VBSR Member News Round Up – 5-22-24

Vermont Arts Council: Learn more about Vermont Arts Council-supported public art projects around Vermont and plan your next trip to experience them with their new interactive map. Find public installations of sculpture, visual art, kinetic art, and more across Vermont and get directions to them with a single click. Public art enhances the built environment, creates social connections, sparks economic investment, builds a distinctive sense of place, and supports cultural tourism. It can be a key attribute in making communities healthier and more vibrant. Learn more here. [Pictured above: The Brattleboro Transportation Center's "Ask the River" kinetic sculpture is one of the public arts projects around Vermont that's featured in the Vermont Arts Council's new interactive map. (Photo montage courtesy of Ask the River)]

VSECU/NEFCU: Champion Member VSECU/NEFCU is offering free Financial Education Programming today and tomorrow. These courses are related to healthcare (Medicare) and women investors. Learning with VSECU/NEFCU can give a deeper understanding of financial issues, empowering attendees to make better decisions on money matters and increase self-reliance. VSECU/NEFCU and their partners are committed to members and community education. Learn more here.

SunCommon: Champion Member SunCommon's Climate Action Film Festival is returning for its 5th year with a screening in Burlington, VT, at Main Street Landing on May 29. This is a by donation, “pay what you can” event to support local climate action. 100% of ticket donations will go to 350 Vermont. The Festival returns to the big screen with a brand-new selection of inspiring short films from around the world. The 90-minute program will be followed by refreshments and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream with opportunities to get to know local climate action groups. Learn more here.

Vermont Professionals of Color Network (VT PoC): The global pandemic threw into light the disparate health treatments and outcomes of marginalized communities nationwide. In an effort to counteract that, the Vermont Professionals of Color Network helped to create the Vermont Health Equity Initiative in the spring of 2021, to promote Covid vaccine clinics for Black people, Indigenous people and people of color, giving them a chance to get to the head of the line. Fast-forward to 2024 and, by impacting BIPOC vaccination rates, those efforts play a part in a storytelling project by Clemmons Family Farm capturing the range of reactions of Black and African American Vermonters during the early rollout of the vaccine. The “Beneath Our Skin” exhibit opened last month and is now on display across the state and online. Learn more here.

Evernorth: The Windsor community recently celebrated the groundbreaking of Central and Main Apartments. Co-owners and co-developers, Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT) and VBSR member Evernorth partnered to develop 25 newly constructed, highly energy-efficient, and permanently affordable apartments on Main Street in the heart of the Designated Downtown. Evernorth President and Co-Founder, Nancy Owens said, “Like investments made in roads, sewers, schools and municipal buildings, this housing will remain in Windsor to serve the community as a valuable resource you can rely on.” Learn more here.

Adventure Dinner, Hotel Vermont, Kestrel Coffee Roasters: Adventure Dinner, the Colchester-based catering company that organizes events promoting Vermont farms and small businesses wants to play golf with you this weekend – mini golf…in the streets of Burlington. It’s all part of showing off the Burlington community and letting participants get to know local and small businesses, including VBSR members Hotel Vermont and Kestrel Coffee Roasters. Learn more here.

Vermont Energy Education Program (VEEP): Rally for the Planet, organized by the VT Youth Lobby (a group of high schoolers from across the state advocating for climate-friendly policies), is taking place tomorrow, May 23, at Montpelier High School and the State House. VBSR member VEEP is Youth Lobby's fiscal sponsor – and the students have also designated a VEEP staff member as their adult advisor. The future has a voice and you can be a part of it like VEEP! Learn more here.

Solaflect Energy: Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, has installed an off-grid solar tracker EV charging station for its employees. It is part of the college’s efforts to make their transportation systems more sustainable and was made possible by VBSR member Solaflect Energy. The system’s 6-ton concrete foundation sits directly on parking lot lines, so it doesn’t take up any parking spaces and provides enough ground clearance for unimpeded traffic flow. Designed for climate resilience, it sheds snow quickly, stows flat in high winds, and sits high enough to avoid flooding. Learn more here.