for Green Up Day
Fifty years of care and love to our state while keeping it clean and healthy
Our nonprofit group
Vermont Green Up Day
Our people make up that group with kind compassion
With our passion of keeping our home clean and loving
The state we love is nine thousand miles long
We have cleaned thirteen thousand miles with our group that take their lives to love our state
and care for it
The first on the rank for the best place to live in the USA
Our pristine environment, bring our people around
Green Up Day
That's what it's all about
Learning from people
All around

K-4 Winner
Lyla LaBossiere, 
Grade 4, Westford, VT



5-8 Winner:
Greta Bernier,
Grade 8,

Andover,VT
9-12 Winner:
 Heather Anne Lee,
Grade 9, Shelburne,VT

Over 100 people answered/completed my prompt, "When I pick up litter I feel..." Here are some of the responses I received to the prompt, "How do you feel when you pick up litter?

       When I pick up litter I feel...
  • Proud. Happy. Excited. ~Madison C.
  • I felt lousy when I picked up one piece of litter.
    So I picked up ten. ~Willies mom
  • It leaves me feeling more connected to the natural world and I know however small I've made a difference. ~Ocean Warrior
  • TEN FEET TALL
  • Like a SUPERHERO making my community a better place to live. D.M.
  •  Righteous, cuz a beautiful community takes a community effort! A.N.
  • As though I'm doing my part to protect the creatures I share the planet with. S.D. 
  • I get an instant personal reward, a feeling of accomplishment, and pride in this (Jericho) place. Bernie 
  • I am really angry with the thoughtless person who through it there. Rita
How do YOU feel when you pick up litter?
Send me your answer with your name or initials, superhero name or team name and I will publish the answers I receive on this web site.





Click here to view 100 of the answers I received in 2013.
Participate any day of the year in LitteratiFind a piece of litter, photograph it with instagram, hashtag your photo with #Litterati, throw away, recycle or compose the litter. 


Click here for some (light hearted-funny) positive disposal behaviors. 

Click here for a field guide to litter. 

Green Up Vermont's web page offers:

Friday, April 19, 2019

Jericho Easter Bunny with a Tale to Tell


The Jericho Easter Bunny
 

The Jericho Easter Bunny quietly peaked out of the tall grasses while I was walking the Mobbs Farm Trail earlier this week. She folded back her ears waiting for me to bend down close to her and hear what she had to say. 

Her long thin whiskers twitched with excitement. I knew then that she had something unusual and important to tell me.

She swore me to secrecy, except that I could relay this story to those who understood the magic that only occurs during Easter.

To my surprise her story, as she relayed it to me, spoke not of Easter eggs, though she surely could tell many a colorful basket-full of tales sweeter than ever.

Instead, the Easter Bunny, first looking right, and then left, then behind her, started to tell me a tale as bushy and beautiful as her own bunny tail.

She whispered so softly I could barely hear her above the swishing of the swaying grasses. I leaned in closer, so close I could feel the soft fur of Mrs. Bunny against my face, tickling my nose.

I listened quietly and intently as she began telling me this story, “A long, long, long time ago, a young bunny nicknamed ‘MB’ born along with 21 siblings (brothers and sisters) - longed to make the tradition of Easter eggs even more special for a few nature loving children.

Each year while her brothers and sister gathered eggs, and dutifully painted them in preparation of Easter, she secretly gathered Magic Beans; not the kind that Jack used to grow a beanstalk into the clouds. These magic beans were even more special.

MB’s magic beans came in different colors just as the children who would receive them are different colors. Their magic only works if the child receiving them observes nature carefully for all its magical secrets. MB also added a touch of gentleness and caring to each magic bean so that the children would pass on the same to Mother Nature.

This Magic Bean tradition, handed down to only one special bunny, occurs only rarely. And so Mrs. Rabbit ended her story, again looking all around to insure the secret was safe.

Mrs. Rabbit added slyly that in order for the magic to continue the children who receive one of these magic beans must tell others about the magic of observing nature and of the many secrets the outdoors offers to those willing to stop, look, and listen. For nature has many wonderful stories, sights, and sounds!


Before she bound away in quick successive hops, she told me where to find a few (one for each child) of these Easter Magic Beans. 





         Praying for tolerance, love, understanding, empathy, respect and the ability to demonstrate each of these with everyone I care for, as well as everyone I meet.  





        
                 
Go ahead, give bunny and
someone you love,
a great big hug!



Take a walk and enjoy the great outdoors.



  While you walk, consider picking up any litter you see. Leave the leaf litter - it makes for good compost, however pick up any littered trash for it leaves a blemish on our landscape, and gives the Rabbit Hopp family indigestion.


                                
                                                            HAPPY EASTER

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Signs of Spring in Jericho, VT













"Spring Chickens"
 at Jericho Settlers Farm





 Mobbs Farm Trails

                                               

Good-bye winter
Hello spring
crocuses breaking through the snow and ice
short pants released from their winter hideaways
creemees and slushes - a kind of cold we can now enjoy
a little more sunshine
a lot more time outdoors
seventy degrees yesterday
forty degrees today
come on spring
burst open,
light our fires

warm our souls and toes.

                                                          ~Bernie



Cleaning bluebird boxes at Mobbs












Spring and romance
are in the air!





Remember Green Up Day is the first Saturday in May. May 4th this year. 


Comments: 

I know, I know, spring is trying to come in but I long for green grass. I just returned form the South where everything is in full, gorgeous bloom - azaleas, dogwood, and so on.  JB

Ah, but the baby is so adorable when first born, so fragile, fresh, new, and full of promise! ~Bernie

Bernie I have TWO yellow daffodils today so I am all set for whatever comes next. When I see them I smile.  E.A.