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Letters
Thank You, Millenials
Editor:
Generation Y, the millennials (sigh). We?ve all been reading the articles and watching TV shows trying to find out how to manage, train and co-exist in the workplace with this new breed of laborers. As the manager of a seasonal creemee business, I see an increasing number of millennial applicants and a decreasing number of them that can perform the daily tasks required to keep our business successful. I also agree with most of the ?flaws? I?ve read about regarding this generation and am unsure about what the future holds in store for upcoming seasons.
However, how many of you have stood in line at the Dairy Creme, starting at the end of our yellow chain and had your creemees in-hand in less than 10 minutes? Most of you have. How many of you have observed the speed, consistency and quality of work these millennials produce on a daily basis? Their average service time is 90 seconds! They serve hundreds and sometimes thousands of customers every day no differently than any preceding generation could have.
Admittedly, I have to search harder to find them, but the products of Generation Y aren?t all bad, some of them are actually pretty great. I appreciate my millenials every day and I know our customers do, too. So to all the Generation Y millenials that work at the Dairy Creme: ?Thank you for everything you do on a daily and seasonal basis. You are appreciated and to be commended for standing out among your peers and making the experience and products at the Dairy Creme the best they can be for our valued customers.? Or, more appropriately: ?U R really GR8 & IDK NE1 better!?
Penne Smith, Manager
Dairy Creme
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Four Day Weeks Offer Many Benefits
Editor:
Imagine the total savings if everyone went to 4 day weeks! Don't just look at it as "How much would I really save?" I work at a small business. Not counting the delivery driver and the owner, I estimated how much gas & money would be saved if we worked 4 day weeks. Using an average of 23 mpg at $4 per gallon; in one year we could save 353 gallons of gas and a total cash savings of $1,411!! And that's just 8 people!
Companies could save gas if they have vehicles on the road. They would save on their power bill. Not to mention that 10 hour days are so much more productive. And just think how it would reduce school budgets! I went to school from 8 - 4. It wouldn't hurt the kids nowadays to do that. Obviously there are some jobs that need to be filled at all times. But even they could be scheduled so the people could work 4 days a week instead of 5.
My husband drives 18 miles one way to work. I drive 6. Since we need a truck and it's harder on gas, I now drive it. And he drives our car. But even doing it that way, we alone would save 2,496 miles a year! The car averages 20 mpg & the truck, 15. At $4 a gallon, that would save us $540 a year! I'd love that. Wouldn't you?
And all the numbers don't bring a hidden bonus into play - an extra day of family time every week. It doesn't get any better than that, does it?
Pearle Butler
Williamstown
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Natural Resources Board Overreacting About Compost Situation
Editor:
Vermont Compost Company (VCC) of Montpelier was recently ordered by the Vermont Natural Resources Board to cease operations, remove all inventory and building improvements used for compost making, and pay a fine of $18,000. This order comes at a time when a previous permit issue is still being appealed.
As an organic farmer for the last 27 years, I have extensive experience with organic, compost based potting mixes- from making mixes myself, to evaluating numerous commercial mixes for NOFA's Bulk Order sales to organic farmers, to growing a wide variety of organic seedlings for central Vermont farmers and gardeners. VCC's potting soil is top notch, head and shoulders above other mixes. It is the foundation that starts every season off on the right foot. As an indispensable tool for organic farmers and gardeners, it would be devastating not to have VCC's potting mixes available. Sales from Vermont's certified organic farms last year topped $43 million dollars! Organic agriculture consistently shines as a growth sector in an otherwise tough farm economy. VCC's potting mixes deserve some of the credit for organic farming's continued success in Vermont.
Is making compost and potting mix so imminently dangerous to justify a cease and desist order? Or is this an axe to grind? The Natural Resources Board's strong-arming is unnecessary. It's time for everyone to take a deep breath and come back to the table with level heads.
