VCRD Stories & News

The Village of Enosburg Falls wanted to go green and show care for their local environment, and after learning about ...
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Just one year later and Milton community members are ready to celebrate the work behind them and plan further action ...
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A few weeks ago, the Working Lands Coalition hosted a celebration to honor the ten-year anniversary of the Working Lands ...
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Sometimes, it’s not about fixing the problem. It’s about changing the conditions that created the problem in the first place ...
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It’s around this time of year when people start counting the things they are thankful for: family, friends, and health, ...
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At the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD), we are passionate about the importance of local leadership and supporting individuals ...
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Identifying a community need and leveraging local partners and resources to address it was an exciting piece of the puzzle ...
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The Town of Highgate was ready to start taking action for the future. Participating in a facilitated discussion to talk ...
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As an organization dedicated to supporting locally-defined progress of Vermont’s rural communities, the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) felt ...
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Leaders across Vermont play an instrumental role every day in shaping the future of our State and our communities. Here ...
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Whether it is affordable housing, community development, conservation and recreation, or food resilience, the 4-Town Coalition consists of movers and ...
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Home heating is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Vermont, with the average Vermonter spending nearly $2,000 ...
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that roughly 30% of global emissions leading to climate change can be attributed to agricultural activities, ...
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Lighting accounts for nearly 5% of global CO2 emissions. With LED lighting achieving savings of 50-70%+ compared to older technologies, ...
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Vermod is a Wilder-based company that designs and builds affordable net-zero energy ready modular homes to meet the highest standards ...
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When VCRD brought a Community Visit process to Guilford in 2013, it quickly became apparent that there was an abundance ...
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Danielle Laberge has always dreamed of staying and working in Vermont, but after completing her studies in botany and ecology ...
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New Frameworks is a natural design and construction firm with a central mission to help lead the transformation of our ...
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Same Sun employee Jonathon Klos came to Vermont from Michigan to attend Green Mountain College. Instead of returning to Michigan, ...
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Wheeled Hand Tool Systems, Inc. was founded in 1978 to create solutions that reduce human impact on the environment. Recognizing ...
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Danielle Bombardier, has found an opportunity for employment and growth in the expansion of renewable energy projects in Vermont. Originally ...
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Nearly 18,000 Vermonters work in fields related to energy efficiency and renewable energy, which is over 4% of Vermont’s workforce ...
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The Right House is a Stowe Vermont-based architectural firm that designs modern low carbon homes that stay true to the ...
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All Earth Renewables has developed an award-winning solar tracking system right here in the Green Mountains which produces up to ...
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(FPF) is a free community-building platform that now serves every town in Vermont.* This service helps residents communicate with their ...
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Many mobile home residents in Vermont are faced with a significant challenge; while their incomes are often low, their energy ...
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Green Writers Press (GWP) is a Vermont-based global publisher with a mission to help foster a sustainable environment through the ...
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VSECU is a not for profit, cooperative credit union that is committed to finding opportunities within both its operations and ...
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is a 15-year-old full service fuel dealer serving 2,500 members and customers in northwestern and central Vermont. The Co-op delivers ...
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Blue Spruce Farm in Bridport, Vermont is known for the many gallons of milk that its cows produce each year ...
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Burlington-based Encore Renewable Energy is a leading integrated clean energy company specializing in commercial, industrial, and community-scale solar PV systems ...
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Wind power nationally is growing at a rate of roughly 30% a year, but it remains a major capital expense ...
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A key factor in harnessing renewable energy is how efficiently the DC power can be converted to AC power for ...
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Vermont's Inc. (NRI) builds custom energy storage solutions to fit any application. As a result, the Waitsfield based company is ...
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Few of us think about how a better nozzle could reduce the entire spray can industry’s environmental impact. Yet at ...
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Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) make up one of the most sustainable, energy-efficient construction methods in the residential and light commercial ...
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Nathaniel Vandal is the co-founder of Green Peak Solar, a Waitsfield, Vermont-based company focusing on developing large-scale solar energy systems ...
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Enosburg Falls, VT - Most people know about composting—the natural recycling process that converts food scraps, leaves, and manures into ...
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Stevens & Associates, P.C., an architectural and engineering firm, has a passion for walkable environments and mixed use buildings. Their ...
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VBike is a nonprofit organization dedicated to shifting the bike culture in Vermont towards a more inclusive, fun, and transportation-oriented ...
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Tucked behind a secluded lake in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center is an outdoor-lovers’ dream that offers year ...
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ShackletonThomas is a Bridgewater, Vermont based company that specializes in making fine handmade furniture, pottery and accessories. For the past ...
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As a former medic, police officer, non-profit manager, legislative director and values-led business executive - Duane Peterson has always been ...
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For ten years now, Washington Electric Co-op has been generating power from the stuff that Vermonters throw away. Their system ...
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The following article was submitted by Martha Reid, Vermont State Librarian. Marty will be moderating the morning panel on “Digital ...
