In the summer 2008, the price of a gallon of gasoline reached, and in some places exceeded, $4.00 a gallon. The price of a gallon of heating oil was predicted to soar to $4-5 a gallon by mid-winter, just when New Englanders would need it the most.

For a small group of Bradford and Newbury neighbors, the sense that energy prices were out of control triggered not a pessimistic panic but a proactive determination: a determination that we all seek the chance to learn about alternative energy options, that we all make the choice to strengthen our communities by supporting local merchants and farmers, and that we all take the challenge of learning to live well in an uncertain future.

And so the Local Energy & Agriculture Festival (LEAF) was created. The festival focuses on positive, local solutions to the intimidating energy and environmental issues that surround us. Located in the heart of Bradford, Vermont, the festival celebrates the revitalizing spirit of collaboration and sustainability by bringing together local alternative energy providers, merchants, musicians, farmers, and crafters to share and promote creative ideas and practices. In 2011, the acronym LEAF remains the same, but the focus will be shared between renewable energy, energy efficiency, and locally produced foods, thus the name: Local Energy & Agriculture Festival (LEAF).

Please join us on September 17th.

LEAF is sponsored by the Energy Committee of the Bradford Conservation Commission with support from the Byrne Foundation and Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission.