4th of July Celebration -- Productive, Fun, Harmonious!
Community Judith Colla Community Judith Colla

4th of July Celebration -- Productive, Fun, Harmonious!

Thanks to the generosity of key community partners, Sustainable Hanover (SH) had a productive and fun experience participating in Hanover’s 29th Annual 4th of July celebration. Our challenge was to highlight our values and priorities while embracing the theme of this year’s celebration – “Hanover in Harmony.” 

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Taking Local Climate Action – SAU 70’s Climate Action Plan 2025
Community Gail Gentes Community Gail Gentes

Taking Local Climate Action – SAU 70’s Climate Action Plan 2025

On Thursday, May 22, the Montshire Museum of Science and Hanover High School (HHS) Environmental Club co-hosted a “Taking Local Climate Action” event where student leaders of the Environmental Club presented their district-wide Climate Action Plan (CAP) recently adopted by SAU 70. In addition, students from Marion Cross Elementary School described steps they have been taking to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG). They also treated attendees to a dinner of locally sourced soup and salad that they had prepared and served!

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Inching Forward with LEAP!
Community, Energy, Environment Judith Colla Community, Energy, Environment Judith Colla

Inching Forward with LEAP!

Dartmouth Students associated with the Cook Engineering Design Center’s LEAP Program (Learn Engineering Through Applied Projects) recently completed a two-term project looking at the feasibility of decarbonizing residential energy use through geo-exchange microgrids. Under the supervision of Professor Emily Monroe, freshmen Eden Gray, Caleb Frank, and Declan Schilling and senior Nathan McAllister concluded that this form of low emissions heating could be a viable alternative to furnaces fueled by oil or propane.

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Hanover Kicks Off Shared Streets Vision Planning
Community, Energy, Environment Jennie Dorosh Chamberlain Community, Energy, Environment Jennie Dorosh Chamberlain

Hanover Kicks Off Shared Streets Vision Planning

On May 12th, Hanover kicked off Shared Streets Vision Planning to design a multimodal network for all ages and abilities. How we design our streets, intersections and paths determines who can get where they need to go and how. And our choices have a massive impact on our community’s carbon footprint...

But how do our choices in street design impact the community’s emissions and health? What does it mean to envision Hanover streets that are inviting and accessible to people of all ages and abilities? How can we do it?

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SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING
Environment, Community Judy Reeve Environment, Community Judy Reeve

SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPING

Sustainable landscaping is an innovative and environmentally responsible way to think about yards, gardens, outdoor areas. Adopting this approach, you’ll create beautiful, functional yards and gardens while reducing water usage, supporting local pollinators and wildlife minimizing maintenance.

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Earth Day Fair
Community, Energy, Environment Dennis Robison Community, Energy, Environment Dennis Robison

Earth Day Fair

“Aye, ’twas a cold and rainy day” or at least the threat of one for the Earth Day Fair and celebration sponsored by  Sustainable Hanover and Dartmouth College’s Sustainability Department on Saturday, April 26.  Nevertheless, seventeen exhibitor and vendor tables were crowded together, receiving between 60 and 70 attendees in Richmond Middle School gymnasium. 

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A Promising New Initiative for Hanover’s Large Energy Users
Energy, Community Judith Colla Energy, Community Judith Colla

A Promising New Initiative for Hanover’s Large Energy Users

Sustainable Hanover is excited to have launched a new initiative to bring together the largest energy users in Hanover to share ideas and solutions for a more sustainable future. This group includes representation from Dartmouth College, Kendal at Hanover, the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), Hypertherm, Sheridan Printing, the Coop Food Stores, and the Town. 

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Extreme Weather
Environment Gail Gentes Environment Gail Gentes

Extreme Weather

It is almost impossible to read or listen to the news without hearing about lives being disrupted and homes and businesses being destroyed by extreme weather events.     Whatever one’s thoughts are about Climate Change there is no doubt that there is an increasing amount of extreme weather.  Recently I heard an amazing statistic:  In the last 20 years there have been 8 or 9 FEMA incidents in the Hanover area (FEMA is the Federal agency charged with responding to natural disasters), while in the prior 50 years there had been only 3.

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Hanover Hygiene Heroes
Environment, Community Alice Pettus Environment, Community Alice Pettus

Hanover Hygiene Heroes

There are many clubs at Hanover High School that focus on helping to save our environment. One of the more notable clubs is the Hanover Hygiene Heroes, who have made it their goal to “relieve Hanover of its pollution, one week at a time.” The club began when students were on a lunch trip to the Co-op. 

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The Mighty Oak
Environment Judith Pettingell Environment Judith Pettingell

The Mighty Oak

How prescient William Davies’ 1913 poem, "The Old Oak Tree," is when we look at the climate of our earth today! William Davies’ poem’s first stanza reads:

I sit beneath your leaves, old oak,

you mighty one of all the trees;

And his last stanza reads:

To lie by day in thy green shade,

and in thy hollow rest at night;

and through the open doorway see

The stars turn over leaves of light.

The “mighty” oak has in fact become one of the biggest heroes of today’s positive climate change strategies.

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Successful Styrofoam Collection!
Community, Environment Yolanda Baumgartner Community, Environment Yolanda Baumgartner

Successful Styrofoam Collection!

Thanks to everyone for contributing to the successful Hanover/Norwich Styrofoam/Lights collection on Saturday, January 25, 2025!

Intrepid volunteers including teens from Youth in Action and the Hanover High School Environmental Club, nonagenarians from Kendal, and all ages in-between braved the frigid temperature to get the job done! Through  their  efforts, they took in 253 loads brought by car and walk-ins. 

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Community Power Outperforms Expectations
Energy, Community, Environment Yolanda Baumgartner Energy, Community, Environment Yolanda Baumgartner

Community Power Outperforms Expectations

Recent news from the Community Power Coalition of NH (CPCNH) contained some surprises. Community power programs, including our own Hanover Community Power (HCP), are surpassing expectations held in April 2023 when Hanover launched as one of ten communities in the first wave of CPCNH programs. Over the first 16 months, HCP customers saved $643,000 compared to what they would have spent for utility supplied electricity. 

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How to Make “Black Gold”
Environment Lynn Sheldon Environment Lynn Sheldon

How to Make “Black Gold”

A Home Composting Workshop was held in the Mayer room at the Howe Library on September 19th. It featured Cat Buxton who runs the “Grow More Waste Less Organization” (website: https://www.growmorewasteless.com/) and was sponsored by the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission (UVLSRPC) and hosted by Sustainable Hanover. Cat is an educator, community organizer and advocate for changes in the food system from food  production to waste disposal. 

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