To start off, I would just like to say that I am super excited for this weekend’s upcoming retreat. The last retreat was really fun, and I’m sure this week’s will also be. Since last time, I have accomplished many goals on our film about sustainable lifestyles, as well as setting up many opportunities for the near future. I took on the following responsibilities within the project:

I wrote to a person in my town named Chloe Powell. She was one of my camp counselors 6 years ago and at the time she lived off-grid and carried all of her water from a nearby creek on her shoulder. I thought she would be a super captivating subject to interview and film their traditions. I wrote to her email and she responded.

“Thanks for thinking of me, but I don’t think I’m the best person for this. I’m still staying in the cabin in the summer but haven’t really done anything to make it more sustainable and still use utilities at my parents’ house. I wish I was a better interviewee/ model of sustainable living.”

It was disappointing to hear, however there was a major redeeming part of the email. She put me in contact with some very compelling potential subjects. One of the people she suggested I write to is Teo Zagar, a former State Rep and a filmmaker. He is living off the grid with solar. I contacted him and he agreed to meet but we haven’t set a time yet.

The other person Chloe referred me to is Nicole Antal. She is homesteading in Sharon- they left the city life and are building a simple house and growing most of their food. An interesting anecdote is that she did a Q and A session on Reddit and there were many useful things to learn from it. I wrote to her and she wrote back. She left things pretty up in the air about specific times, but she seemed excited about my project and definitely showed interest.

Lastly, I wrote to Vermont State Representative Tim Briglin. We are meeting at his office on November 27^th for a conversation about sustainability/pre-interview. He is the chair of the House Energy and Technology committee and has introduced and worked on several pieces of relevant legislation. I am also considering meeting with my mom’s friends Carin and Justin Park. They are farmers that live off the grid, and raise vegetables and animals.

On our first week we did our group call a few days late and that got us a little behind. It’s been a challenge to keep organized, but we managed to catch up eventually.