BRATTLEBORO — Strolling of the Heifers founder Orly Munzing this week received the 2013 Vermont Community Leadership Award from the Vermont Council on Rural Development. Munzing was honored at the end of the council’s 2013 Summit on the Future of Vermont’s Working Landscape held Tuesday at Vermont Technical College in Randolph, Vt. The Vermont Community…
Last week, Governor Shumlin delivered his budget address to the Vermont legislature, and in that address, he showed a renewed commitment to the Working Lands Enterprise Fund. Importantly, he stated that the funding line is included in the base budget, and he is recommending a 5% increase over last year’s funding, which was $1,425,000. The…
I can’t believe that my first blog article as director of the Vermont Digital Economy Project was nine months ago, and that the project is fast approaching its one-year mark. In this relatively short time, the team has made great strides in assisting the people and communities of rural Vermont, focusing, of course, on those damaged…
Earlier this month, two IBM specialists in business continuity and resiliency services conducted two Disaster Preparedness for Nonprofit Workshops in Vermont. The workshops were donated to the Vermont Digital Economy Project through IBM’s Service Grants program. I had arranged the first workshop through the leadership of the Vermont Access Network, a professional membership organization representing…
Vermont Public Radio: http://digital.vpr.net/post/conference-focuses-financing-working-lands According to those working to improve farming and forestry opportunities in Vermont, the state is experiencing a renaissance. There’s an influx of interested young people and a host of new ideas for keeping the land productive. The third annual Financing the Working Landscape Conference Thursday in Middlebury will provide a chance…
It was humbling to be part of the Vermont Council on Rural Development’s visiting team for the Guilford Community Visit on October 15th. The Town of Guilford is a community just south of Brattleboro, along Vermont’s southeastern border with Massachusetts, that is comprised of five hamlets, each with its own character. There were many reasons…
This article was written by Donald de Voil, Internet Interns Coordinator at CCV In today’s world, it can be impossible to apply for a job, fill out a government form, or complete other essential tasks, without some internet literacy. Sadly, too many Vermonters find the world of online a bewildering, frustrating and disempowering experience. If…
This article was written by Christine Friese, Assistant State Librarian, Vermont Department of Libraries Recently, Library directors, trustees and staff from 10 public libraries, representatives from the Vermont State Library, and members of the Vermont Digital Economy Project spent a day at the Brown Public library in Northfield with consultants from IBM, learning all about…
In August, VCRD was honored to serve as a partner with the Windham Foundation to facilitate their thirty-fifth Grafton Conference. On the 50th year anniversary of the foundation, they wisely chose to bring together key industry and policy leaders to address the topic: “Vermont’s Forest Economy: Advancing Creativity and Entrepreneurship in Value-Added Forest Products.” The…
On October 3rd, I had the great pleasure of moderating an educational panel at the Vermont League of Cities & Towns Town Fair 2013. The purpose of the panel was to educate municipal leaders from the four corners of the state on how they can leverage digital tools to build community resilience and improve overall…