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One of the many ways that the Vermont Digital Economy Project has worked to foster resilience and create community engagement ...
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Betsy Calhoun, a business applications teacher at Lake Region Union High School in Orleans, Vermont, will take part in our ...
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One of the things that makes our summit unique is that by organizing our sessions into four tracks (Educating for a ...
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Although we have been crossing the state to launch numerous Wi-Fi zones over the past few weeks, each town we’re ...
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By connecting compelling visuals to a story, a good video can inspire, inform, agitate, or promote an organization or cause. Just a ...
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Earlier this month, the Vermont Digital Economy Project organized a training for the Adult Outreach team at the Vermont Student Assistance ...
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This post was written by Tracy Staples, the program's Internet Intern at the Brown Public Library in Northfield, VT. I began ...
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Small organizations are at the heart of most communities, and they are often born directly in response to a community’s ...
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After twelve years of support and plenty of advanced notice, on April 8th of this year, Microsoft officially ended its ...
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Vermont fruit and vegetable farmers produce hundreds of tons of edible, farm-fresh food, but often, not all of their production ...
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Games have always been a great tool for teachers to engage students and make learning fun. For example, they have ...
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Part of the matching funds for our grant was graciously donated by IBM, which, through its Impact Grants program, allows ...
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The graphic above is used in the UK’s small business digital skills survey Vermont’s Digital Skills Roundtable was formed last ...
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This past Saturday at the ACORN Sustainable Living Expo, I presented with Michael Wood-Lewis, co-founder of Front Porch Forum, on ...
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by Nancy Shuttleworth, VtSBDC E-commerce Business Advisor Online tools may not be at the start of every new business, but ...
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There is a term that developers refer to when building websites called usability. The basic premise involves creating websites that ...
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This article was written by Christine Friese, Assistant State Librarian The Computers at Rutland Free Library get a lot of ...
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This article was written by Patrick Ripley, Director of e-Commerce at the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) After many ...
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One of the reasons I love Vermont is because of its agricultural background. Between the push for a Working Landscape, ...
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The Woodstock Community Food Shelf board of directors: back row, left to right: Sally Gottlieb, Joan Williamson, Norm Youknot and ...
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Every community in Vermont now has access to its own online calendar, thanks to Front Porch Forum and the Vermont ...
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Stepping up the use of digital tools can be a game-changer for small agricultural and forest products businesses. The integration ...
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This article was written by Domenic Laurenzi, an Internet Intern who works at  the Dailey Memorial Library in Derby and the ...
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This article was written by Nancy Shuttleworth, E-Commerce Advisor at VtSBDC The Battenkill River is known as one of the ...
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On a chilly Thursday evening in late November, members of the new downtown development group called Wilmington Works, town officials, ...
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Juli Reiderer, Park House Exectutive Director, looks at her organization's new website An empowered organization is a successful organization. For ...
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This article was written by Patrick Ripley, Director of e-Commerce at the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) Rochester was one of ...
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This article was written by Patrick Ripley, Director of e-Commerce at VtSBDC Unlike many Vermont business owners, when Bethel logger Carl ...
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This year, we were excited to be a part of Tech Jam, a technology-focused job fair that also serves to ...
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On November 1st, the Vermont Digital Economy Project will be facilitating a discussion at the Woodstock Digital Media Festival on ...
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It was humbling to be part of the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s visiting team for the Guilford Community Visit ...
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This article was written by Christine Friese, Assistant State Librarian, Vermont Department of Libraries Recently, Library directors, trustees and staff ...
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A goal of our grant is to assist towns, business and nonprofits in using technology to be more prepared in ...
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This article is written by Patrick Ripley, VtSBDC Director of e-Commerce Wilmington was one of many southern Vermont communities hit ...
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Vermont’s 2011 floods demonstrated the potential for digital tools to support community resilience and recovery, as well as the vulnerability ...
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Paul Haskell, Chair of the Sharon Selectboard was a part of a group discussion on how to use digital mapping ...
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Our visits to Vermont’s flood-impacted communities reveal several compelling stories of how towns used social media to help recover from ...
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By Mary McClements, Coordinator of Academic Services-Career Training Programs at CCV Blake dropped out of school when he was sixteen ...
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Vermont’s strength is a direct result of the strength of the community organizations that step up in time of need, ...
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In a bright renovated Town Hall in Bethel Vermont, with sunlight flowing into the room from large windows lining two ...
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The Ottauquechee Community Partnership (OCPVT) is a locally funded non-profit organization with a focus on connecting young people to the ...
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June 14, 2013 (Montpelier, Vermont.) -- On a rainy Thursday afternoon, vendors gathered on the South Royalton green for the ...
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At the Vermont Digital Economy Project, we know that a connected community is a resilient community. While we’ve been focusing ...
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This past weekend was the National Day of Civic Hacking. While for many of us, hacking brings up ominous images ...
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Heidi M. Nikolaidis, of the Bethel Historical Society, received help from Rob Fish on the society's Facebook Page. Here's what ...
