Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund

We’re excited to announce Diane Abruzzini Riggs and Ken Linge have joined the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund's Board of Directors. They each bring a unique wealth of experience and passion for sustainability, community, and innovation. https://lnkd.in/e8T5aXx4

Can you think of a truly exceptional pasta brand? If not, then you probably haven’t tried Trenchers Farmhouse. Located in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Jenny and Giacomo Vascotto are setting out to make superior pasta supported by Vermont agriculture. “We can do pasta better,” said Jenny, “and there are plenty of farmers and producers here in Vermont that can feed a national brand.”?Read the full story at: https://lnkd.in/eJJxZrWt

Take a few minutes out of your day to read this Vermont Business Magazine profile on Flexible Capital Fund President Janice St. Onge (she/her)! Full story at https://lnkd.in/epuNiEss “Janice is often one of the first people leading forward and hoping that other people come along. It takes a lot of courage and bravery to step out and try something different that the more traditional capital provider world doesn't do. I think she's very strategic. And she's really passionate about people and about the planet. She really wants a future that her kids and eventual grandkids can grow up in.” -Ellen Kahler, VSJF Executive Director

Ellen Kahler was honored at the Energy Action Network Summit with the Anne & Arthur Berndt Award, presented by Jared Duval, Linda McGinnis, Darren Springer and Cara Robechek. ? Linda McGinnis, Energy Action Network board chair and senior fellow, had this to say about Ellen: “Ellen is the beloved leader, fierce advocate, thoughtful mentor and just plain decent human being who has made a profound impact on our beautiful state and beyond for her multiple roles over the years as the Executive Director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. Her innovative work has not only advanced Vermont's green economy, but it has set a national standard, a benchmark for sustainable development and workforce development. Her penchant for innovation has helped launch dozens of new climate businesses through DeltaClimeVT Business Accelerator – Vermont's climate economy business accelerator. But it is Ellen's deep expertise in the power of collective impact and her natural collaborative spirit that helped lay the foundation of the systemic transformation of Vermont's energy and economy that we are all in the midst of experiencing today and for which we will be experiencing much more in the Future. Ellen knows deep in her bones that the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts that working across our natural silos and differing perspectives strengthens all of us. She brought us lessons learned from her own experience in creating the wildly successful Farm to Plate Network. Her guidance as an EAN board member for 11 years was instrumental in shaping how we function as a network, emphasizing the need for a small, nimble backbone organization to facilitate the work of hundreds of network members, of which all of you are part. The importance of measuring progress on climate and energy as a state, to understand where we need to work harder and to celebrate where we've had our successes, and constantly exploring new ways to weave our respective strengths together, all of which help drive the systemic change required to achieve a vibrant, sustainable and fossil-free energy future. Ellen's style of leadership is both bold – she is never afraid to tell it like it is – and empathic. She weaves equity and humanity into everything she does, and she always has the collective greater good as her North Star. No matter where Ellen plants her unique leadership flag, she takes us from empathy to action, from ideas to innovation and from innovation to impact. Our energy future is cleaner and more equitable because Ellen was there, she's here, and she does it all with integrity and that twinkle in her eye.” ? The Anne & Arthur Berndt Award honors Network members who have demonstrated vision, leadership, and commitment to creating a renewable energy future for Vermont. It is awarded on an annual basis to individuals or organizations that have shown bold leadership in support of efforts to transform Vermont’s energy system towards one based on efficiency and renewables.

Julie Lineberger, founder of WheelPad L3C, is all about keeping families together. The company's fully accessible, temporary bedroom/bathroom units can be attached to a home for months or years to accommodate veterans, elderly relatives, and people recovering from spinal cord injuries or debilitating illness. “There are so many people–injured service members who are languishing in VA hospitals, grandparents who move a hospital bed into a living room, people with spinal cord injuries living in motel rooms–not because they need nursing care but because their home is not accessible. This gives people a way to have the family together,” she says. https://bit.ly/WheelPad Also in this story: Luella Strattner Joseph Cincotta RJ Adler VSJF Business Coach Victor Morrison

New England’s Local Food Spending Report: Key Insights and Opportunities https://lnkd.in/eDBGyfSD The Regional Food Count 2022 report from the New England Food System Planners Partnership reveals that $2.28 billion of our $120.6 billion food, beverage, and alcohol expenditures are directed towards local and regional products. There is a critical opportunity for growth and investment in our regional food economy! Key Findings: - At-Home Consumption: $55.6 billion (46.1% of total spending) - Away-From-Home Spending: $64.9 billion - Major Channels: Grocery stores, supercenters, food stores, and restaurants account for nearly 70% of total food and alcohol sales. Goals & Actions: Our target is to increase regional food consumption to 30% by 2030. To achieve this: - Grocery Stores: Source more regionally produced foods and enhance their visibility with better signage. - Restaurants and Institutions: Source and feature more regional ingredients. - Consumers: Choose local and regional food products to support our community. This report, supported by the New England Food System Planners Partnership, is a stepping stone toward a more resilient and self-reliant food system. Explore the report and interactive data dashboard and see how you can contribute to this important goal. #FoodEconomy #SupportLocal #NewEngland #Sustainability #FoodPolicy #RegionalFood #Community #NEFNE #NewEnglandFeedingNewEngland #NewEnglandFoodVision #farmtoinstitution Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund/Vermont Farm to Plate, Connecticut Food System Alliance, Maine Food Convergence Project, Maine Food Strategy, Maine Network of Community Food Councils, Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, New Hampshire Food Alliance, Rhode Island Food Policy Council, Food Solutions New England, Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management RIDEM, AGRICULTURE, FOOD & MARKETS, VERMONT AGENCY OF, STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE-DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, MARKETS & FOOD, AGRICULTURE, CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Leah Rovner, Director, New England Food System Planners Partnership

We are very excited to cheer on VSJF Executive Director Ellen Kahler today at the Champlain Valley Fair as she is inducted into the Vermont Ag Hall of Fame as an Ag Innovator! A well deserved honor. https://lnkd.in/da6NqRtt

Michael Zebrowski joins Scott M. Graves on his podcast "Are we there yet?" to talk about his vision for offering a solution to the affordable housing crisis with Up End This. Take a listen. We need more innovative entrepreneurs like Michael Zebrowski willing to put all they have on the line to build a better world. Bravo. Up End This is a Flexible Capital Fund portfolio company. #affordablehousing #accessorydwellingunit #greenbuilding #sustainability

We are excited to announce Rock Rabbit as the winner of DeltaClimeVT Business Accelerator Energy 2024. Burlington Electric Department awarded a pilot project to Moduly. Eight incredible companies focused on?reducing greenhouse gas emissions by enabling the acceleration of electrification?worked hard over the past three months and graduated June 13 at Main Street Landing! https://lnkd.in/gYmSDP-8 ? Congratulations to the 13 entrepreneurs from Rock Rabbit, Moduly, Bidirectional Energy, ELECGRID, EMPEQ, Induction Food Systems, Noteworthy AI, and EarthEn. ? Thank you to our mentors, partners and sponsors of DeltaClimeVT Energy 2024: Jane’s Trust Foundation, Burlington Electric Department, Vermont Public Power Supply Authority, Efficiency Vermont, Green Mountain Power, VSECU, Vermont Electric Coop, Vermont Gas Systems (VGS), Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA), The Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO), and Dinse, P.C..? ? DeltaClimeVT Managing Director: Geoff Robertson ecosVC Facilitators: Joseph Steig, Judy Giordan

Today, our VSJF business coaches are hosting a client retreat at Bolton Valley Resort to work on their businesses together! https://lnkd.in/evhiKfJu