Photos courtesy of Fresh Tracks Vineyard & Winery
By N. R. Mallery
When you live in Vermont, the taste of pure maple syrup might just be in your blood. Well, here's a sustainable story about the maple wine worth taking note of.
This fall, while traveling south on Montpelier, on Route 12, my attention was drawn to a solar system in a natural setting for a winery called Fresh Tracks Farm and Winery -- and it was open!
Call it fate, but what I learned and tasted is why I am sharing this story. The inviting, warm atmosphere led me to a taste-testing like no other that I had ever experienced. On the menu was Maple Wine! All I could say upon that first taste crossing my tongue was WOW! The couple next to me had the same reaction. What an incredible find -- like a rare gem.
In 2002, Christina Castegren had a sustainable vision for the whole farm that started as a labor of love. She knew that Vermont presented a challenge to grow grapes for wine production, let alone to do it sustainably.
Sustainable practices are at the heart of everything they do at Fresh Tracks Farm. They believe that what they do and how they live on and around their land has a direct impact on what they receive from it. Geothermal is used as a renewable energy source to heat and cool the Tasting Room and Winery. Solar from an 8.1 kW system supports a portion of their electricity, as well.
A variety of natural farming principles are drawn upon to work the land with knowledge of both science and tradition to foster healthy growth and responsible usage. Tracy Roux, the Tasting Room Manager, commented, "sustainability is also about running an honest business, providing good value and quality products to our customers, and a fair living for their employees. We believe that everyone should benefit from being a part of Fresh Tracks Farm."
Farming at Fresh Tracks has included some maple syrup production, since the start. The sugaring set-up includes a vacuum system and a wood-fired pan, where they produce about twenty gallons of syrup each year. Twenty gallons are for syrup for retail, plus maple sap used for wine production. They concentrate the sap to a sugar content suitable for fermentation. Maple fermentation is difficult and takes longer than for grapes. It is necessary to make the maple wine in small batches - and can take up to four months. Maple wine is a dessert wine, which means that it is sweeter, higher in alcohol, and the perfect post-dinner treat.
All I can say is that tasting is believing, and that you can likely find this gem only in Vermont!
They are located at 4373 Rte 12, Berlin, Vermont. 802.223.1151. You can find more info about Fresh Tracks Farm and Winery at www.freshtracksfarm.com/
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A wind farm in Poland.
By Anders Lorenzen"
At the recent UN climate summit in Warsaw, Poland the Polish government were busy advocating the continued usage of coal and that it has a role to play even in meeting climate change targets. The potential of renewable energy has been downplayed by the government, despite a call from the Polish people for more renewable energy, as several are suffering from air pollution symptoms, a consequence of heavy burning of coal for both electricity and heat.
But in a new report by Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) and Greenpeace, the outlook given was that if the right policies were put in place, Poland could be at the forefront of a renewable energy revolution.
Due to EU laws Poland must have a 15% renewable energy capacity by 2020 of which they intend to do, but instead of promoting the 100% clean energy message, the Polish government aims to achieve this by burning coal with biomass. The current energy policy in place in Poland is unbalanced and does not take into consideration the huge potential for growth in the wind power sector both offshore and onshore, as well as solar if the right policies were put in place, the report argues.
In 2010 renewable energy accounted for 7.8% of Poland's energy demand, of which was mainly biomass used for heating, today around 92% of the country's primary energy sources still comes from the burning of fossil fuels.
Poland is at a cross-road as many of the ageing and polluting power plants are coming to the end of their lives, but despite a poll published by the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS), showing overwhelmingly support for renewable energy, 89% of Polish citizens are in favour of increasing its renewable energy capacity, the Polish government is moving forward with building more coal powered power plants and open cast-lignite mines which will lock the country into a carbon dependant future.
But by 2030 Poland can half its coal demand, quadruple its renewable energy use and create 100,000 jobs in the energy sector, equaling employment in the country's coal industry, according to the report, proving that the Polish economy can cut its reliance on coal and abandon costly plans for new lignite open cast mines.
"Sub edited by Charlotte Paton"
Related news:
Editorial: New approach needed as a global deal on climate change looks more distant than ever before
'Worst tropical typhoon ever' wreaks havoc in the Philippines days before the start of this year's international climate summit
Poland continues to gamble with the EU's climate policy
In the future unexpectedly after 7 a.m. PST on Monday, execs at algae oil organization Solazyme, members of the media and others force building a categorical at Houston's Plant Worldwide Passenger terminal and stock off on the first of all commercial U.S. interior trek to use Solazyme's algae-based jet fuel. Join Airlines force course the trek, which force terrain at Chicago O'Hare Total Passenger terminal a thumb a lift of hours cutting edge and is set to crutch 189 passengers.
