For Immediate Release
January 24, 2008

Contact: Valerie A. Stuart
802-257-0249

                                                                                                        ‘Live Green’ Theme of 7th Annual Strolling of the Heifers Parade & Festival; Event Related Activities Will Highlight How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Help Protect Planet

Brattleboro, Vermont -- “Live Green!” is the theme of the 7th Annual Strolling of the Heifers Parade & Festival during the first weekend in June (Friday, June 6 – Sunday, June 8). Many aspects of Vermont’s light-hearted version of Spain’s Running of the Bulls will echo the message of why it’s important for everyone to make lifestyle changes that protect the environment. “Farmers have always recognized the wisdom of living in harmony with the nature,” noted local dairy farm owner Helen Robb. She and Dwight Miller are two of the farmers that helped establish the non-profit organization in partnership with some of the Brattleboro area’s civic leaders in 2001. The Stroll’s mission is to promote awareness of the importance of sustaining local agriculture and to raise money to fund educationally oriented agricultural programs for youth. The organization raises funds through the parade and festival which have been named a Top Ten Summer Event by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce for six years in a row. Money from the fundraising event is distributed to schools and other organizations for agriculturally related education projects through the Heifer Educational Fund.

“We chose ‘Live Green!’ as the theme for this year’s agricultural celebration because when it comes to slowing down global climate change, we’ve all got to do our part,” Robb stated. “People are really beginning to understand that we all have to make lifestyle changes in order to save the environment for future generations. With roughly 40,000 attendees each year, the parade and festival offer an unparalleled opportunity to help people embrace the lifestyle changes needed to preserve the environment for future generations."

Turning Public Concern into Civic Action

To turn the public’s concern about global climate change into civic action, the Stroll’s Steering Committee plans to do what the nonprofit has always done best – educate the public about how everyone can help solve the problem. “We’re taking our quest of educating youth about the importance of sustaining local agriculture one step further by focusing on the big picture,” observed the Stroll’s Executive Director Orly Munzing. “Our goal is to publicize simple measures everyone can take to protect the environment. Many of the measures will also help sustain our area’s family-owned farms.” Munzing said such steps include buying locally, living green and minimizing wastefulness. And she added that everything from the floats in the Strolling of the Heifers Parade (Saturday, June 7) to the “Green Dream Expo” at the Dairy Fest following the parade will be unified by the “Live Green!” theme.

Local Media and Schools Will Help Spread the “G” Word

The local news media and schools also will help the Stroll spread the “G” word regarding simple steps people can take to thwart global warming. For example, the nonprofit will run a “Tips on Living Green” contest in the Brattleboro Reformer. Moreover, in addition, to funding -- as it does it each year -- opportunities for youth in the Windham County area to learn about agriculture and about how family-owned farms contribute to the local quality of life, the Stroll is calling for proposals for grants of up to $1,000 for projects from local schools and organizations that focus on the “Live Green!” theme. These can range from waste reduction and water conservation strategies to clean power initiatives and why it’s important to buy local and eat green. The purpose of these “start-up grants” is to underwrite school-wide projects that educate the public about how to live in harmony with nature. Such projects will be “showcased” as floats in the Strolling of the Heifers Parade and/or as exhibits at the Dairy Fest following the parade. Log on to www.strollingoftheheifers for details.

The mission of the Strolling of the Heifers is to promote awareness of the importance of agriculture in our daily lives and to raise money to fund educationally oriented agricultural programs for youth.

(From left to right) Olivia Bernard, Lillie Richards and Noelle Marino get ready to dig into the dirt at Hilltop Montessori School’s greenhouse in Brattleboro. A grant from the Stroll’s Heifer Educational Fund enabled the school’s students and faculty to build the greenhouse several years ago. This year, students are undertaking a school-wide composting project. They will exhibit information about the project at the “Green Dream Expo” that will take place at the Dairy Fest after the parade on Saturday, June 7th.  This year, in keeping with the Stroll’s “Live Green!” theme, many area schools will undertake educationally oriented projects underwritten by the Heifer Educational Fund on how to live sustainably.

From left to right, first row: Olivia Bernard, Lillie Richards and Noelle Marino . Second row: Natasha Hed and Rosa Donaldson. Hilltop's composting program will reduce the school’s waste stream while providing hands-on learning about the importance of soil to local farms and the impact of modern fertilizers. In line with the Stroll’s “Live Green!” theme, Hilltop will work with the Stroll and Triple T Trucking to collect compostable waste during the Strolling of the Heifers Parade & Festival weekend.

