New Community Project
Vermont
Launched in January 2015, our work in Starksboro, Vermont brings New Community Project’s
mission to the New England region, with Pete Antos-Ketcham as the director. NCP has had a
Sustainable Living Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia since 2006.
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The New England Sustainable Living Center is an experiential homestead that combines sustainable living practices with outreach and community building to promote a more peaceful world.
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The center features a variety of programs and workshops including organic agriculture, ecological forestry, and low energy/carbon appropriate technologies.
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A maple sugaring operation on-site provides visitors and members in the community the opportunity to learn about land-based sustainable cottage industries.
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Interns and volunteers play a key role in carrying out the work in Vermont during the "growing season" season" from late from spring to early fall. Room (in a hand-crafted yurt), board and (if needed) a modest stipend are provided
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Day-visitors are always welcome as well. If possible, be in touch in advance to arrange a visit.
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Take a look - Daisy's video of her excellent summer intern adventure in Vermont!
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The northeast program is coordinated by Pete Antos-Ketcham, who is joined by neighbors, community members, and a growing list of volunteers and supporters from area schools, colleges, and organizations throughout the region.
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The Sustainable Living Center is a residential community working to address the issues of climate change, resource depletion, and social justice through education, on-site demonstrations, and collaborative projects with those in need in our local and global community.
NCP’s goal is to link sustainable living practices and social justice concerns as the foundation for community building and peacemaking. The site demonstrates and experiments in permaculture design, organic gardening techniques, energy efficiency and conservation, small scale renewable energy, low ecological/carbon foot print, water conservation and reuse, appropriate technologies, and landscape regeneration. Some site features include:
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Fruit and nut tree crop
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Berry Patches
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Wood heating and cooking
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Annual and perennial gardens
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Maple syrup production
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Chickens
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Composting
Our site is inspired by the principles of permaculture and agroecology and our work focuses on solutions to ecological and societal challenges with these systems as a foundation. Based on patterns and processes of ecological systems, permaculture is the art and science of creating healthy and resilient human environments abundant in food, water, shelter, energy, and community.
Pete Antos-Ketcham welcomes visitors to the Vermont site.
NCP coordinates a Food Share program that assists dozens of
food-insecure families every week. Food is grown in our Food
Justice gardens, and we reclaim out-dated or over-stocked food
from local grocery stores. Critical roles are carried out by
regular volunteers to sort and pack the food every Sunday
afternoon prior to distribution (left) and school groups, clubs
or teams who assist with the harvest - like the men's and
women's squash teams from Middlebury College,
harvesting...squash, along with other produce (right).
Providing critical support for all these efforts are Resident Stewards/interns. NCP provides room (a hand-crafted yurt)
and board (including fresh garden produce), and a small
stipend (as needed) for those willing to commit for 10 weeks
or more.
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In winter, we organize a firewood assistance program that
provides fuel to families in need during Vermont's frigid winters.
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We also host government representatives who seek information concerning food and energy security. James (second from right), a staffer from US Senator Welch's office, stopped by to talk with Pete.
Two Middlebury students also came out for the day, and together
they harvested over 150 pounds of carrots.
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Staff
Pete Antos-Ketcham coordinates the program in the northeast out of our New England Sustainable Living Center in Starksboro, VT. He has a degree in Environmental Studies and has spent many years working to connect people with nature around them, and with organizations designing and managing energy efficient buildings.
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Contact information
Pete Antos-Ketcham - Coordinator
Starksboro, VT
802-349-2462
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Acknowledgments
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Along with continued on-going support from the NCP network around the country, here in Vermont we have been very grateful to receive both financial and in-kind support from the following businesses, organizations and foundations to support our Sustainable Living Center's work. These include:
International Paper Foundation (Ticonderoga Mill)
Energy Futures Group
Trader Joe's
Middlebury Natural Foods Co-Op
Rise VT
United Way of Addison County
Waterwheel Foundation
Onion River Food Co-Op/City Market
Laberge Insurance Agency/Co-Operative Insurance Companies
Bouchard Pierce
Computers for Change
Signorama
Hannaford’s Supermarket
EMR Electric
Clifford Lumber
Gardener’s Supply
Grembowicz Farm
Kimball Office Services
Red Wagon Plants
Maine Potato Lady
Old Spokes Home
Shaws Supermarket
Jackman’s Home Heating Supply
Robinson School
Mount Abraham Unified School District
Hannaford Career Center
Boys and Girls Club of Vergennes
Bar Antidote Restaurant
Vermont Everyone Eats/Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA)
H.O.P.E.
Age Well VT
Bees Wrap
Sweet Charity/Women of Wisdom Vergennes
The Giving Fridge/Care of Vermont
Dennis Casey Excavating
Hunger Free Vermont
Five Town Partnership
First Baptist Church of Starksboro
The United Church of Hinesburg
The Congregational Church of Charlotte (UCC)
Bristol Federated Church
Neighbor Helping Neighbor/Community Church of Huntington
VT Integrated Architecture
Red House Inc.
And we'd like to thank all of our partners who help us on the ground (in the gardens, at our weekly Food Share Program, and with our Emergency Heating and Weatherization Assistance Program). These include:
The Town of Starksboro
The Starksboro Town Food Shelf
The Starksboro Energy Committee
The Starksboro Community Garden
The United Church of Hinesburg and the Congregational Church of Charlotte (UCC) Youth Groups
Middlebury College
With this support we are able to accomplish a lot in 2021 including: Producing 1,300 pounds of produce to donate to our Food Share Program, building raised beds in our greenhouse, purchasing an additional energy efficient chest freezer, beginning construction on a community pavilion at the Starksboro Community Garden, expanding the Starksboro Community Garden and adding 7,000 square feet of new growing space for NCP, and constructing a second Little Free Pantry located in South Starksboro to provide 24/7 discrete food assistance to our community. Food Share, which began in 2014, operates every Sunday year round and currently distributes 150 food boxes a month to Vermonters from seventeen area towns.
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