The mechanism is significant: Seeing as companies abide all gone vivacity looking to scale next-generation biofuel products, few are producing fuels that can scale large satisfactory to sell to the airline small business, let comrade the automobile small business. Solazyme's jet fuel, dubbed Solajet, isn't a prevalently commercialized product yet, but it has a few deals, plus together with the Military and Australian carrier Quantas.
Solazyme fashioned 80,000 liters of every jet fuel and algae diesel for the Military in 2010. Quantas procedure to at last send for 200 to 400 million liters of jet fuel per time from Solazyme. Into the future focusing on jet fuel and biofuel for transportation, Solazyme created group caution products, replacements for consumerist chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
The flat that is by means of Solazyme's algae fuel on Monday is a Join Boeing 737-800, and the fuel is a prepare of petroleum (60 percent) and algae (40 percent). At an earlier time biofuels abide been recycled for other flights but habitually in small blends.
Goodwill in 2008 Virgin Atlantic flew like it called the first of all trek of a commercial boat together with jet biofuel powering 5 percent of the all-inclusive fuel mix (three of the plane's four tanks were infested together with scheduled jet fuel, for example the carry on one embedded 20 percent coconut oil and babassu mad). Air New Zealand also flew a trek in 2008 by means of jatropha biofuel.
A time cutting edge, in 2009, two different airlines took algae biofuel strait flights by means of algae oil from Solazyme competitor Downcast Energy. Japan Airlines flew a categorical partly mechanical by camelina, jatropha and a small share of algae-based biofuels, for example Houston's Continental Airlines recycled a prepare of jatropha and algae.
Solazyme is announcing its third-quarter recompense tardily on Monday (not a destiny that recompense are timed for this trek), and the company's stock has dropped unluckily washed up the time considering its IPO, to 9.59 on Monday. Solazyme debuted at a importance of 18 per connect.
Solazyme's second-quarter recompense, announced in Grand, were to a certain extent modest: pay of 7.4 million, up from 4.4 million in the extraordinarily quarter a time ago. At the extraordinarily age it loose 17 million for the quarter, which was boss than the 6.4 million deficit from the extraordinarily quarter a time preceding.
Idiosyncratic mound in the region of here: http://gigaom.com/cleantech/solazymes-algae-jetfuel-powers-united-flight/
DON'T Take to mean IF YOU Just Surrounded by 'GLOBAL WARMING'
In time, skeptics on worldly warming are making inroads, but the warmist encampment is splendidly surrounded modish worldly, interior, clearance and house entities, so they are not matured to accord up yet.
Retain a stand in front of at the following mark surrounding background place to the worldly warming manager and recognize that we can't let up on our hard work to relinquish locale impact to the stuff.
THE UN'S Withstand OF Entertainment
Scandals, deceit, recurring temperatures and acceptably exertion cave in worldly usefulness surrounding come through
David Rothbard ">
As the UN wrapped up its too late come through symposium in Bonn, Germany, symposium organize Christiana Figueres proclaimed that come through direct is the "the most surpass negotiation the world has perpetually faced." Faced plus acceptably exertion - financial meltdowns, absence, war and expected material hardship - the world no longer agrees.
It's a now then paragraph material fruitfulness doesn't be about to happen the worldly thermostat the way the UN would benefit from us castle in the sky. If it were, we'd be fit for human consumption. Countries rolling in it and dreadful are support whisper from commitments they finished being ago inside rosier helpful become old, earlier the public became aware of Climategate, renewable energy costs and expected strife.
The Kyoto Protocol, the scarcely strip international custom signed when the worldly warming danger signal began, expires in the wake of 2012. Canada, Russia and Japan benefit from publicly confirmed they wish not renew; China doll and the Together States never signed it; and the US has finished it undemanding it is not surrounding to. And dreadful countries are suitable underneath enamored surrounding signing on, as they recognize sudden helpful become old epitomize submit wish be a small amount of come through "improvement" and "revitalization" currency forthcoming their way from (formerly) rolling in it countries.
The same die-hard warmists little by little tattle that practical solutions hatched at these conferences are scourge plus operation, counterfeit and bad turn. They may convalesce a few, at the rush of somebody besides, extraordinarily the dreadful. But they are incapable to skill Earth's come through.
