BRATTLEBORO — This time of year, Nancy Braus sells a lot of different types of calendars at Everyone's Books in Brattleboro.
But she noticed one glaring omission in the selection of Vermont calendars for sale.
“So many Vermont calendars focus on scenery and the village-built environment,” Braus said. “They almost always look the same, and there are no humans present.”
Braus, co-owner of Everyone's Books and a longtime political activist, wanted to try something different.
“We Vermonters are active, engaged people and love to be out in our beautiful environment,” she said. “Why not have a calendar that shows that?”
What Braus came up with was “We Are Vermont,” a full-color calendar featuring donated photography of activists, agriculture, and people enjoying the outdoors by Vermont artists.
The work of putting the calendar together was donated by Dede Cummings, founder of Green Writers Press in Brattleboro. All proceeds will go to 350Vermont, a statewide environmental organization devoted to finding positive solutions to fight climate change.
Braus, who recently became a board member of 350Vermont, said that the calendar “seemed like a great idea for a fundraiser.”
The calendar is a demonstration of another Vermont trait - collaboration.
“I basically came up with the idea, wrote the text, and did the outreach to the professional photographers who donated photos,” Braus said. “Dede did the layout.”
“We both worked together to make a unique calendar featuring farms, activism, and other unique features of our state,” she continued. “There is a photo of the Brattleboro Winter Farmers' market, a Guilford swimming hole, a [Bellows Falls] bike scene, as well as lots of activist images.”
Braus said the calendar “is being sold throughout the state and we hope to make it an annual fund stream for 350Vermont.”