For over 40 years, horses have been coming to the rescue, guiding and educating people—from physically challenged children to veterans with PTSD, teens with emotional problems, and adults seeking personal growth. The first use of horses for physical therapy dates back to 1969, when the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) was founded. In 1999, the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association was founded, expanding the role of horses beyond the physical. NARHA is now called the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH); based in Colorado, PATH provides instructor certification, center accreditation, and educational opportunities.

What is it about horses that makes them uniquely suited to this sort of work? The answers are several. Most obviously horses are large animals—and dealing with a 1,000-pound animal requires leadership skills that smaller therapy animals can’t provide. Because horses are herd and prey animals, they are highly attuned to each other, to other animals, and to their environment. Their senses are acute: with a 350-degree field of vision, they can see in front and almost all the way around their bodies; their mobile ears can take in sound information from multiple sources simultaneously. To survive in the wild, they have to work well as a group. Each horse has his or her “job,” and horse society is all about everyone working together harmoniously. As such, horses provide a model of how to be in the world, and they are also excellent mirrors. Sensitive as they are, they quickly pick up nonverbal cues from the humans near them and reflect what they are sensing.

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Sally Linder’s environmental activism is her art. It is not some altruistic activity to be engaged in at a convenient time and place: her art is the core of her being. It is life itself. Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1951, this well-known Burlington-based artist has had a long and illustrious career.

At the age of 12, before she fell in love with art, she fell in love with Robert Linder, whom she married in 1971. They moved to Canada where Linder studied painting and creative writing at McGill University, ultimately earning a BA from Goucher College, followed in 1975 by a BFA from Concordia University, where she received the Board of Governor’s Medal for Creative Work in Visual Arts.

Accolades have followed Linder throughout her creative life, but they were not pursued. They were the results of her many journeys. Artists by nature are seekers of truth. For Linder this search involved deep, internal investigation, at times in isolation, surrounded by harshly beautiful, unforgiving environments. The first of these took place in 1975–1976 when Linder lived alone, in the winter, without telephone, electricity, or running water, atop a mountain in Harrington, Quebec. To say that this experience imbued in her a profound respect for the power of nature is probably an understatement.

This period of isolation gave way to a different kind of journey, one of building family. She had her first child, a daughter, in 1979 and that year moved with her family to a farm in Bethel, Vermont, along with four dogs, seven cats, five horses, and a raccoon. It was there, in 1983, her son was born. In 1989, the family moved to Burlington, where she continues to paint today in the light-filled studio behind her house.

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The majority of Vermonters are in favor of renewable energy, and everyone wants to save the planet. But though everyone is concerned about the environment, not everyone agrees on how to go about weaning ourselves off fossil fuels.

In 2015, the legislature set goals for when and how much of the state’s energy should be renewable: 90 percent by 2050, with intermediate goals along the way. The Department of Public Service developed a Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP) to ensure that these goals are met.

But to reach the 2050 target, do we build as many renewable energy projects as possible to flood the electric grid with clean energy? Or do we scale down our energy consumption, changing our habits to reduce our carbon footprints at home? People generally agree that both strategies are crucial to meeting the state’s renewable energy goals. Problems arise over priorities: what do we do first, where do we do it, and how fast do we do it.

According to the CEP, as of 2015, less than 20 percent of all energy generated in Vermont is renewable. Of that, about 45 percent of electricity is renewable. Developers have identified opportunities to install renewable energy projects, like solar and wind, to increase the amount of electricity that is renewable.

Some argue, however, that doing a rapid build-out to increase the capacity to generate renewable electricity should not be the top priority because more fossil fuel is consumed heating homes and for transportation. In 2013, electricity accounted for about 28 percent of energy consumption, while gasoline and distillates (diesel and heating oil) accounted for about 48 percent.

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We asked the gubernatorial candidates —

Republicans Bruce Lisman and Phil Scott and Democrats Matt Dunne, Peter Galbraith, and Susan Minter — to respond to a list of survey questions ahead of the upcoming primary vote on August 9.

In addition to providing biographical information, we asked the candidates to address their choice of two or three of four issues:

• Economics & Business
  
  
• Education
  
  
• Environment & Agriculture
  
  
• Health Care

Finally, we asked them to provide some insight into how their experiences and values have developed and will inform their ability to be Vermont’s next governor. Read their responses, in their own words...

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