Hanover Community Connections & Resources
Energy
First, understand how much energy you currently use. Then conserve by making sure your house is as efficient as it can be - have an energy audit, insulate, etc. Track your progress and measure your success! If you want to offset the rest, consider installing any number of renewable energy systems.
Buildings
Making our homes and other buildings as efficient as possible is the first step toward achieving greater energy self-sufficiency and resiliency. Have you caulked around windows and doors? Insulated your pipes? Upgraded your heating systems and appliances in the past 10 years? Have you changed your lights to more efficient bulbs? There are numerous ways you can take small steps to have a large impact.
Transportation
In the Upper Valley, it is unrealistic to think that we can do away with automobiles. That said, there are numerous strategies for reducing or use and consumption of fuel. When the weather permits, ride a bike. Consider car pooling more often or staying in town and going to the library instead of going back and forth to home between errands or appointments.
Land
Our land is the basis for all life. Think about how you use the land around your home, your place of work, and your recreational spots. Do you leave a trace? If so, will it repair itself and will it need remediation? It your land being used as productively as it can? Might you consider conserving some, or shifting some to serve agricultural purposes?
Food & Agriculture
Did you know that if there is a major storm and transportation is seriously impacted, that our region's stores can feed us for only 2-3 days? Do you have access to stored food? Are you able to produce your own? How might you convert your lawn to serve other productive purposes?
Waste & Recycling
We live in a community that provides a number of services to help us manage our waste - from curbside recycling to access to a comprehensive Waste facility in Lebanon, NH. The best intervention any of us can take, however, is to reduce how much packaging and unnecessary purchases we bring into our homes in the first place.
Regional Connections & Resources
Visit the Regional Connections and Resources page to connect with organizations that serve a broad range of communities and that deal with a broad range of topics, generally connected to sustainability-related issues.
UV Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission
The mission of the UVLSRPC is to guide, coordinate and promote sound economic growth
and development and to prepare, maintain and implement a comprehensive
regional plan for the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Region; to serve as a
research agency and information clearinghouse for the Upper Valley Lake
Sunapee Region; to assist local units of government with their plans and
programs; and to establish a public information program in order to
promote the health, safety and general welfare of the inhabitants of the
Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Region.
Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission
Our primary goals are to advocate for the needs of our member towns,
and to help bridge the opportunities and concerns that exist between towns
and the State and federal governments. The Commission's staff provides technical planning services
to town officials, and acts as a resource to local government.
Vital Communities
Vital Communities engages citizens, organizations and communities in creating solutions to our region's challenges. Leadership Upper Valley, Local First Alliance, Valley Food and Farm, Valley Quest, and the Upper Valley Transportation Management Association are all part of Vital Communities programming.
ValleyNet Event Calendar
Click here to connect to the Valley Net Community Event Calendar.
Other Resources
Green Energy Times (http://www.greenenergytimes.org/)
Peak Moment TV (http://www.peakmoment.tv/): Locally reliant living for challenging times. An online television series featuring people creating resilient communities for a more sustainable, lower-energy future.
Bullfrog Films (http://bullfrogfilms.com/): Over the last 38 years, Bullfrog Films has become the leading US publisher of independently- produced, environmental DVDs & videos, that point the way to living healthily, happily, and with greater concern for the other inhabitants of this planet, and for our descendants. We also distribute world-famous performing arts programs from Rhombus Media
Peak Moment TV (http://www.peakmoment.tv/): Locally reliant living for challenging times. An online television series featuring people creating resilient communities for a more sustainable, lower-energy future.
Bullfrog Films (http://bullfrogfilms.com/): Over the last 38 years, Bullfrog Films has become the leading US publisher of independently- produced, environmental DVDs & videos, that point the way to living healthily, happily, and with greater concern for the other inhabitants of this planet, and for our descendants. We also distribute world-famous performing arts programs from Rhombus Media
