Slow Living Summit

The second annual Slow Living Summit was held May 30-June 1 in Brattleboro, VT. More than 350 people attended. Yankee Farm Credit was a sponsor, and I was a participant. Speakers included Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The Summit was organized by Orly Munzing and the Strolling of the Heifers organization. The 11th annual Strolling of the Heifers was held in Brattleboro immediately following the Slow Living Summit. Thousands of people attend the world-famous Strolling of the Heifers each year.

What is Slow Living? The following short explanation is from the program brochure:

We would define "slow living" as the intention to build a more reflective, balanced future respecting each other and our life-sustaining natural environment - seeking common solutions for the common good.

In short, Slow Living is a metaphor for sustainability. Click here for a longer explanation.

In one of the many breakout sessions I participated in a panel discussion led by Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Ross about "collaboration between the public, private and quasi public/private entities around vision, planning, programs and activities to help develop and sustain an agriculturally based local food system." Other participants on the panel included Ela Chapin, director of the Vermont Farm Viability Program at the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board; Paul Costello, executive director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development; and Ryan Torres, philanthropic advisor at the Vermont Community Foundation.

The Slow Living Summit ran for an evening and two full days. I counted five general sessions and more than 50 breakout sessions in the program brochure.

Articles about the Summit from the Brattleboro Reformer 6/02/12:

Slow Living Summit gets off to fast start
Gov. Shumlin praises 'slow living' advocates

Related posts:

Why is "Slow" important for Yankee?
Thoughts on "Slow"