Richard Wiswall
Cate Farm, East Montpelier
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?Never Again? -- How Men Can Help Make It Come True
Editor:
The White Ribbon Campaign of Vermont joins with other Vermonters in expressing our grief and sadness over the death of Brooke Bennett. As a community, we can work together to end violence against women and girls. We believe that men have an essential responsibility in helping to achieve this. Men are responsible for the majority of sexual assaults and domestic violence in our state (take a look at the statewide sexual and domestic violence statistics), and men need to be a major part of the solution to end it.
Most men are not violent. But most men are silent about men?s violence against women. It?s not that we don?t care. We do. But we need to take an active, vocal and constructive role in teaching our sons, at an early age, to respect girls and women and that anything short of that is unacceptable. Brooke Bennett's death is a call to action to Vermont men. We have some ideas about how we can get started.
First, make a personal pledge never to commit, condone nor remain silent about violence against women.
Second, talk to one other man or boy about your pledge. The next time you are with a group of men and someone is telling a dirty or sexist joke about ?girls,? say something. ?I don?t like hearing something that is disrespectful to my daughter.?
Third, become an ally with your local schools. Tell teachers, coaches, principals and others that as men, as fathers, you believe sexual and domestic violence prevention is important. We can create the generational change that will help make what the pastor at the Brooke Bennett memorial service said, ?Never again,? come true.
There are many other things men can do. Our website (www.whiteribbonvt.org) has a list of them. Men can support our local shelters and hotlines (www.vtnetwork.org). Men can make it clear that girls and women are not sexual objects, and we won?t accept those media messages anymore. Reject degrading and repressive images of women and girls in our movies, television shows, advertising, video games, the porn industry, and in media that fosters violence and abuse against women and promotes the sexualization of young girls. Men can become substantial agents for change if we stop being reactive, and come together to sustain our united voice against men?s violence against women.
Stephen McArthur & Ron Redmond
Co-Chairs, White Ribbon Campaign of Vermont
info@whiteribbonvt.org
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Speak Out About Transportation Concerns
Editor:
At a recent VTRANS hearing on public transportation needs, held at the Montpelier City Hall, (July 14th), over 60 Vermonters turned out to tell about their struggles with getting from here to there with gas prices escalating daily. Bicyclists bemoaned the fact that the commuter bus between Montpelier and Burlington, the LINK Express, which currently is packed to the rooftops with standing room only and has seen a 47% increase in ridership, has only two bike racks.
Central Vermonters do not all live in Montpelier and Barre City, and if they do, they are unhappy with the lack of ability to get around without a car. Many came from outlying towns that have little or no public transit for its citizens. This was our chance to be heard by the Agency of Transportation as they are creating their federally mandated 5 year Short-Range Public Transportation Plan (SRPTP).
As more and more Central Vermonters expressed their dismay about lack of public transit, a situation that by some accounts is nearing crisis proportions, we heard from Executive Director of the Chittenden County Transportation Authority (CCTA), Chris Cole, who contracts to oversee the Green Mountain Transit Agency (GMTA) which serves the Central Vermont region. His message was extremely disheartening. He stated that he would love to see all of these suggested improvements, but it all boils down to lack of money and political will at the federal, state, and local levels. He further stated that ?our funding system is broken.? While GMTA has received a 2% increase in their budget this year, fuel costs have gone up by 85%. Cole stated that he is dealing with ?which services to reduce, rather than to expand.? He suggested that the assembled crowd needed to inform their legislators, federal representatives and the Douglas administration
The public hearing was conducted by the Milligan Agency, on contract with VTRANS to conduct hearings around the State, and report for the SRPTP to be written this Fall.This Montpelier meeting was the first of 24 meetings. E-mail and written testimony was encouraged and more information is available at www.milligancpa.com/VT. or call 828-2828.
When the people speak, our elected representatives, town and state officials need to listen.
Perhaps we can still find opportunity out of crisis!
Mary Alice Bisbee
Waitsfield
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