From the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN) today…
Would your Town Energy Committee benefit from being able to reach a majority of households in your community ““ for free ““ with a click on the keyboard? That’s just what many TECs do with their local Front Porch Forums. You can too!
Front Porch Forum helps neighbors connect and build community. Michael Wood-Lewis and his wife Valerie started FPF in their Burlington neighborhood in 2006. Since then, local FPFs have spread to every town in Vermont. More than 75,000 households participate. People use their FPFs to recommend contractors, recruit volunteers, find missing dogs, report break-ins, borrow ladders and much more.
The Richmond TEC, for example, uses FPF to get the word out about meetings and programs, as well as to solicit input from residents. 1,900 people subscribe to the Richmond FPF (in a town of only 1,600 households). It’s the most powerful communication tool in town.
FPF recently doubled its coverage area in Vermont to reach the entire state. The more people participate in their forums, the more vibrant they become. Now is a great time to get the word out. Send neighbors to FrontPorchForum.com to register for this free service. You can also download a local FPF flyer at FrontPorchForum.com, or contact membersupport@
frontporchforum.com for other ideas on how to grow your local FPF.
Local town officials in Vermont, whether paid or volunteer, have a tough lot. They take on many challenging tasks, and they frequently are criticized for their efforts.
Attorney Charlie Merriman, or Tarrant, Gillies, Merriman & Richardson, shared the following tidbit with participants at the 69th Annual Town Officers Education Conferences across the state…
Always bear in mind the constitutional goal underpinning our open meeting and public records laws: “Officers of government are trustees and servants of the people and it is in the public interest to enable any person to review and criticize their decisions even though such examination may cause inconvenience or embarrassment.” 1VSA§315
More than 1,000 local public officials participate on their Front Porch Forums in Vermont. As a citizen and tax payer, I’m grateful for their active participation… and their thick skins.
Two powerful quotes that speak to building community among neighbors:
The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.
– Elie Wiesel
Life begets life. Energy creates energy.
– Sarah Bernhardt
Ghost of Midnight is an online journal about fostering community within neighborhoods, with a special focus on Front Porch Forum (FPF). My wife, Valerie, and I founded FPF in 2006... read more