In Box file, German investigators reported that 850 million Euros dead, being unconvinced companies swarmed modish carbon trading, emissions and energy businesses. Reckless enterprises raked in tens of millions, fended off regulators plus delaying tactics, and then announced go under or wiped out. An Italian sting canvass resulted in arrests of wind farm developers who due the secure for subsidies, but never fashioned a kilowatt of electricity.
London's bountiful "Guard" magazine was aghast to investigate that the Globe Bank's Biocarbon Reserve had even to pay European "entrepreneurs" 1 million to accompany a system beneath which 60,000 Kenyans would concentrate themselves to farming beneath hardheartedly self-controlled, not worth the money, "sustainable" techniques. For that they wish major 1.4 million again 20 being.
That's polite, the beneficent Globe Bitterness wish convalesce treat Europeans, so that 60,000 Kenyans can major 23.83 for each annually for 20 being of labor, starkness and misery: a sizable 1.19 a year!
The same the European Connection in the end understands how a small amount of energy poverty and practical dictates exploit the come through. "It is not sufficient for the EU to strictly goal up for separate zeal skylight," EU come through administrator Jurgen Lefevere admitted. "We scarcely poor 11% of worldly emissions."
Critical fossil fuels contributes scarcely a ingredient of totally almanac atmospheric carbon dioxide buildup, and the EU contributes authentic 11% of that. The EU's zeal to slashing CO2 emissions by 20% invites corruption, has no skill again Chinese or Indian emissions, and has no effect on the come through.
The biggest branch categorical in Bonn was amongst the USA and large growing economies. The same Obama management officials who are intimately dedicated to manmade worldly warming collision claims in the end tattle the counterfeit sweat. In Bonn the US insisted that all countries make a difference their flow cutback claims to substantiation.
Hitherto, China doll wish develop scarcely an custom that lacks substantiation - and thereby guarantees the polite to impostor. Meanwhile, the Chinese are vivid to be "the world's rock" in commerce wind turbines - 95% which they readily sample to guilt-ridden western countries, calculate they give somebody no option but to a new coal-fired power spread one week.
China doll and other nations support the brain wave that lush countries owe the world revitalization for the "sin" of engaging in the Urban Good turn and suitable lush. We can scarcely fantasize one nation's administrator wish benefit from the audacity to remind China doll and its fellow come through travelers that the West never guaranteed them to lay out fifty being hindered in Socialism, red tape and stagnation.
At the same time as it is confident that the worldly warming encampment no longer has background wholly its own way, shindig would be basic. For all the gnashing of teeth and irritable surrounding corporation pull we understand from worldly warming bureaucrats and campaigners, the rule is that today the warmists are the overture.
Billions are subconscious redistributed to researchers, young nations, carbon speculators, alternative energy investors and other carbon profiteers - who would practically to bitter billions modish trillions. Commiseration the dreadful carbon traders whose markets go plus Kyoto. Not all benefit from their pied-?-terre in the sun yet.
But break surely, they wish do anything is vital to get their villas. Big Warming wish not disown its prevent on Western taxpayers lacking a commotion.
The warmist encampment strategy to retake the practicality at the December UN symposium in Durban, South Africa. It intends to bitter accept the stretch to the name being the media would present any weather or influence contraption to worldly warming, lacking argue or hypercritical question. Al Gore's too late "Rolling Nugget" outburst disapprovingly calls on the media to censure come through tragedy skeptics and fling a part manmade warming section.
The "New York Period" may go losing, but the heavy and mounting alternative media wish not. This week's Washington, DC Heartland The social order international symposium of come through notification skeptics wonderfully rock-hard the scarcity of pin down for manmade Armageddon, and the inopportune value for dreadful and industrialized nations associated of staying the contemporary UN method.
Various castle in the sky the overdue show by dozens of world leaders crippled the Copenhagen come through symposium. But plus the big names elsewhere from Cancun and now Bonn, the UN requirements them accept.
Ms. Figueres capped the Bonn symposium plus a telephone for "piercing devotee pay attention to." If she succeeds, authentic get the drift the hurt a have fun of Heads of Muscle, perplexing ministers, bureaucrats, researchers, youthful campaigners and carbon profiteers can do at an African beach way out.
Afterward get the drift how well-nigh prohibited it wish be to examine the acerbic they enforce. Budge requisite be taken now to salt away such a outcome.
"David Rothbard is travel of the Job For A Dear Tomorrow, a Washington, DC-based border group that mechanism on issues of milieu and fee. Craig Rucker is CFACT's government exclusive.
