Current News

Vermont Business Magazine America’s SBDC Day is set for March 15th, 2023, a day that will unite nearly 1,000 Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) across the country and the hundreds of thousands of clients they’ve served in their 42-year history. On March 15, Vermont’s Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC), along with clients, business advisors, and community partners, will celebrate in person and virtually, posting on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn throughout the day, using the hashtags #SBDCDay and #VtSBDCDay. Participants are encouraged to like, comment, and share how VtSBDC has created a difference in their lives and communities. VtSBDC’s business advisors will stop in to see many of their clients in person as part of the celebration.

Vermont Business Magazine Spring is a season of celebration. Unfortunately, the resulting waste from all the sweet treats consumed and the wine drunk at these holidays and gatherings adds up quickly. Casella Waste Systems, Inc, a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company based in Rutland, in partnership with TerraCycle, an innovative recycling company that specializes in hard-to-recycle materials, is offering consumers a sustainable way to dispose of snack & candy wrappers and corks and even Styrofoam that local recycling services won't accept curbside.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott has appointed Paul F. Noel of Irasburg as the new Fish and Wildlife Board member from Orleans County. Originally from the northern Adirondacks, Noel earned his bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Management from SUNY Cobleskill. His career includes a first job out of college at the Bald Hill Fish Hatchery in Newark, and a more than three-decade tenure at IBM.

Vermont Business Magazine Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, PhD, professor in the Department of Geography and Geosciences at the University of Vermont and the Vermont state climatologist, will participate in “Campus and Community-Scale Climate Change Solutions,” an event co-hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the University of Washington, on March 8 and 9, 2023. On March 8, climate, sustainability, and resilience leaders and educators from across the country will convene with U.S. Government officials for a series of speakers and panel discussions. These will focus on innovative ways to support climate change efforts on college campuses that also benefit surrounding communities.

by Abby Carroll, Community News Service Lawmakers are looking to create a new grant program to help small farmers diversify their products or transition from one type of farm to another. The bill, H.205, would appropriate $500,000 for the project in 2024 to be administered through the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. Each grant would be capped at $15,000 to boost the number of farmers able to access the program. Recipients would have a year to complete their projects. The goal of the program is to help small farmers start projects to help their bottom line while making their business more stable and sustainable.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger, Burlington Electric Department General Manager, Darren Springer, and renewable energy advocates on Wednesday hailed the passage of the proposed Carbon Pollution Impact Fee and new thermal heating requirements in Burlington. Burlington is the first City to source 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources (in 2014) and to announce a plan to become a Net Zero Energy City by 2030 (in 2019); and the City continues to advance innovative climate policy. Once implemented, Burlington will join a short list of U.S. cities regulating the use of fossil fuels for thermal energy and heating and is the first Vermont municipality to solve for the future costs of carbon pollution by applying a science-based fee for some users.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Buildings and General Services (BGS) today announced the opening of applications for the new $45 million Municipal Energy Resilience Program (MERP). To kick-off this initiative, covered municipalities will be eligible to apply for Community Capacity Building Mini-Grants of up to $4,000. The mini-grants are one of many opportunities, including up to $500,000 for energy efficiency and resilience improvements to municipal buildings to increase comfort and reduce operational costs while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and expanding reliable access to critical services for Vermonters. The program is based on the highly successful State Energy Management Program (SEMP) that has been accelerating the efficiency state-owned buildings for nearly a decade, reducing over 21,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and $4.6 million in avoided energy costs.

by Abby Carroll, Community News Service As lawmakers evaluate a bill focused on universal public preschool, they are also considering ways to strengthen Vermont’s fragile network of private child care providers. One proposed way is through a property tax exemption — but some providers say it’s a good start but wouldn’t do much to lower expenses for them or families they serve. The bill, S.56, would give tax breaks up to $10,000 for property used by a child care provider. The two groups that would qualify for this are home-based child care providers, who are using their home to provide child care services, and those renting a space to a child care provider for them to provide those services.

Vermont Business Magazine The unpaid care provided by the 70,000 caregivers in Vermont is valued at $1.23 billion, according to new state data available in AARP’s latest report in the Valuing the Invaluable series. This is a $220 million difference from 2019 increase in unpaid contributions since the last report was released in 2019. The report highlights the growing scope and complexity of family caregiving and highlights actions needed to address the many challenges of caring for parents, spouses, and other loved ones.