By Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network With an integrated approach to forestry and logging, Bell prioritizes forest health, workforce. “Most of Vermont’s forested land is privately owned and fragmented into relatively small parcels,” said Jack Bell, co-founder of Long View Forest. “One of our goals is...
The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) announces the selection of the Energy 2022 cohort of the DeltaClimeVT climate economy business accelerator. Eight early-stage energy companies from across the U.S. and Canada will work with climate economy leaders, industry experts, potential partners and investment professionals over the...
By Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network Journals of early explorers indicate that Native Americans had a process for making maple syrup as early as the 1600s. But surely, none of them made Sparkle Syrup. Tapping into a tradition as old as Vermont, Runamok Maple founders Laura...
With a mindset of staying small, a sawmill in Fletcher sees wood products as the next “go local” movement. By Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network Tucker Riggs, owner of Laughing Stock Farm (LSF) Forest Products in Fletcher, is busier than he’s ever been. As the pandemic...
The DeltaClimeVT climate economy business accelerator is seeking innovative, early-stage, energy companies focused on increasing adoption of clean energy, smart building and electric vehicle technologies that enable accelerated integration of distributed energy resources without the need for costly infrastructure upgrades. Entrepreneurs will work directly with Vermont...
Brattleboro startup, Grid Fruit, provides tools for grocers to optimize energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Passionate about climate change and sustainability, Jesse Thornburg and Javad Mohammadi met in Pennsylvania through their respective research on ways to reduce energy demand on the power grid—the key,...
By Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network When three friends at Middlebury College couldn’t find the perfect gift for their boss, they decided to make something special. Nathaniel Klein, Jacob Freedman, and Alex Gemme wanted to thank their supervisor at the Middlebury Snow Bowl for helping...
Back in 1991 when Francie Caccavo started Olivia’s Croutons, she was simply a young mother looking for a creative way to work from home and be present for her children, then two and three years old. A self-described foodie who loves to cook, Caccavo noticed that...
By Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network Brad Johnson would like to see wood products valued for the stand that’s left behind in the forest, not just the dollar value of the wood removed. “The lumber industry is sort of where the food industry was in the...
When Rebecca and Joe Pimentel moved to Vermont, they envisioned a life of organic farming and raising their family close to the land. “We’ve always been passionate about the food movement and about what we put into our bodies,” said Joe, who began farming commercially...
How Okemo State Forest is using one-time COVID-19 relief money to improve public access and forest resilience. By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund There is just one road up the backside of Mt. Holly in Okemo State Forest. Originally built in...
By Christine McGowan, Forest Products Program Director at Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Updates to Vermont’s 100-year old tree warden statutes provide clarity, opportunity for collaboration. According to Elise Schadler, a program manager with Vermont Urban and Community Forestry, a tree warden is a modern day local lorax—a...
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