Photos: Valerie A. Stuart

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS. PRIMARY MEDIA SPONSORS: Brattleboro Reformer; WKVT GOLD: Hood/Booth Brothers Dairy - Official Milk of Strolling of the Heifers; Holstein Association; SoverNet, USA; Toyota; Turkey Hill; WTSA SILVER: Aubochon Hardware; Brattleboro Food Co-op; C&S Wholesale Grocers; Cabot Cooperative Creamery; Horizon Organic/The Organic Cow; Organic Valley; Price Chopper; Redex Industries/Udderly Smooth; Walgreens; WCAX-TV BRONZE: Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce; Brattleboro Museum & Art Center; Brattleboro Retreat Healthcare; Brattleboro Savings & Loan; Costume Ladies; Durand Ford Toyota; Green Mountain Tent Rentals; Hannaford Superstore; Key Bank; Mount Snow; New Chapter; Newman's Own; Stacy Subaru; Stuart Communications; The Rutland Herald; Trust Company of Vermont; United Natural Foods Inc.; Vermont Cheese Council; Windham Foundation CRYSTAL: 101 The Fox Radio; Building A Better Brattleboro; Chelsea Royal Diner; Chittenden Bank; Foard Panel; G.S. Precision; H&R Block; Hampton Inn; Home Depot; Keats Inc.; The Keene Sentinel; Leader Distribution; The Marina; New Holland; The Putney School; Riverview Café; U.S. Cellular/21st Century Cellular; Staples; Stoneyfield Farm; University of Vermont Extension; Vermont Country Store; Vermont Department of Agriculture; Vermont Natural Water; Windham County Dairy Promotion; World Learning; Woodstock Farms; WRSI/The River; Zinn Graphics PATRON: A Candle In The Night; American Flatbread; Antioch University New England; Arthur Whitcomb; Best Energy Saving Technologies; Brattleboro Chrysler, Jeep, & Dodge; Brunelle & Son Construction; BRW Electronics/ Radio Shack; Building Green Inc.; Capers Restaurant; Cockadoodle DOO; Cooke Family Realty; Co-operative Insurance; Farmers Diner/Vermont Smoke & Cure; Fleming Oil Company; Free Lunch Media Productions; Garelick Farms; Grafton Village Cheese Co; Holiday Inn Express; Hooker-Dunham Gallery & Theater; Howard Printing; Landmark College; Leader Distribution System, Inc; Mary Meyer Mfg Co.; Merrick Pet Care; New England Natural Bakers; Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub; O’Connor Law Office; Outlet Center; Perkins Home Center; Red Roof Inn; Save The Corporations from Themselves; SEVCA; Silver Forest; Southern Vermont Cable; Spring Tree Maple Products/Specialty Brands of America; Suburban Propane; Taylor for Flowers; Triple T Trucking; The Valley Advocate; Vermont Agricultural Business Education Center; Vermont Agricultural Credit Corp; Vermont Bread/Rudy’s Organic Bakery; Vermont Land Trust; Wal-Mart; Windham Wines; Zinn Graphics SUPPORTING: Abbiati Monuments; Agri-Mark, Inc; Agway; Anon’s; Banknorth Vermont; Best Inn; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont; Brown & Roberts Hardware; Brown Family Farm; Burton Car Wash; Cersosimo Lumber Co and Cersosimo Industries; Clear Solutions Inc.; Creamery Bridge Candles; David Manning; Inc.; Efficiency Vermont; Fireworks Restaurant; Friends of the Sun; Gale, Corum, Mabie, Cook & Prodan Law Firm; GPI Construction, Inc.; Green Mountain Spinnery; Hertz & Lloyd Attorneys at Law; Kristensen, Cummings, Phillips & Carol PC; Latchis Hotel; Moo Dooers/VNAP; Newfane Country Store; Newton Business Products; Northland Downey Insurance Group; The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co. Inc; One Stop Country Pet Supply; Peebles; Perkins Home Center; Peter Havens; Pieciak & Co; Inc.; The Putney Inn; Real Green Goods; The Richards Group; River Valley Credit Union; Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters; The Sandri Companies; Solar Source; Thai Gardens; True Value & VS Variety Store; USA Solar Store; Vermont Artisan Designs; Vermont Natural Coatings; Vermont Veterinary Medical Assn.; Vermont Vinyl; Vermont Water Buffalo; VT-NH Veterinary Clinic; Windham Family Vision Care; The Windham Solid Waste Management District; Winter Panel Corp.; Women's Agricultural Network; Woodman Athletics; Yankee Farm Credit; Zephyr Designs SPONSORS: Adagio Trattoria; Adivasi; Altiplano; Amy’s Bakery Arts Café; At the Oasis; Bast Investment Co; Beadniks; Berkley & Veller/Greenwood Country Realtors; Black River Produce; Book Cellar; Borter’s Jewelry Studio; Brattleboro Haulage; Brattleboro Area Realty; Brattleboro Veterinary Clinic; Brooks House Realty; Campbell & Boyd Ins. Services; Inc; Carley’s Florist; Creative Woods Furniture Inc.; Crispe & Crispe Law Firm; Crofter Moving & Storage; Dalem’s Chalet; Inc.; The Dorner Agency, Inc.; Edward Jones & Company; ERA The Masiello Group/Stepping Stone Real Estate; Fenton Family Dealership; Fitts, Olson & Giddings; Fitz, Vogt & Associates at World Learning/SIT; Friends of Brooks Memorial Library; Green Mountain Bovine & Equine; India Palace Restaurant; J Coleman & Co Architects; James M. Puls & Associates Certified Public Accountants; John Rocray Law Firm; Lawton Floor Design; Linden Gardens; Masiello Employment Agency; Merrill Lynch; Merrill Gas Co; Inc.; Miller Brothers-Newton; Inc.; New England Coffee; The New England House; Océ North America Document Printing Systems; Oly’s Plumbing & Heating; Outer Limits Health Club; Pinnacleview Equipment Inc.; Potter Steward Law Offices; Putney Road Market; Shin La Restaurant; Stevens & Associates; T.J. Buckley; Thomas M. French Attorney At Law; Verde for Home & Garden; Vermont Butter and Cheese Co; Walker Farm; Windham Flowers; WW Building Supply; Wyman Agency.

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