VBSR
July
2014
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility
 
Vermont Businesses...Vermont Values. 

Early Childhood Development- A Top VBSR Priority

VBSR has supported investment in early childhood care and education since the very beginning of our formation. Our business members have always understood that quality childhood experiences were essential to ensure strong families and a vibrant economic future. VBSR is pleased to announce a new effort to forward this important agenda through a partnership with Let's Grow Kids, a three-year, privately-funded statewide public education campaign, to raise awareness about the importance of our children's earliest years to Vermont's future economy and workforce. Launched at the end of April, the Let's Grow Kids team and volunteers have been working hard to make sure every Vermonter understands that:
- 80% of the brain develops by age 3, and 90% by age 5, laying a foundation for future success in school, relationships and the workforce.
- 72% of Vermont parents with children under the age of 6 are in the workforce, which means they rely on care outside of the home for their children up to 40 hours a week.
- 40-50% of Vermont's children are not prepared for kindergarten.
- Children who are exposed to high-quality early experiences score higher in school readiness tests, have better social-emotional skills, and are 40% less likely to need special education.

If you support giving our children the preparation they need to succeed to ensure better outcomes for Vermont's communities and economy, sign the business pledge. Please lend your support to this VBSR priority!

We also continue to work hard to ensure progress towards our long term health care reform goal of universal access to quality health care for all people that is decoupled from employment and financed based on ability to pay.  Please sign our health care reform petition to let policymakers know you are supportive of this goal. 

I look forward to seeing many of you Wednesday night at the VBSR Get-Together at Green Mountain College and learning more about the latest in sustainable business practices!
Sincerely,
Andrea Cohen, Executive Director
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VBSR Welcomes and Thanks our Newest Members!
 
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS:  
Spence Putnam, Weybridge
Mischul Brownstone, Charlotte 

*Also joined Local First Vermont! 
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    This Edition of E-news Sponsored by:
Let's Grow Kids!
 
As a business leader, you can make a difference for Vermont's children by speaking with your professional networks about early childhood development and the economic case for investing early. Find our business statement, an informational handout for businesses, and our new educational video at letsgrowkids.org/business.

Interested in sponsoring E-news? Contact us today.

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Member Benefits Corner 
VBSR Releases 2014/2015 Marketing Guide  

VBSR membership includes complimentary and paid opportunities to promote your organization and/or your organization's initiatives and offerings! Check out some of VBSR's complementary efforts below, or click here to download the complete marketing guide with both paid and complementary offerings.

Provide us with your "Member News": Add info@vbsr.org to your press list! We review for inclusion in our monthly E-News and also as potential social media content. Press releases announcing new programs, awards/recognitions, etc. are ideal.

 

Promote your Events: Members can post their events (info sessions, educational offerings, company celebrations, community events, etc.) on our "Member Events" page. We highlight upcoming member events in our monthly E-news and also leverage some of the content for social media purposes.  

 

Offer a Member-to-Member Discount: If you would like to offer a discount or some other promotional offer for VBSR member businesses, that can be incorporated as well (often most effective when coupled with some promo/advertising from the "paid" promotional items below).

 

Engage with VBSR on Social Media: Tweet and Facebook VBSR and we'll do our best to do the same in return. Post a convo on our LinkedIn Group page as well.


Attend VBSR Networking Get-Togethers and other VBSR Events: Be visible, accessible, and ready to positively engage with the VBSR community of businesses.

Newest Member-to-Member Offer:

 

Same Sun Choose any 3-5 locally solar-produced products in the store, take a 25% discount, and make it a gift for the next office raffle or donation prize with our FREE gift basket and wrapping service for VBSR members and their employees. Located on 53 Merchants Row downtown Rutland, at Same Sun Choice.
Contact: Theresa Brown Web: http://www.samesunvt.com 

 

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Upcoming VBSR Events
We look forward to seeing you soon... Click on the title to learn more and get registration info! 

 

July 23: VBSR Networking Get-Together Hosted by Green Mountain College 

  

VBSR members and friends are invited to join us for our July Networking Get-Together Hosted by Green Mountain College.


Network with forward-thinking business professionals, enjoy the beautiful GMC campus, check out a short presentation on current CSR business trends from sustainable business strategy and marketing expert Professor Karen Martinsen Fleming.  

 

This event is free and open to the public... feel free to bring a colleague (or two!).  

 

REGISTER TODAY 

 

Remember to check out the one remaining scholarship for VBSR members, member organization employees, and family members enrolling in the August 19, 2014 cohort. Worth over $16,500 each, these scholarships entitle recipients to a $75 per credit scholarship tuition rate (first-come, first-served; subject to admission to the program and other conditions). Details here.   

 

Interested in hosting a Get-Together at your business? Click here for more info.  

