Press releases, staff articles, and other news published by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund features our efforts to accelerate the development of Vermont’s agriculture and food systems, forest products, renewable energy, waste management, and environmental technology sectors.
By Christine McGowan, Vermont Forest Industry Network Charlie Shackleton has a pretty interesting story to tell. The renowned Vermont furniture maker does not, however, start his story with his connection to Sir Ernest Shackleton of Endurance fame, or with meeting his wife and business partner, Miranda Thomas, in art school. Rather, he begins in the … Read More
Using wireless sensors, InfiSense provides easy-to-use data about building operations to help slow climate change. By Geoff Robertson, DeltaClimeVT The founders of InfiSense believe that generating better data will help save the planet. In the commercial building space, for example, cofounder Tim Guiterman says that real-time, accurate data points from buildings will help inform good … Read More
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 to provide continuity and professionalism over time so … Read More
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 next three months while completing an intensive curriculum, developed … Read More
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 and Eric Sorkin are bringing creativity and innovation … Read More
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 and resulting supply chain issues more than doubled … Read More
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 utilities to contribute to Vermont’s 90/50 and Burlington’s Net … Read More
Brattleboro startup, Grid Fruit, provides tools for grocers to optimize energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By Kelly Nottermann, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund 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, they felt, … Read More
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 them establish a scholarship program. “We had such a … Read More
By Kelly Nottermann, Communications Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Francie Caccavo was a female founder before the term became trendy. Back in 1991 when she 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. … Read More
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 seventies in terms of connecting the end product … Read More
By Kelly Nottermann, Communications Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund 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 in … Read More
