VITAL COMMUNITIES
Upper Valley Corporate Energy Work Group
Corporate Energy Group
Vital Communities’ Corporate Energy Group meets throughout the year to discuss common energy issues among the Upper Valley’s largest employers. This group of business and institutional facilities managers and sustainability directors works to share best practices and collaborate on projects to increase energy efficiency, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and address overall sustainability.
The commercial sector accounts for nearly 2/3 of the energy used in the Upper Valley. However the businesses and institutions in the Upper Valley are doing a lot of innovative work to address their energy use and carbon footprints. To read a carbon emissions report of select Upper Valley businesses and institutions generated by Tuck School of Business Professor Anant Sunadaram, please read here.To get your business or institution involved, contact sarah@vitalcommunities.org.
Resources for Small Businesses
Rebates, Incentives, and Support
New Hampshire: NHsaves.com/Save-Work
Vermont: EfficiencyVermont.com
What local businesses and institutions are doing to address their energy needs:
Adimab is improving its heat recovery systems to help increase energy efficiency, while meeting the company’s current energy demands.
Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital recently changed out 7 Metal Halide lights to LED’s in their Medical Office Building parking lot. The total watts dropped from 2,545 to 740. They will be changing more as they progress with the hospital renovation and construction of their new medical office building.
Co-Op Food Stores is actively engaged in pursuing energy efficiency projects, such as reducing refrigerant leaks, as well as working to become reliant on local green energy.
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center In 2014, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) converted their boilers from #6 Fuel Oil, one of the dirtiest fossil fuels, to Compressed Natural Gas. This conversion reduced fine particulate emissions, which pose the greatest health risks, by about 96%, sulfur dioxide emissions by over 99%, nitrous oxide emissions by about 75%, and carbon dioxide emissions by about 30%. DHMC has been installing electric vehicle charging stations for staff and visitor use, and is starting a large parking lot lighting retrofit to LEDs. We are also exploring opportunities to install solar on the DHMC campus.
Dartmouth Printing Company is currently converting the entire facility over to highly efficient LED lighting as well as planning to replace two aging HVAC units with more efficient models.
Downs Rachlin Martin conducted a comprehensive energy audit to target energy efficiency projects and work to adhere to LEED standards. They also are supporters of local energy and are working to approve the proposed Springfield, VT biomass project.
Hypertherm established an energy working group to set & measure kilowatt hour saving goals, and set up an incentive program to encourage employees to use transit and carpool.
Kendal at Hanover engages staff and residents in education and communication about energy usage, and encourage simple steps to change, such as powering the thermostat down by 1 degree and carpooling. Kendal is also a contributor to the efforts of the Town of Hanover to achieve the EPA Green Power Community Status, with Hanover ranking #19 in the nation in percentage of power consumed that is green.
King Arthur Flour recently conducted energy efficiency and retrofit projects such as recycling waste heat from their bakery to meet their current energy needs and keep money local.
Kleen Laundry recently transitioned to Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) from propane for operations.
Resources Systems Group engages in energy & transportation efficiency related consulting work. RSG actively seeks office locations in LEED certified buildings and near transit lines.
Timken Lebanon is auditing high energy assets to look for opportunities for savings, idle versa total shut down. Timken has completed a study with the compressors and is currently exploring heat treat. Working with a local vendor on a potential LED light project, they are also using their new control package to schedule HVAC units for vacation mode during the off hours and weekends.
Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission has been providing professional planning assistance to municipal boards since 1963. Our current staff’s areas of expertise include comprehensive planning, land use regulations, transportation planning, natural resource inventories, community/economic development, community engagement, energy planning, and hazard mitigation planning. The Commission provides technical assistance to its constituent communities to address energy planning and policies to increase energy efficiency and expand renewable energy opportunities.
What's Happening
Seeking Bids from Solar Installers by Nov. 30
Vital Communities is teaming up with Kearsarge Climate Action to launch a Solarize Kearsarge campaign in spring 2019, following on the tails of the up [...]
Lebanon Area Businesses – Join us on Sept. 27
So many small businesses in the Upper Valley are burdened with high energy costs. And not enough time to do anything about it!
We've got some g [...]
Get Stoked on Automated Wood Heat!
