Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Parks Forever (VPF), Vermont State Parks, and ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain teamed up to restore the Groton Nature Center as part of VPF’s Natural Connections program. The admission-free nature center will feature interactive learning opportunities that highlight local geology as well as Groton’s natural and cultural history. The Groton Nature Center is the first to be restored through the Natural Connections program, with all interpretive design and displays funded by Vermont Parks Forever. All are welcome to the grand re-opening event set for June 11th! Reconstruction of the nature center was funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Vermont Business Magazine Strengthening the connection between people and place, the award-winning projects of the Vermont Art Council’s 2023 Animating Infrastructure program promise to bring vibrancy and vitality to their communities through public art. Grants of up to $15,000 are awarded through the program each year. At least 80% of grant funds must be used to support the artists’ involvement in the design, fabrication or installation of the artwork. The remaining amount can be used to support the other aspects of the project, such as project management and community engagement activities.

Vermont Business Magazine Over the past decade, electricity prices across all states have gone up an average of 2.52% per year, but in 2022 they’re up 7.49%. As energy prices surge globally, electric bills for US homeowners have dramatically increased. This past August, 11 states were shocked by utility bills that were 20% higher than last summer. Vermont's rates were up 3.15%. Meanwhile, Vermont is leading the nation in terms of clean energy use. Almost all (99.8%) of its energy comes from renewable sources. Over half (58%) of its power is hydroelectric, and Vermonters have the smallest energy consumption in the U.S. Vermont has the 10th highest residential electric rate in the US, but the lowest in New England and New York.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) filed a request to lift the cap on its residential energy storage programs to expand customer access to cost-effective battery backup power, as Vermont experiences an increasing amount of damaging weather due to climate change. Currently, GMP’s Powerwall and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) battery backup programs are capped at 500 new customers per program, per year. The Powerwall program is full for 2023 and the waitlist for 2024 is also full, with 250 customers on a growing list for slots in 2025. “The increasing pace of damaging storms means we must accelerate all of our work to boost resiliency for Vermonters, and that includes expanding access to home energy storage. These are flagship programs with our customers, and they provide a solution right now that keeps Vermonters powered up even when severe weather hits. Home energy storage provided 10,000 hours of backup power for customers in our programs this winter alone,” said Mari McClure, GMP president and CEO.

Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc (NYSE: BHLB), the parent company of Berkshire Bank with branches in southern Vermont, has announced the release of its 2022 Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Report, Purpose & Performance that Matters. The report highlights the totality of the Company's environmental, social and governance activities, its performance as well as its progress on its $5 billion BEST Community Comeback program.

Vermont Business Magazine The Intervale Center is planting trees for every gift of $40 or more through their Conservation Nursery program now through Mother’s Day on May 14th. The large-scale ecological nursery has been dedicated to growing native trees for restoration projects since 2002. Their plants are grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. Trees are an essential part of climate adaptation and mitigation; they stabilize soils, protect water, capture carbon, and provide habitat. A strong food system starts with healthy forests and clean water.

Vermont Business Magazine Members of the Northfield community came together Tuesday, April 18 for the second step of the Northfield: Our Common Future community visit process and set four concrete and actionable priorities for the future of the town. All area residents are encouraged to sign up. As part of the Community Visit process, community members discussed and voted on over 20 action items that were identified in the first phase of the process on March 21, developing ideas around building community communication, addressing housing, engaging youth, developing a community center, supporting the downtown, building bike paths and trails, and more.

Vermont Business Magazine This spring, leaders and learners from across the state will come together for the 17th annual Vermont Organics Recycling Summit (VORS). This year’s theme, “For Healthier Soil, Healthier Food...COMPOST!” celebrates the value of compost and organics recycling and the many ways they support regenerative agriculture, the health of the environment, communities, and the economy. The summit, organized by the Composting Association of Vermont (CAV) and the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, gathers people statewide to discuss creative ways to keep organics out of the trash and transform them into valuable products. The free online and in-person events take place from May 1-5, 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine The Dam Safety Program of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the public launch of the new online Vermont Dam Inventory. The upgraded, publicly-available inventory of approximately 1,200 of Vermont’s dams provides data to identify dams for maintenance, upgrades, replacement, or removal and ensure the resilience of the state’s dams into the future.

Vermont Business Magazine Hunting and fishing are recreational uses of the National Wildlife Refuge System. At the Silvio O. Conte National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, we welcome people of all backgrounds and abilities to participate in recreational hunting and fishing. The Silvio O. Conte NFWR is seeking public review and comment on a supplemental Environmental Assessment and revisions to its 2021 hunting and fishing plan. The public is invited to review the revised draft Hunting and Fishing Plan, Compatibility Determination, and supplemental Environmental Assessment. The comment period will stay open through May 25, 2023. The draft document is available online beginning April 24, 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine Cathedral Square’s Elm Place in Milton received a Green Building Award last week at the eleventh annual Vermont’s Greenest Building Awards, hosted by the Vermont Green Building Network (VGBN). This award is given to projects demonstrating energy use intensity at least 50% below the regional average energy use for buildings of the same end use and incorporating other sustainability features. Completed in 2017, Elm Place features 30 one-bedroom apartments for modest- and low-income older adults located on a smart growth site in the heart of Milton’s downtown. The 28,000-square-foot energy efficient building is Vermont’s first certified Passive House multifamily residence.