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VBSR Marketplace Launches System Improvements
Updates for Users; New Members   

  
Please join us in welcoming 3 new Marketplace users!  

 

Pop Color, Studio 360, and Vermont Farm Table!  


Thank you for your patience as the Marketplace continues its upgrades. We recently moved to an
open source system. The best analogy is that we moved from a slick rental townhouse (old proprietary software) to a fixer upper farm in the country (new software) and we've been fixing it up. As with home ownership, we benefit from being able to build as we like, but we needed to solidify the foundations before doing a lot of the visible and fun upgrades.

 

Our most recent push has been to make the online accounting easier to process and more understandable.

The current upgrades going live are:

  • Some cosmetic upgrades (color, etc) to enhance our previous upgrade which made the Marketplace viewable on mobile devices.
  • Auto-credit card processing, to increase the accuracy of Marketplace charges and decrease administrative time.
  • Integrating a sign-up form into the Marketplace to eliminate shuffling data from a 3rd party service and speed up account activation from 48 hours to about 48 seconds.
  • Increasing the editability of the messaging systems so the auto-notices you get about sales and messages will be less cryptic.
  • Automating the payments of trade credits to eliminate manual data entry.
  • Movement from a monthly credit card charge to weekly. (You will be prompted to enter a credit card the next time you log in. If you have an all-trade fee account, small non-profits only, or other arrangement with the Marketplace, you should have already heard about your payment arrangements.)

Thanks in advance for your patience as we navigate this new code and payments process. Check back next month for an update or click here read up on what we hope to accomplish for the rest of 2014, and, as always. Thanks for using the Marketplace!

  

Don't have a VBSR Marketplace account? Get started today; use what you have to buy what you need! 

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Networking in Bristol! 
60+ Members and Friends Attend Aqua Vitea Get-Together 

On June 26, Aqua Vitea Kombucha opened up their brewery to VBSR members and guests as they hosted a VBSR Networking Get-Together. Over 60 forward-thinking business professionals packed the brewery for an evening of education, localism idea sharing, and networking.

Highlights of the evening included a taste-test of the Aqua Vitea product line and prototypes, an inspiring program focused on the importance of relationships and community, and a plethora of business being done amidst laughter and smiles.

Check out the photos here!

 

 

 

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Intern Program Grows, Seeks Sites
With Growth Comes Demand

The Vermont Intern Program is growing, and we need your help! Between 2013 and 2014 we increased our applicant pool from 1300 to 1800 interested applicants. Now we need more internships!

Do you offer an internship or have plans to? Let us help you promote your opportunity to highly skilled undergraduates, graduate students and recent graduates - all residing in Vermont and seeking opportunities. We post and promote positions, recruit interns, and screen candidates - a FREE service open to all businesses. We can also integrate your existing application process. Please contact us for details.

The mission of the Vermont Intern Program is to expose young people in Vermont to the diversity of career opportunities through paid internships. If you want to explore a special project, build capacity for current employees, or create inroads for new employees, we can help. Getting started is as easy as completing a NEW INTERNSHIP FORM. We'll then begin sending qualified applicants your way.

Questions? Want to learn more? As always, we are available to assist you directly: roxannev@vbsr.org or (802) 862-8347.

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Wanted: EV Love Everywhere 
Consider Office EV Stations or Business Fleet Electrification   

VBSR and The Vermont Clean Cities Coalition is pleased to support the EV Everywhere Workplace Charging Challenge, a U.S. Department of Energy initiative working to achieve a tenfold increase in the number of U.S. employers offering workplace charging in the next five years!

 

Partners of this national challenge join a strong network of employers across the country who help determine best practices for workplace charging, and are locally and nationally recognized for their efforts. Partners have access to technical assistance and information resources for establishing their workplace-charging program. Click here to support or learn more about the challenge.

 

If your business owns or operates its own fleet, EVs may be a great way to reduce your business' environmental impact and transportation costs. Today there are many different EV models available to fit your business' needs. Maintenance and operating costs of an EV are significantly lower than a traditional combustion engine. The Vermont Clean Cities Coalition can assist you in exploring how EVs could be utilized by your business.  

 

If you'd like to learn more about either initiative, contact VCCC coordinator Michelle McCutcheon-Schour or visit the VCCC website. (VCCC is hosted by VBSR Gold Member The University of Vermont.) 

     
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The VT Convo Attracts National/International Guests
Wednesdays, 1 PM -- AM550 FM96.1
 

The Vermont Conversation continues to attract engaging guests throughout the state of Vermont. This month, guests based in Vermont discussed their work throughout the United States and the world. For example, Journalist David Dobbs discussed his role with The New York Times, and the Institute for Sustainable Communities' founder George Hamilton stopped by to fill us in on the VBSR member's global work and scope. We also spoke with Vermonter Vermonter Gail Falk about her experiences as a civil rights volunteer in Mississippi in 1964.

