Can neighborliness fight off pandemic polarization? Vermont says yes.
If you’re heading home and get stuck in a snowbank in Vermont, chances are a neighbor with a truck will stop and help. And if you live nearby, you might be helping your neighbor out of a similar jam some day.
In the Green Mountain State, that’s not just an act of kindness – it’s the way Vermonters live.
“There’s a sense that patriotism isn’t just about national interest. It’s also about how you contribute to community and place,” says Paul Costello, former head of the Vermont Council on Rural Development.
For the past two decades, he was the driving force behind dozens of “community visits,” local discussions focused on turning community goals into action – examples
