In the wake of the July 2023 flooding event, the newly formed Barre Up (Long-Term Flood Recovery Committee) and the City of Barre invited VCRD to facilitate a process to bring the full diversity of the Barre community together to listen to each other, share experiences, and think together about what comes next for flood…
The Vermont Council on Rural Development’s (VCRD) Climate Economy Resilient Communities Program helps communities build and implement priority actions that increase economic vitality and affordability in a time of climate change. In 2023, VCRD worked with towns in the White River Valley Region to explore putting in place a regional coordinator initially modeled after the…
The greater Rochester area participated in VCRD’s Climate Economy Model Community Program (CEMCP) in 2021. CEMCP is community-driven process with local leaders, VCRD, Green Mountain Power, and Efficiency Vermont to cultivate economic development, innovation, and affordability in the face of climate change. Over 80 residents participated in the “Rochester Area Climate Initiative” (RACI) process with…
Juli Reiderer, Park House Exectutive Director, looks at her organization’s new website An empowered organization is a successful organization. For a nonprofit to be successful, it must have control over its message. For most organizations, a website is their public face and, often, the first point of contact between the organization and a potential donor,…
This article was written by Patrick Ripley, Director of e-Commerce at the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) Rochester was one of many southern Vermont communities slammed by Hurricane Irene in late summer 2011. “The town of Rochester was totally cut off for the first week after Irene. We had no electricity and no services,” recalled Beth…
The Council on the Future of Vermont received written submission from Vermonters via this website. Online Survey For over a year we collected the opinions, ideas, and challenges of Vermonters through an online survey of five questions. Close to 200 Vermonters shared their opinions. See their responses by clicking the links below: What does Vermont…