Building Community
. . . one green space at a time
Local musicians play at the Sunday Putney Farmers Market
Our Roots
We love open spaces. We love our community! And, we’re working hard to make sure everyone has a green space to play, garden, shop weekly for local crafts and healthy food, and enjoy fresh air in so many ways. Together with the Housing Trust, we strive to create a vibrant neighborhood and help keep the land happy and healthy.
Our journey began in June of 2020, as we collaborated with Windham & Windham Housing Trust to design a landscape that seamlessly integrates housing with open, green space for public enjoyment. Today, Windham and Windsor Housing Trust owns the property and is set to begin construction of mixed income housing this year. Meanwhile, at Green Commons of Vermont, we are fundraising to acquire the parcel that has been home to the Garden and Market since 2010, ensuring a future where housing and open, green space can thrive together.
Join us and enjoy the adventure!
Our Team
Meet the passionate folks nurturing our community’s future!
Justin Bramhall
Director
Justin joined Green Commons of Vermont in January of 2024.
Alexis Doshas
Secretary
Alexis Doshas joined Green Commons of Vermont in August of 2020. She has called southern Vermont her home for the last 15 years and really can’t imagine herself anywhere else. A huge reason for that is community, food, and nature. Like many of us, she grows food, tends plants, stewards land, and communes with the green world. She has a background in horticulture and conservation and works with Native Plant Trust, the country’s oldest plant conservation organization. In addition, she runs Forest Garden Farm, a small scale medicinal herb farm and farmstand, specializing in native and locally adapted herbs.
Marisa Miller
Treasurer
Marissa joined Green Commons of Vermont in January of 2024.
Tom Deshaies
President
Tom is a founding member of Green Commons of Vermont and also is a Garden Steward of the Putney Community Garden.
I moved to Vermont in 2004 and joined the Putney Community Garden at its inception in 2010 and became an active garden leader in 2011. I’ve been a garden manager ever since.
As someone who loves being part of a strong community, I’ve been a long-time supporter of the Putney Farmers Market and the Putney Food Coop. I firmly believe in supporting and promoting easy access to local, healthy food for current and future residents of our community.
When news came out about the sale to Windham & Windsor Housing Trust of the property that the community garden and the farmers market uses, I connected with several members of the community to work with representatives of Windham and Windsor Housing Trust to create a neighborhood setting for housing and open space. As collaborative discussions of a village design looked promising, I joined other community members to form Green Commons of Vermont whose goal is to acquire and protect the portion of the property the garden and market use.
I am currently an officer of Green Commons of Vermont, working alongside an energetic group of individuals to ensure the community aspect of the property continues for a very long time.
Louise Garfield
Director
Louise joined Green Commons of Vermont in January of 2020.
Many of Vermont’s offerings are distilled in Putney where I migrated in 2000. Tending two plots in the Putney Community Garden, I count garlic, sunflowers, peppers, and raspberries among the fruits of my seasonal labors. Local farmers’ markets, walking trails, cultural events, and family (ranging from my 91-year old mother to my 1-year-old granddaughter) are other key elements that anchor me in the community. Various artistic pursuits and travel to salt water, northern latitudes, and the Southwestern deserts round out a happy life in retirement tuned to the seasons and circles of life.
I eagerly await the opportunity to “grow” the common — the addition of walking paths, sitting areas, native plants, and particularly the creation of play parklets for children, will expand opportunities for fun and community activities in a space with much agricultural history in the heart of Putney.