Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington’s Thermal Energy Charter Change, proposed by Mayor Miro Weinberger and approved by voters on Town Meeting Day 2021, was signed into law Wednesday by Governor Phil Scott, with some reluctance, after having been passed by the Vermont Legislature earlier this month. This Charter Change will enable Burlington to expand its strategic electrification efforts and represents another step toward making Burlington a Net Zero Energy city.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, in partnership with VEIC, announces the availability of free assessments for Vermont small businesses interested in switching from fossil fuels for their heating needs to Advanced Wood Heat (AWH). AWH includes a wide scale of technologies, from small EPA certified wood stoves all the way to wood chip boilers appropriate for large commercial buildings. If the business is a good fit, they will then determine the potential upfront costs and long-term savings and have the opportunity to participate in a more technical, no-cost follow-up assessment.

Vermont Business Magazine EcoFlow, a portable power and renewable energy solutions company, today kickstarts its partnership with Vermont-based reforestation non-profit One Tree Planted to 'Make the Change' amid rapid climate change. Beginning April 18, EcoFlow will donate one dollar to One Tree Planted to plant a tree for every customer who registers for the 'Make the Change' program. EcoFlow will also plant a tree for every purchase made during Earth Day celebrations.

Vermont Business Magazine This Earth Day, Friday April 22, Goodwill Northern New England is reducing waste by investing $1.5 million in new methods of storing and transporting clothing and household donations. For years, the nonprofit used big cardboard boxes and wooden pallets to move items, and large metal racks to store the boxes. Starting this week, Goodwill now will use much more sustainable materials that are safer for employees, waste less material, and save money by being so durable. Goodwill expects this sustainability project to pay for itself in less than three years. Every single shirt donated to Goodwill goes into one of these cardboard boxes before hitting a sales floor — the scope of this project is huge.

by Linda Gray I hear on the news about the current increases in heating oil and gas prices, but they aren’t hitting my wallet. Why? Because in 2015, my late husband and I installed a heat pump on the main floor of our home, and in 2020, I installed another (on the basement level), plus a heat-pump water heater. We had previously weatherized our home, installed solar panels in the field below our house, and bought an electric car. We did all this because we knew two key things from my husband’s 30 years of work on renewable energy: 1) the reality of the climate crisis means that we need to stop burning fossil fuels, and 2) making these changes would save us money in the long run. Those two ideas are also embedded in the Clean Heat Standard bill in the Vermont legislature.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has released the Vermont Master Angler Program 2021 Annual Report with 1,169 entries and 73 Master Angler Award recipients. Vermont’s wealth of waters and abundant fish populations provide many opportunities to experience outstanding fishing. The Vermont Master Angler Program recognizes the achievements of anglers who catch trophy-sized fish from Vermont waters and celebrates the clean water and healthy habitats that allow these fish to survive and grow to exceptional sizes. The Vermont Master Angler program is a length-based program that sets “trophy sized” benchmarks for 33 eligible fish species.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Environmental Conservation hosts a monthly Clean Water Lecture Series aimed at raising awareness on the State’s efforts to improve water quality for Vermont’s rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and wetlands. The Series continues into April and May, with three new talks covering efforts to reduce water pollution stemming from forest lands and roads, as well as efforts to restore and protect wetlands. Learn more and register for these virtual talks on the Department’s Clean Water Lecture Series webpage.

Vermont Business Magazine Vanguard Renewables, a Boston-based organics-to-renewable energy company, has a lot to celebrate this Earth Day. Since 2014, Vanguard’s Farm Powered solution, which captures greenhouse gas emissions from dairy manure and food and beverage waste to create renewable energy, has mitigated nearly 500 thousand tons of greenhouse gas emissions and recycled more than 831 thousand tons of organic waste, or the equivalent of the weight of more than 5,000 Statues of Liberty, at their Farm Powered anaerobic digesters. To put the greenhouse gas emissions numbers into perspective, it is the equivalent of any one of the following statistics: Taking more than 104 thousand cars off the road for one year; Planting nearly 8 million trees; Generating the power to charge more than 160 million individuals’ cell phones for one year.

​Vermont Business Magazine The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) has been awarded a portion of a $40,000 grant from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, as part of the US Environmental Protection Agency pass-through funds for Water Quality Management Planning.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today signed several bills into law, including a charter change for Burlington on which local voters will have to act, making Essex Junction the newest Vermont city, and an act relating to exempting property owned by Vermont-recognized Native American tribes from property tax.

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, the Senate passed an $8 billion dollar budget to support the priorities of Vermont’s working families. The Senate’s budget proposal prioritizes investments in housing, mental health and disability services, workforce and economic development, and higher education. It invests over $160 million in climate action and close to $100 million in broadband connectivity. The Senate is also committed to putting over $30 million back in the pockets of Vermonters through a balanced package of tax relief.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 332 cases of COVID-19 for Tuesday as cases more than doubled in one day. The VDH reported no additional deaths, which held at 626 statewide. April, with five to date, is still on track to have the fewest COVID-related fatalities since last July. As cases have risen in the Northwestern part of the state over the last few weeks, Chittenden and Washington have reported both the most total and the highest rate per capita. Overall, cases are up 27 percent per day in Vermont over the last week.