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More than 20 years ago, Vermonters Jeffrey and Maryanne Larkin opened Arvad’s Grill & Pub in Waterbury. From the very ...
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Digital tools can create an important advantage in running a business these days, and we're working in Bethel on a ...
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Members of the Bethel Historical Society I remember as a young boy growing up and being fascinated by the local ...
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By Mary McClements, Coordinator of Academic Services-Career Training Programs at CCV ‘Balance’ is a great buzz word these days, in ...
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Our search for relevant workshop content for Vermont’s farm and forest sector led us straight to someone who may, at ...
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At the Vermont Digital Economy Project, we're passionate about using new technologies to improve disaster resilience and spur economic growth ...
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After a week and a half of meetings with over twenty nonprofits ranging from historical societies to downtown revitalization organizations, ...
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An important service offered by our project is the Vermont Small Business Development Center’s digital workshops. They’re designed to teach ...
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I was interviewed by a local TV program recently on the work of VCRD. The host thought it was interesting ...
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(Hardwick, VT) Sixth grade students at Hardwick Elementary classrooms are getting more connected with their teachers when it comes to ...
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(Fairfield, VT) Educators, students, and their parents have all played a key role in the growing presence of computer and ...
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Jay and Westfield, located in the state’s “Northeast Kingdom” near the Canadian border, share common north/south town borders, and depend ...
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(Dover, VT) Fourth, fifth and sixth-grade students at Dover Elementary got more than just a taste of technology this year ...
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(Bridgewater Village, VT) With the Digital Wish training wrapping up, teachers at Bridgewater Village Elementary School reminisced on their experiences ...
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(Calais, VT) When a school receives new technology, it can be an exciting opportunity to expand learning and help guide ...
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(Morristown, VT) The growing prevalence of broadband Internet access and cloud computing has made itself well known across classrooms at ...
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(Jay, VT) Recently, students at Jay/Westfield Elementary have been able to flex their creative muscles with new technology in both ...
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(Addison, VT) Teachers at Addison Elementary School are using the tools Digital Wish provided them this past year to further ...
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(Middletown Springs, VT) While e-Vermont and Digital Wish classroom training are winding down, the Kodu Game Lab after-school program is ...
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(Moretown, VT) For most elementary schools, a school newsletter can be a fun way to give students experience in journalism, ...
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(Castleton, VT) At Castleton Elementary School, computers are being integrated into the daily routine of 5th grade students thanks to ...
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(Richford, VT) One of the greatest challenges teachers face with their classrooms is making sure their students are staying on ...
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Although the digital age may seem in its infancy, many Vermont small business owners are learning that they have already ...
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From late fall of 2011 to spring of 2012, the Vermont State Colleges placed student interns in public libraries to ...
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What if nearly every household in a small rural town were in daily communication with each other? What would change? ...
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A lot of Internet learning begins at the local library, where there are computers and Internet connections to get patrons ...
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Noah Carpenter, 5th grader at Fairfield Center School, is making the most out of the new Netbooks he and his ...
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For many Vermont communities, the terrible flooding in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene brought home both the importance of ...
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e-Vermont partner Front Porch Forum provides towns and neighborhoods with a virtual town green and bulletin board. Once FPF is ...
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Through e-Vermont, students at Dover elementary are getting more than just a taste of technology – they’re becoming tech experts ...
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The Russell Vermontiana Collection includes rare books, works by Vermont authors, historic documents, photographs and genealogies focused on Arlington and ...
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Fairfield, Vermont is synonymous with maple sugaring and dairy farming, and was the birth place of the 21st president of ...
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The Vermont State Colleges is an e-Vermont partner providing introductory Internet trainings across the state as well as online webinars ...
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In one busy month, Fairfield opened a beautiful new library, launched a community newsletter, and unveiled an online farmers market ...
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(12/8/11) - e-Vermont partner Front Porch Forum provides towns and neighborhoods with a virtual town green and bulletin board. Residents ...
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(12/8/11) - The village center of Moretown sits along the usually friendly Mad River. But Tropical Storm Irene swelled it ...
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(12-2-2011) - e-Vermont and partner Digital Wish are helping to expand the world of learning for every 4th, 5th, and ...
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(12/1/2011) - A group of local artists and entrepreneurs have banded together to showcase their community - the town of ...
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(10/10/11) - When longtime Poultney print shop owner Chuck Colvin decided to retire, he knew he didn’t want to call ...
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(10/10/11) - When the recession hit in 2008, Jennifer Partch Whitehurst of Poultney was among the tens of thousands of ...
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(10/10/11) - When Vermont Small Business Development Center’s (VtSBDC) Broadband Business Advisor Patrick Ripley began his e-Vermont community visits, Troy ...
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(9/21/11) - The e-Vermont Community Broadband Project congratulates the West Rutland team for its completion of a successful year. Since ...
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(5/4/11) - The Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) employs an e-Vermont business advisor to work one on one with ...
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