Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) is seeking applicants for the fifth Climate Catalysts Leadership Program. Over the past four years, Climate Catalysts have worked to implement projects such as building a county-wide Farmer Climate Network; establishing community-wide weatherization efforts; facilitating the development of community solar projects; starting a town energy and climate committee; and more.
The Climate Catalysts Leadership Program participants arrive with, or develop, transformative, community-scale climate economy related projects and work toward developing their concepts into reality while building peer connections, strengthening leadership skills, and receiving project development support.
VCRD strives to support locally generated ideas and projects and the outstanding local leaders who champion them.
“This program provides the opportunity for people at various stages of life to come together across the state and across networks,” states program manager, Laura Cavin Bailey. “Each participant works through their own place-based project while also engaging in rich dialogue around the larger state and global implications of the climate disruptions.” New this year, interested participants may also choose to focus on a group project to be determined at the first session, or may be paired with flood impacted (or flood susceptible) communities to implement community resilience projects.
Applications are now open for the fifth cohort of Climate Catalysts which will begin in May. This cohort will focus on new and emerging leaders from a variety of large and small communities who care deeply and want to take community action to reduce energy use and lessen climate impacts in their communities. There is no cost to participate in the program and a small stipend will be offered to participants.
To learn more and apply visit https://www.vtrural.org/climate-economy/climate-catalysts-leadership-program/. The application deadline is April 15th at 5 pm.
The Climate Catalysts Leadership Program is made possible by support from VLITE and other generous foundations and donors of VCRD.
Vermont Council on Rural Development
The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of the locally-defined progress of Vermont's rural communities. VCRD is a dynamic partnership of federal, state, local, nonprofit, and private partners. Actively non-partisan with an established reputation for community-based facilitation, VCRD is uniquely positioned to sponsor and coordinate collaborative efforts across governmental and organizational categories concerned with policy questions of rural importance. The organization has successfully completed over 85 community visits, resulting in locally defined projects like new childcare centers, wastewater infrastructure, and downtown redevelopments.
Montpelier, Vt - Vermont Council on Rural Development
