Montpelier, Vermont, United States

Lots of Hope, a new grassroots group in Vermont, will mark the United Nations International Day of Peace by hosting a region-wide participatory event in Montpelier on Sunday, September 24th. The event will begin at 2pm with a silent peace walk led by local Buddhist monks and nuns. Speakers will include Bill McKibben - journalist, activist, environmentalist, and visiting scholar in environmental studies at Middlebury College, Madeleine Kunin - Vermont's former Governor and former United States Ambassador to Switzerland, and, direct from the United Nations, Ramu Damodaran - editor of the United Nations Chronicle and activist on civil rights and other issues. There will be music, poetry, and at some point during the event, a flock of white doves will be released to send the message of peace and sustainability across the region. The final part of the event will be an information sharing and networking exchange.

Lots of Hope urges individuals to attend in order to:

• Find out how you can work with others in your community and across Vermont and New Hampshire to envision new solutions leading to peace and sustainability.
• Participate in developing a regional Framework of Action for Hope for the year ahead.
• Bring a banner that symbolises what your community is doing to address poverty, environmental degradation, and the overwhelming presence of weapons in our world.

Click here for more information.