An exciting bill is working its way through the Vermont Legislature--S.263, the Vermont Benefits Corporations Act. You can read about the bill on the Public Policy page on our website.

For the last twenty years, VBSR has worked to establish a business ethic that valued human and natural capital on a par with financial capital. You, VBSR members, have done a terrific job demonstrating the prudence of that value system. But a business ethic, like a strong mission statement, is just words. Corporations still operate under the legal obligation to put financial outcomes ahead of any others.

If S.263 is signed into law, a new corporate charter will be available to Vermont companies that will require its directors to consider the interests of all stakeholders in determining the best interests of the company. Stakeholders will include employees, the local community and economy and the local and global environment.

If S.263 is signed into law, 20 years of VBSR advocacy and hard work will be legally recognized. Our business ethic will be codified in Vermont Statutes.  

Vermont can and should be the first state in the country to pass legislation like this. You can help make that happen by asking your Senator to support S.263.  You can find a list of Vermont Senators here.

VBSR Networking Get-Together hosted by
Maple Landmark Woodcraft
Thursday, March 25, 2010; 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Maple Landmark Woodcraft, 1297 Exchange Street, Middlebury, VT
Join us to learn more about Maple Landmark, take a tour of the woodshop, and hear Mike Rainville talk about the company's commitment to keeping production in the U.S. Please visit the event page for details.
Many thanks to sponsors Green Mountain College, groSolar, and The Vermont Community Foundation!

VBSR Networking Get-Together co-hosted by
Zutano and the Kids Are Priority One Coalition
with the collaboration of Building Bright Futures of Central Vermont
Thursday, April 15, 2010; 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Zutano, 1785 Coits Pond Road, Cabot, VT
This special event is part of a series being held during the Week of the Young Child, aimed at raising awareness among legislators and employers regarding the link between child care and Vermont's economic development and recovery.
To sponsor, please contact Rita Bothfeld at ritab@vbsr.org or 802/862-8347 no later than Thursday, March 25.

2010 VBSR Spring Conference and Terry Ehrich Award Dinner
Terry Ehrich Award Dinner
Sunday evening, May 16, 2010; 5:45 - 9:30 pm
Northern Lights Cruise Boat, Lake Champlain
For more information on the award dinner, visit our web page.
Full-day Spring Conference
Monday, May 17, 2010; 7:30 am - 5:00 pm
Hilton Hotel; Burlington, VT
For more information on the conference, visit our web site conference page.

The legislative session is past its mid-point with "cross-over" happening last Friday. We are seeing great progress on many of VBSR legislative priorities. The Senate voted down the Vermont Yankee operating extension, Senate Economic Development Committee has passed the VBSR-led "B-Corp" legislation, and the current version of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund bill incorporates many of our recommendations. The Senate Health Committee passed out health care reform legislation that VBSR is actively involved in. An e-mail will be going out to all members next week with a comprehensive mid-session report.  

Important Upcoming Policy Events
Legislators Invite Business Owners to Discuss Health Care Reform--PLEASE PARTICIPATE
Tuesday, March 23, 3:00-5:30 pm; State House
Contact andreac@vbsr.org for more information.

William Hsiao, Harvard economist specializing in health policy, will address a joint Health Care Committee hearing. Hsiao has guided successful reforms in numerous countries, including Taiwan.  
Thursday, March 18, 2:00 pm; Rm 11, State House

Statewide Farm to Plate Food Summit
Saturday, April 10; Rutland
Keynote Speaker: Ken Meter, President, Crossroads Resource Center
For details and to register, visit the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Funds web site.

You can follow us on Twitter at VBSRPolicy for quick daily updates.

A coupon book and resource guide exclusively designed for locally owned and independent businesses in Chittenden, Addison and Washington counties. The Buy Local Coupon Book will feature savings from coupons, a place to tell your story, a business directory as well as educational materials on ways to "Be Local" while visiting and living in Vermont.  

Visit www.localfirstvermont.org and click on the Local First Coupon Book link on the top of the page. Here you will find links for options, pricing and the specifications necessary for participation.  

The deadline to advertise is April 1st, so contact Lisa Curtis at lisac@vbsr.org to secure your space today!

Tune in here for current news about Local First Vermont and other local economies features...

From Northshire Bookstore's Blog...
Keeping it local to keep it vibrant
by Chris Morrow on March 9, 2010

I am about a quarter into the Heath brothers' new book, Switch - How to Change Things When Change is Hard. Change is much on my mind these days as the turmoil of the book industry and the economy at large force hard decisions to be made.  Perhaps, we should be grateful to change for assaulting our complacency and spurring our creativity.  But I digress before even starting...

Continue reading on Northshire Bookstore's blog...

Wind Energy Pioneer Awarded Patent for Direct Drive Induction Generator
Innovative design is first patent for David Blittersdorf, CEO of AllEarth Renewables
All Earth Renewables Inc., (formerly Earth Turbines) Vermont's only manufacturer of small scale grid connected wind and solar systems, announced the award of the first patent for company president and CEO, David Blittersdorf. Patent #7633176 is for the invention of a proprietary direct drive induction generator capable of being directly connected to the power grid for the creation of electrical power. Read more...

Good Point Recycling Selected to Collect and Recycle Electronics from Rhode Island Municipalities
Good Point Recycling, the used electronics reuse, repair and recycling company based in Middlebury, Vermont, announced today they have been selected by 5 Original Equipment Manufacturers to collect and recycle electronics from Rhode Island municipalities. This is on the heels of the company's selection to recycle used electronics in New York, Boston, and Maine communities during the past 12 months. Read more...

Bill McKibben and Yankee Magazine Feature Front Porch Forum
Dublin, New Hampshire (March 9, 2010) -- Can old-fashioned New England ingenuity solve some of our most intractable global problems? Vermont author Bill McKibben explores the possibilities in his Yankee Magazine series "How New England Can Save the World."
Vermont's own Front Porch Forum is featured in the March/April issue, on newsstands now. McKibben spotlights husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Michael and Valerie Wood-Lewis and their award-winning network of 140 online neighborhood forums, blanketing 25 northwest Vermont towns. More than 17,000 households subscribe, including, in dozens of neighborhoods, more than 40 percent of the local population. Read more...