Vermont Business MagazineAddison County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC) has announced the five winners of its Green Energy Grant program. Grants were awarded at today’s Annual Meeting. Each grant is valued at $500 and will be used for innovative green energy projects that will have an impact on businesses and residents of Addison County.
The five winners are:
Caroline’s Dream, (East Middlebury) for the purchase of a cargo bicycle for wholesale deliveries and pickup of supplies in Addison County. This company has been a leader in recycling, green packaging, and organic & sustainable ingredients from the beginning. This bike will provide the opportunity to take Caroline’s Dream to the next level of environmental leadership.
VT Integrated Architecture, (Middlebury) for daylight harvesting blinds and cellular shades to take advantage of natural light and reduce overnight heat loss. This grant will allow VIA to demonstrate the advantages to clients and reap the resulting energy savings sooner.
VT Adult Learning (VAL), (Addison County) for insulating window shades as part of a larger project to reduce energy costs. This will also allow HOPE, their current landlord, to reduce costs and provide more revenue to disperse to community members in need. It will also allow VAL to spend more of their resources on students than operating costs.
Town of Middlebury/Middlebury Safe Routes, for a Navigating Middlebury by Bicycle outreach pamphlet to educate the community on how to navigate Middlebury safely and in observance of Vermont's rules of the road and Middlebury's new bike ordinance. A companion piece will be an MCTV video project.
Bixby Library, (Vergennes) for installation of 4 interior storm windows in the basement multi-purpose room. Due to the historic nature and unusual design of the windows, the storms need to be custom-made and set on the interior (not the exterior) of each window. This project will result in a savings on fuel (and therefore a reduction in the carbon footprint), a more comfortable work and meeting space, and a springboard of awareness and success from which to tackle other large and small energy-related problems in the building.
In all cases, a representative from Efficiency Vermont will be available to assist each organization with finding the best possible products to achieve their goals. Membership with ACEDC was not required to apply or to win. Three of the five winners are members of ACEDC. Winning applications demonstrated green energy impact. Application scoring was also Winners must provide a cash match equal to at least 100% of the grant ($500). Winning applicants also agreed to have ACEDC promote their green energy projects.
Addison County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC) is the resource for navigating the opportunities and challenges of doing business in Addison County, VT. ACEDC works with businesses in all stages of growth, from pre-venture start-ups to established companies and global corporations, to help them create and retain good paying jobs. Since 1993, ACEDC has loaned over $3.9 million to dozens of local businesses, creating or retaining more than 1300 jobs in Addison County. ACEDC is an equal opportunity lender. Visit us online at www.addisoncountyedc.org