 

Click here to listen to these shows, plus one featuring VBSR members SunCommon, VEIC and Renewable Energy Vermont, dedicated entirely to Vermont's strive for a clean energy economy. If you have and idea for a show or want to be on The Vermont Conversation, email us today. 

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Member Events
Upcoming Member Events

August 1: August Champlain Basin Derby Kick Off - (Lake Champlain International)

August 17: Mission Possible Urban Scavenger Hunt Benefit - (United Way of Chittenden County)

August 23: Wall to Canvas 5 - (Magic Hat)

September 1: September Champlain Basin Derby Kick Off (LCI)

September 4: United Way of Chittenden County LIVE UNITED Breakfast & Building Block Awards (United Way of CC)

September 16: The Round Table of Practice: Shared Leadership (Global Round Table Leadership)

Log-on to VBSR's website to post an event. Forgot your password? Send us an email! 

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Member Jobs
Recently Posted Member Jobs 
Log-on to VBSR's website to post a job. Forgot your password? Send us an email!

Looking for an internship? Click here for our most recent listings. 
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Member News  
We want your news and press releases!! Submit or post a story on our Facebook page or send Russ an email...

News items will be posted in the "Member News" section of our website and will be considered for inclusion in VBSR's monthly E-News.
 


Davis & Hodgdon Conduct Green Business Survey

The Certified Public Accounting firm of Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs located in Williston, Vermont, conducted a survey in May regarding the environmental priorities of Vermont-based businesses.  The survey was completed by more than 170 businesses; nearly half (49%) of those being small businesses with 1-10 employees, 26% with 11-50 employees and 25% with 50+ employees.  A wide range of industries were represented ranging from professional/technical (16%) to manufacturing (13%), hospitality (12%), health care/social assistance (12%), and travel and tourism among others.
 
Respondents were asked to identify environmentally-friendly initiatives that their business currently practices.  Nearly all (96%) practice recycling and 87% practice some form of power and energy conservation. More than half (65%) are dedicated to purchasing environmentally-friendly products and nearly as many (64%) have implemented paperless procedures. Read more about the survey here.    

  

 

 

Vermont Law Expands Distance Learning Program with Courses for JD Credit  

Vermont Law School, ranked No. 1 in the nation for environmental law, has expanded its distance learning options to include courses for Juris Doctor (JD) credit, a move that furthers the school's mission to extend its unique brand of legal education and commitment to advocacy to students around the world. Read more about the initiative here.   

 

 

 

Fletcher Allen Partners to Change Name

Fletcher Allen Partners and The University of Vermont announced recently that Fletcher Allen Partners will be changing its name to The University of Vermont Health Network. As part of the brand strategy approved by the Fletcher Allen Partners and University of Vermont boards, and Fletcher Allen Health Care's board, Fletcher Allen Health Care will be renamed The University of Vermont Medical Center. CVPH Medical Center will adopt the name "Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital" and will use that name together with "The University of Vermont Health Network" in all communications to express its participation in the Network. Central Vermont Medical Center and Elizabethtown Community Hospital will use their names with "The University of Vermont Health Network" in the same manner to express their affiliation in all communications. The change is planned to take effect this fall. Read more about how the decision was made and what it will mean moving forward. 

 

Truex Buildings Receive LEED Status
TruexCullins Architecture + Interior Design is pleased to announce two recently completed border patrol stations for the United States Customs and Border Protection in Vermont have received LEEDŽ Gold and Silver certification from the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). The principal in charge of the this project was David Epstein, AIA, LEED AP, member of the VBSR board of directors, and Peter Burns was the project manager. Learn more about the projects here.

 Magic Hat and Vermont Foodbank Team Up for 20th Anniversary of Mardi Gras
Magic Hat is pleased to announce a new partner and benefactor for the Mardi Gras Parade's 20th year: Vermont Foodbank. The mission of the Vermont Foodbank is to gather and share quality food and nurture partnerships so that no one in Vermont will go hungry. Through a network of 270 food shelves, meal sites, senior centers and youth programs, the Foodbank seeks to end the hunger for the more than 86,000 Vermonters who rely on their services each year. Check out the history of the event and Magic Hat's goodbye to their former partners here.

 

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Thank you VBSR Champion Members for your ongoing support!

  

   Ben and Jerry'sGardener's Supply
 
as of 12/17/12
Main Street Landing LogoNew Chapter newRenewable NRG 8/2013


S
At VBSR,
Our mission
is to foster a business ethic in Vermont that recognizes the opportunity and responsibility of the business community to set a high standard for protecting the natural, human, and economic environments of our citizens. We are committed to a multiple bottom line approach to business that values people, planet and profit.

 

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Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility
255 South Champlain Street, Suite 11
Burlington, Vermont 05401
(802) 862-8347