GUILFORD — On Sunday, May 22, more than 40 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) volunteers will have fun getting dirty for the local environment at the second annual “Earth Gay” Vermont.
Earth Gay Vermont's 2016 host is queer-owned Circle Mountain Farm, which also hosted last year's event. It is co-presented by Green Mountain Crossroads (GMC), a Brattleboro nonprofit connecting rural LGBTQ people to build community, visibility, knowledge, and power, and OUT for Sustainability, a Seattle-based nonprofit mobilizing the LGBTQ community for social and environmental action.
“GMC is thrilled to be building on the success of last year's event and to be partnering with OUT for Sustainability and Circle Mountain Farm!” HB Lozito, executive director of GMC, said in a news release. “Having a large crew of LGBTQ-identified volunteers supporting a local queer-owned farm is a fabulous example of the kind of work we do building the power and visibility of rural LGBTQ communities. I can't think of any better way to spend a beautiful spring day than digging in the dirt with other rural LGBTQ folks!”
Lozito said GMC was “excited to be partnering with folks at Circle Mountain Farm who work hard to provide affordable healthy food while improving soil and community health. For farmers, the hours are long, the margins are slim, there is always more work to do than is humanly possible given the hours in a day, and the benefit to the community and local ecosystem is great. Bringing a crew of LGBTQ volunteers to the farm for a day of work and celebration is an easy win-win in our book.”
“Environmental stewardship is a core value for the residents of Vermont. As we saw at last year's Earth Gay Vermont, the whole community shows up to have fun, sleeves rolled up, living out their values by working the land for a more fabulous planet,” said Gerod Rody, founder and president of OUT for Sustainability. “We're honored to continue our partnership with Green Mountain Crossroads, investing in healthier land and happier people.”
OUT for Sustainability first started Earth Gay in 2009 with 10 volunteers planting a garden for a youth rehab center in Seattle. Since then, they've organized 19 Earth Gay service projects in cities and regions around the country, investing over 4,500 volunteer hours in habitat restoration, public parks, and community gardens.
Earth Gay Vermont runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Circle Mountain Farm. The service project strives to foster an inclusive environment where people of all genders, ages, abilities, backgrounds, and experience levels are welcomed to engage in making a more fabulous planet. Circle Mountain Farm is a working farm where the main terrain is soil, gravel, occasionally mud, and grass. There is no pavement.
Event organizers are happy to work with folks of differing abilities to find a task that works for them. More information and free registration is available at out4s.org/earth-gay-vermont-2016/201603.