Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont has won a Governor’s Excellence in Workplace Wellness Gold Award from the Vermont Department of Health. The Workplace Wellness Award program recognizes Vermont organizations that have demonstrated an established wellness strategy promoting healthy environments and supporting the well-being of their employees. The department has offered Workplace Wellness Awards in the past, which UVM has won, but this is the first year it is offering awards at the Rising Star, Bronze, Silver and Gold levels.

Vermont Business Magazine In 2011, Tropical Storm Irene devastated Vermont, with $153 million in damages as homes were washed away and bridges and roads were decimated. Looking to the future, climate change is predicted to bring more intense storms to the Northeast and in response, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) is working to make Agency land more flood resilient. ANR is implementing several projects to restore rivers across the state, including a preliminary engineering design for a floodplain restoration project in Camel’s Hump State Park near the outlet of Preston Brook.

Vermont Business Magazine The legislation would overturn a 2017 anti-consumer move by the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that gutted net neutrality protections enacted by the Obama Administration.

Vermont Business Magazine Two new programs at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) are decreasing the need to prescribe opioids to patients receiving obstetrical and gynecologic care. Nitrous oxide is now available as an alternative to opioids for pain management during childbirth. In addition, fewer opioids are needed among hysterectomy patients as a result of the introduction of a new enhanced recovery program for the procedure.

“Like all medical providers, we are looking for ways to maintain quality care and manage pain for patients while decreasing the use of opioids,” said Malcolm Paine, MD, chair of OB/GYN at SVMC. “We are really proud of both of these programs for accomplishing these aims.”

Vermont Business Magazine Named an environmental ‘hero’ by Time Magazine and winner of the Right Livelihood Award, the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” Dr. Shiva is recognized as a leader in the international movement for biodiversity & farmers’ rights.

Vermont Business Magazine During the 2017-2018 school year, dairy farmers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont provided a little over $85,000 in funding to eligible schools who also participate in the National School Meals program to implement or enhance their breakfast programs.

Vermont Business Magazine Late Tuesday, the US House of Representatives unanimously approved bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) to help schools become more energy efficient in Vermont and across the country. The Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act (H.R. 762) establishes a coordinating structure to help schools better navigate federal energy efficiency programs and financing options. It designates the Department of Energy as the lead agency in coordinating a cross-departmental efforts to initiate, develop, and finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, and retrofitting projects for schools.

by Brian Gray, General Manager of the Energy Co-op of Vermont I am a fuel dealer who wants to sell you less and less fossil fuel. That’s better for you, Vermont’s economy, and our planet. Let me explain: At the Energy Co-op of Vermont, a member-owned energy company that serves northwest and central Vermont, we work with homeowners every day to reduce their energy use and help them shift away from fossil fuels to more efficient and renewable home heating options. More and more forward-looking energy providers understand the value of helping their customers make this transition.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain CBD, the leading CBD Oil brand in the Northeast, and number three brand nationally, is transitioning its name to Sunsoil. The Vermont company is poised to further disrupt the hemp industry with a recent USDA Organic certification for its hemp, and infusion of $7 million in capital secured in late 2018 from strategic partners with a shared vision for the future.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan urged the US Senate to enact the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, legislation to curb illegal robocalls and spoofing. A coalition of 54 attorneys general sent a letter on Tuesday to the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation supporting the TRACED Act. The TRACED Act would require companies to take advantage of a system for call identification to curb illegal robocalls.

“Robocalls can be annoying, but when there is a scammer on the other end of the phone, they can be disastrous,” said Attorney General Donovan. “I call on Congress to do what they can to protect people from illegal robocalls.”

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University officials announced that Professors Allison Neal and Thomas Shell each earned a $75,000 Project Award from the Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) for their research projects, totaling $150,000 to Norwich to advance research. Assistant Professor of Biology Allison Neal has been awarded a VGN Project Award for $75,000 for her work titled “Division of Labor in Freshwater Trematodes: The Host Longevity Hypothesis.” Previously, she has received a Pilot Award and a Small Award from VGN for her work related to this project. 

Vermont Business Magazine A new report funded by the National Life Group Foundation, “Evidence-Based Strategies to End Childhood Food Insecurity and Hunger in Vermont,” details what’s working well, gaps and opportunities to address this issue. Published by the Urban Institute, an independent research organization based in Washington, DC, the report highlights key contributing factors to childhood food insecurity and hunger in Vermont, including how school consolidations are extending bus routes for some children, resulting in missed breakfasts at school.