I really need to get up to Bristol/Starksboro tomorrow. Is anyone going or can anyone give me a lift?

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I interviewed Jennifer Turner on October 21st in her beautiful home in the hills surrounding Starksboro. Interestingly, she, like Caroline Camara, was influenced by the ocean in her life as an environmentalist and outdoors person. Our discussion ranged from the recycling program she helped start in Starksboro to her experiences traveling abroad.

0:30 Turner grew up on the Massachusetts coast, where she had a strong interest in swimming and fishing in the ocean. She became attracted to science through these interactions with the outdoors. She would later mention that school wasn’t a great outlet for her fascination with natural history and ecology.

1:20 After finishing college, Turner lived with a family on a farm in southern Vermont as a sort of homesteading experience. She learned to garden, run a woodstove efficiently, and operate a saw mill.

6:30 When she met her first husband in Vermont, they both discovered they had a great interest in boats and wanted to go sailing. The couple sailed across the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, making it as far as Turkey. Turner remembers swimming with sperm whales in the Mediterranean as a special experience, although she admits that she and her husband didn’t get along well during the trip. However, the ancient cultures of Europe made a mark on Turner. “The richness of the culture was great for me to see,” she said.

12:00 After returning to the United States and separating from her first husband, she enrolled at the University of New Hampshire to study botany. She then met her current spouse, who was studying forestry at the time. The two then went to the University of Vermont in Burlington to complete graduate work in their chosen fields.

14:20 When they found a house in Starksboro, Turner realized that this was the perfect place to raise a family. The community was mixed, friendly, and safe.

15:40 In the late 1980s, Vermont passed a recycling law to reduce solid waste. Turner became involved in the local recycling program, which had limited funds and very little equipment. The effort slowly evolved until they could offer single-stream recycling, which increased the program’s popularity and efficacy.

24:30 Recycling is logistically difficult in rural areas with low population densities. First, many people still believe in the waste mentality and don’t see much difference between throwing something out and recycling it. Second, economic feasibility is limited because a hauler has to drive far to pick up a small number of items.

40:30 Turner’s daughter left school at the age of 15 to pursue alternative activities. She enrolled in a Folk School in Norway, which emphasized outdoor education and the mastery of traditional disciplines such as woodwork. This model of experimental education worked well for her daughter, and she then earned good money by working on several small dairy farms in rural Norway. When Turner visited her daughter, she “didn’t want to come home.”

50:35 As for Starksboro memories, Turner mentioned Gary Orvis. She describes Orvis as one of the main “characters” of the town. He is extremely creative with machinery and once made a wood-splitter that can handle seven logs at a time and place them on a conveyor belt for transport. His office is a collection of unusual equipment, grease, and cigarette smoke.

58:26 Turner recounted her experience winter camping at Ausable Lake in the Adirondacks. She used a poncho as a sail to travel across a frozen lake. “You go pretty fast,” she joked. We shared stories about various camping and boating trips in Adirondack Park.

1:04:50 As she gets older, Turner wants to develop her hobbies more. She mentioned forestry and woodworking as two activities she is currently pursuing. She has been working on creating trails for hiking and skiing.

1:08:38 We discussed the transition of Vermont’s agriculture from a traditional model to a boutique model that emphasizes sustainability and high-quality products. Turner emphasized the need to stay local and her joy at the expansion of farmers’ markets.

1:14:15 Turner would like to do some more traveling now. She wants to visit Greece again, as she feels each island has its own identity and a strong sense of local pride. Turkey is also on her mind, a place with a great diversity of landscapes and ethnicities.

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I interviewed Caroline Camara, a science teacher at Mount Abraham High School in Bristol, on October 27th. She reflected on the many outdoors experiences she had growing up which convinced her to become involved in scientific and environmental education. Camara emphasized the ethical nature of the curriculum she teaches, which focuses on issues ranging from genetically modified foods to global warming. She seemed particularly moved by the support of the community, even when teaching students about controversial issues.

0:40 Camara discussed how living on the coast of Maine as a child had made her love the outdoors. She observed the various ecosystems found in tide pools, and she came to understand the need for humility in the face of the great outdoors. “I wanted to be Jacques Cousteau. I was fascinated with the strength and power of the ocean.”

3:40 Science was the main focus in Camara’s academic life, and she came to Saint Michael’s College in Winooski as one of the first biochemistry majors of the school.

5:45 Camara found a true sense of community at Saint Michael’s, and she met her husband who wanted to remain in Vermont. They decided to settle in Starksboro, finding that the town offered a communal atmosphere.

7:40 After college, Camara worked for main years at a biotechnology company in Burlington, but she refused to accept a management position that she felt would cause her to violate ethical standards in the treatment of the workers. Becoming bored with lab work, she pursued teaching as a career that would be both fascinating and community-oriented.

9:20 Camara now teaches earth science to 9th graders at Mount Abraham High School. She also teaches lab chemistry classes for older and more advanced students. Particularly enjoyable for Camara is helping students make the transition into high school and mature as they progress through the grades.

11:10 Science is more than information and facts; it’s about learning how to think and act like a scientist while also involving ethical issues, such as the consequences of genetic modification, in the process.

12:30 The ninth grade earth science program has global climate change as its central theme, and student activism on the issue is encouraged. Camara attempts to present global warming in a balanced manner, and the student body is generally receptive because of their great knowledge of world issues and events.

15:00 Students are becoming involved in political activism, such as through the organization 350.org, which is attempting to find solutions to the climate crisis.

16:20 Camara and her students have begun a program to bring more local foods to the dining services at Mount Abraham. They have talked to a world-class chef at a nearby high school about implementing more environmentally-friendly products. “The big theme that we’re trying to teach is sustainable living,” remarked Camara.

18:10 Vermont’s progressive culture has helped Camara bring these issues to the forefront in her curriculum. The administration and the community have been incredible supportive.

19:00 Camara and her husband felt a bit shunned when they first moved to Starksboro, but they got involved with town events such as sports teams for their children and were gradually accepted as members of the community.

20:50 Looking towards the future, Camara hopes that Addison County will retain its rural character and that the farms will profit. For her, bio-fuels are a way in which farmers might make profits in a 21st century economy. “I hope we retain that agricultural heritage,” she said.

21:35 In a future Addison County, Camara wants to see wild spaces and wildlife corridors both preserved and expanded. She sees this mission being accomplished through greater education to the public, and she wants development to be carefully controlled so that the towns do not simply become bedroom communities to Burlington. However, Camara also appreciates that higher property taxes are an issue and that some industry needs to be developed, hopefully a sustainable one.

24:00 Through Mount Abraham High School’s field research program, Camara feels students are being taught how to plan for sustainable communities and towns that will be attractive to their future desires and dreams.

My cell phone is (914) 582-5446 if anyone needs it…I definitely want to go to Starksboro this week and do some interviewing.