Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Interview #3: Dorothy Tod


Producer, Director & Editor

Dorothy was heavily involved in the process and creation of Freedom & Unity: The Vermont Movie. In fact, it was originally Dorothy's idea to put together the sixth part of the documentary after she heard about the controversy over the Lowell Mountain Wind Project in northern Vermont. She feels strongly about about protecting our water sources, which led her to become extremely involved in the role of power and energy in conjunction with politics in the state of Vermont.

Interview #2: Jack Lazor



Owner of Butterworks Farm in Westfield, VT
Cofounder of the Northern Grain Grower's Association 
Author of The Organic Grain Grower: Small-Scale, Holistic Grain Production for the Home and Market Producer

For the first time, Jack is teaching a course on Organic Grain Growing at UVM this semester. Having farmed for the better part of the past 30 years, he's decided to share his knowledge with fellow farmers and agricultural students. He focusses on all aspects of grain production in the region, including organic seed saving, finding and choosing seeds, variety improvement, and grinding grains for animal and human consumption. His farm sits in the valley across from Lowell Mountain and they have a 35 kW wind turbine on their property. Installed in 2003, when the wind mill is up and running (it's having some difficulties at the moment) it produces up to 3500 kWh in a good month of energy production. 

Interview #1: Nora Jacobson


Founder of Off The Grid Productions in Norwich, VT
Filmmaker, Producer, Director & Cinematographer

One of her most recent projects: Freedom & Unity: The Vermont Movie
This project is a documentary series on the state of Vermont, the first of its kind. Made up of six parts, it starts by covering the history of the state starting in 1777 coming all the way up to the present. But the most relevant portion of the film is part six, entitled "People's Power." This segment tackles the conflict over "energy, independence, the environment and the state's future." For more information, visit: http://www.thevermontmovie.com/