Current News

by Basil Waugh, University of Vermont Vermonters largely support laws on food scraps and single-use plastics, but some are confused about composting rules, and frustrated with the state’s inability to compost biodegradable containers and tableware. These takeaways are from the first research yet to tackle the state’s pioneering food waste laws—Act 148 (food scraps) and Act 69 (single-use plastics)—since coming into effect on July 1, 2020. Findings includes: Most Vermonters (66%) say the environmental benefits of the plastic bag ban outweigh the economics costs; Businesses identify Vermont’s inability to compost or recycle biodegradable takeout meal containers and tableware as a source of frustration.

Vermont Business Magazine At a meeting on January 26, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board committed $23.3 million in state and federal funding to create 202 new homes statewide, both rental and homeownership, with 36 reserved for households that have experienced homelessness. Nine apartments in Rutland will be rehabilitated and the first year-round shelter in Lamoille County will be created with 21 beds.

Vermont Business Magazine The federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 ends extra 3SquaresVT benefits in March 2023. This extra help began in March 2020 due to the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The assistance has been a temporary increase from the federal government to help those affected by the pandemic and did not permanently change a household’s monthly benefit. Since March 2020, the extra 3SquaresVT benefits have reached over 40,000 Vermont households comprised of over 68,000 individuals. To date, Vermont has issued over $175 million in emergency payments. This additional federal funding has supplemented food budgets during the pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Gifford launched its Employee Recognition program recognizing and rewarding the amazing work that happens at Gifford Health Care every day with an exceptional team. There were 47 nominations for the three awards highlighting the impact each person has on the care provided; with nominations coming from patients, patient families and colleagues.

Vermont Business Magazine Representative Becca Balint (VT-AL) has been named to the Budget Committee in addition to her membership on the Committee on Oversight. Balint’s position on the Budget Committee allows her to remain focused on investing in Vermont priorities like the addressing the global climate crisis and providing accessible healthcare while supporting working families with their everyday costs like childcare and education.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), chairman of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind) at 1:30 pm ET on Thursday, February 9th will hold a press conference with rail workers to demand companies provide them with at least seven paid sick days. Sanders will be joined by representatives from SMART-TD, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, and the National Association of Chemical Distributors.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is among the top utilities in the country for grid transformation work, earning a spot on the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) 2023 Utility Transformation Leaderboard in recognition of its progress toward a modern, carbon-free electricity sector. GMP supplies Vermont with power that is 100% carbon free and 78% renewable on an annual basis and is committed to having a 100% renewable energy supply by 2030. The work focused on strengthening the grid is key for encouraging more local renewable generation and energy storage to help communities stay connected even when severe weather hits. GMP’s grid transformation work drives down costs for all customers while boosting resiliency for Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) has implemented a new Zero Tolerance Policy for its hospital campus, medical office building and offsite practices. The policy and communications plan is a proactive approach detailing what actions and language are not tolerated to address the workplace violence trend currently occurring at healthcare institutions across the United States. The American Hospital Association (AHA) reports that 44% of nurses report an increase in incidence of physical violence in the workplace since the pandemic and 68% report an increase in verbal abuse.

Vermont Business Magazine Most American adults aren’t exactly the picture of health, with six in 10 Americans reporting at least one chronic disease, according to the CDC. Four in 10 adults have two or more chronic diseases. Some parts of the country have even worse numbers, partly because of unhealthy lifestyles and substance abuse. Vermont ranked 13th overall and finished very high in the Lifestyle category, but lower in the Disease Prevalence metric and very poorly for Substance Abuse. To find the most and least healthy states, Forbes Advisor gathered data for 21 metrics from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Vermont Business Magazine For the fifteenth consecutive year, on Friday, February 10, the Castleton Women’s Ice Hockey Team will trade their traditional Spartan green apparel for newly designed, limited edition pink jerseys to raise awareness and funds for the Foley Cancer Center at Rutland Regional Medical Center. The 15th annual Pink the Rink will pair the Spartans with Johnson and Wales University in an exciting match-up scheduled to begin at 6pm at the Spartan Arena. Joining the festivities this year will be Boston Bruins national anthem singer Todd Angilly, a native of Warwick, Rhode Island, who has been the Bruins' primary anthem singer since 2019.