Current News

The local food movement has been capturing media attention all across the country. Vermont, in many ways, is serving as the pace setter for focused, coordinated activity that is driving job and food business creation, economic output, and finding creative ways for all Vermonters to participate in this renaissance of ‘relocalized’ food.

“In 2009, when the Vermont Legislature set the Farm to Plate Initiative in motion, no one really knew what might come of it. As the Chair of the House Agriculture and Forestry Committee, I could not be more pleased,” said Carolyn Partridge, a state representative from Windham County. “We’ve seen incredible jobs creation, we’ve seen young people starting new farms, and we’re finding all sorts of creative ways to get fresh, local food onto the dinner table of Vermonters.”

Couchsurfing. CSAs. Neighborhood energy. Local food clusters. Coops. Promising alternative business models are cropping up all around the country. Do they constitute the new economy people have been out in the street demanding—the one that delivers social and financial benefits broadly while restoring the environment? Ecotrust and the E3 Network—a national network of economists focused on equity and environment—deployed researchers around the country to find out. Armed with an analytical framework developed by a prominent national steering committee, these researchers looked deeply into how new business models function, what their impacts are, how scalable they are, and how replicable they are.

February 11, 2015, marked the 10th anniversary of Vermont 2-1-1, the statewide information and referral program of the United Ways of Vermont. Annually, almost 50,000 callers to Vermont 2-1-1 receive free person-to-person service from Information and Referral Specialists and trained volunteers. People call the confidential 2-1-1 helpline looking for resources to meet basic needs, like heating or utility assistance, shelter, emergency help, or to find the closest food shelf. Vermonters also call for important everyday non-emergency needs, such as developmental screening for a child, home health care for a relative, job training or free tax filing support.

Vermont 2-1-1 during times of emergency

Green Mountain Power has announced that for a third year, due to power generation at its Kingdom Community Wind Farm on Lowell Mountain, five Northeast Kingdom Towns will receive Good Neighbor Fund payments, according to a statement from GMP. This year, GMP will distribute more than $188,000, an increase of $62,000 over last year as a result of increased power generation at the Lowell facility. The Good Neighbor Fund was developed by Green Mountain Power to share direct value to neighboring towns.

Eden just received its Good Neighbor Payment of $72,061. Candace Vear, the town clerk and treasurer in Eden, said, “It’s nice to see GMP follow through on its promise and deliver a benefit to towns around Kingdom Community Wind. Our town plan is supportive of the project because of the clean energy it produces and the value we see as a neighboring town. This money will support important priorities of our town.”

Governor Peter Shumlin, along with representatives from the City of St Albans and Williston-based developer PeakCM, today unveiled plans for an 88-room hotel on Lake Street in downtown St Albans. The hotel is the final piece of a major redevelopment project that brought together public and private entities to revitalize downtown St. Albans, grow jobs, and expand economic opportunity in the region.

“This is a very exciting day,” Shumlin said. “When City leadership came to me four years ago with this ambitious vision to revitalize downtown St. Albans there were many obstacles in the way. Working together, we met those challenges and figured out how to turn vision to reality. Now four years later, we’re here to celebrate the progress we’ve made and the progress we’ll continue to make for the city of St. Albans and the entire region.”

Parent Co., formed in Summer 2014, builds technology for internet connected parents around the world, a market that is both massive and surprisingly underserved. After raising an initial seed round of $1.8 Million from private investment, the company acquired Notabli(www.notabli.com). The mobile-first app, which just launched on desktop today, allows parents to save, organize, and share their kids' most memorable moments (photos, video, audio, quotes and notes) with those who care most.

The Vermont Lottery, in a partnership with the Vermont Agency of Education, announces a new twice annual program to provide a competitive grant to K-12 public schools in the form of a cart of computing devices. The program will provide one set of 20 devices and a mobile cart to one awardee school. The devices will consist of either Apple iPads, or Google Chromebooks, (choice made by the school) and the devices will become the property of the school.

Schools must follow guidelines in the application process to create or support an innovative program or project at a local school with the addition of the 20 devices to a school’s technology program. Special consideration is being given to schools that are highly rural and have a significant population of qualified students in the Free and Reduced lunch program.

Vermont Federal Credit Union will be awarding four $2,000 educational scholarships to students with a history of strong academic achievement and service to the community. The credit union is accepting scholarship applications from now until April 6, 2015. Two $2,000 scholarships will be granted to graduating high school seniors who have been accepted to an accredited undergraduate program at a college, trade school or university for the fall of 2015 or spring of 2016. Additionally, two $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to students already enrolled in or looking to go back to an undergraduate program at a college, trade school or university during the fall of 2015 or spring of 2016.

by Tom Pelham It’s a mathematical and fiscal fact. In 2010, state spending from the general fund was $1.087 billion. Given the annual budget adjustment just passed by the House, state general fund spending for fiscal 2015 will be $1.406 billion. That equates to an annual spending growth rate of 5.3 percent. If, however, since 2010 state general fund spending had increased at a 3 percent rate, spending would be $1.26 billion or $146 million less than the House passed budget adjustment.

by Governor Peter Shumlin Pursuing clean energy policies in Vermont isn’t just about doing what is right for our environment and protecting our unrivaled quality of life. A thriving clean energy sector is also integral to our economy, keeping young people in Vermont, and making the state a more affordable place to live. That is why I feel so strongly that we must lead on creating a clean energy economy based on Vermont values. If we do so, we will add to the 15,000 jobs already supported by the clean energy industry, help homeowners save hundreds of millions on energy costs, and do our part to help combat climate change.

The Barre Town School District was chosen to receive $60,000 from EPA to pay for three new school buses that emit less pollution than the older buses. The Vermont school district will receive the rebates through EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act funding. Barre Town School District was among five fleets in New England and 76 fleets in 30 states that will receive more than $3 million in rebates through the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, administered by EPA. Nationwide, the funds will pay to replace 210 older diesel school buses with new buses that are more than 90 percent cleaner. The replacements will reduce pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter that are linked to health problems including asthma and lung damage.

Norwich University’s Career Services Center has received $12,000 in grant funding from the Vermont Department of Labor to support student internships by providing partial reimbursements for gas mileage. The funding is calculated to support 50 students with up to $500 in mileage reimbursement during the calendar year of 2015. Students qualify by applying to the Career Services Center. Eligible students will receive $.25/mile after the first 20 miles.

“Even though gas prices continue to fall, many students at Norwich find it difficult to pay fuel costs to commute to internships in Burlington, and that can be a barrier to even pursuing those opportunities,” said Jim Graves, internship coordinator. “This grant funding will support more internship options for more Norwich students.”