Boiler on its last legs? Looking to opt out of fossil fuels? Come learn about today's self-stoking automated wood heat! Opt out of oil with delivery o [...]
Weatherize Events in January
Weatherize Round Two kicks off this month across the Upper Valley region.
What is Weatherize?
Vital Communities partners community volunteer te [...]
Green Real Estate Network Kick Off
Working together to empower home buyers and sellers throughout the Upper Valley to understand home energy costs and invest in energy efficiency.
O [...]
Plug-In to Electric Vehicles at the Upper Valley Electric Vehicle Expo
Plug-In to Electric Vehicles at the Upper Valley Electric Vehicle Expo
Vital Communities, Upper Valley Sierra Club, and volunteers from several Upp [...]
Solar Expo in Lebanon 4/1
Solar Installers Expo
Hosted by the Plainfield, Cornish, Lebanon, and Enfield Energy Committees
Saturday, April 1 at 2 pm
Kilton Library at 80 Ma [...]
Why Weatherize?
Many thanks to our friends at CATV and Emily Gardner for helping our Hartford Weatherize volunteer team film this hilarious video explaining why YOU s [...]
FREE Button Up Workshop in Lebanon Oct. 19
FREE Button Up Workshop
Wednesday, October 19
6-6:30 pm Refreshments, gathering
6:30-7:45 pm Presentation
7:45-8:15 pm Q&A
Kilton [...]
Aug. 23 – Energy Independence Seminar
Would you like to be energy independent? Join Alan Johnson and Steve Spatz to learn how to reduce the energy use in your home or business.
Tuesday [...]
Vital Communities Program News
Flavors of the Valley - Call for Vendors!
Vend at Flavors of the Valley! Registration is open for the 18th annual Flavors of the Valley, the Upper Valley’s premier local food tasting expo. With 50+ vendors and more than 1000 attendees, Flavors is a valuable marketing opportunity for ...more
Flavors of the Valley 2019 - Call for Vendors!
Vend at Flavors of the Valley! Registration is open for the 18th annual Flavors of the Valley, the Upper Valley’s premier local food tasting expo. With 50+ vendors and more than 1000 attendees, Flavors is a valuable marketing opportunity for ...more
Apply for a Farm to School Mini-Grant!
We are excited to announce the 2019 mini-grant program from Vital Communities' Upper Valley Farm to School Network! Funding is available to both Vermont and New Hampshire schools. Start dreaming up your farm-to-school projects—we want ...more
Thinking Local First
Shop or Buy Local First is a common call to action. The threat to local businesses with competition from online commerce is real and growing, so it is important to patronize local businesses if we ...more
Get your bike, boots, or shoes ready!
Get your bike, boots, or shoes ready! From our friends at Local Motion comes the Winter Edition of Vermont's Bike-Walk Challenge, February 1 to 8! Simply record two bike or walk commutes in the Go! Vermont app ...more
The Housing Shortage Affects All of Us
It is no secret that there is a shortage of homes to buy or rent in the Upper Valley. That shortage affects all of us. Read more in this Valley News op-ed from Vital Communities' Corporate ...more
Food Hub Forum for Farmers February 6!
Join Vital Communities and Food Connects Wednesday February 6 from 4-6 pm at Piecemeal Pie in White River Junction for a forum to learn about how you can expand your market access with a food hub. This forum is free ...more
Join Vital Communities at Northern Stage!
Looking for a fun way to spend a January evening? Join Vital Communities for a pre-show reception at Northern Stage on January 31 from 5:30 to 6:30pm in advance of Venus Rising. Local playwright Marisa ...more
Local First Members Give Back!
Locally owned businesses are rooted in the Upper Valley and donate time and money to the community every month of the year as they support nonprofits, schools, and communities. Keep your dollars where your heart and support ...more
Think Local First & SAVE this Season!
Local and independent businesses bring value to our communities in many ways: preserving community character, creating stable jobs, supporting area organizations and nonprofits, and strengthening our local economy by keeping our dollars in the Upper ...more
Thank you, Ben!
This summer we had the privilege of working with Ben Fletcher, pictured second from left. Ben brought an incredibly well suited array of skills to Vital Communities and was a boon to the Valley Quest ...more
Donuts & Hogwarts: A Transit Travel Training Case Study
One thing a group of Millennial cartoonists doesn’t need is help using a smartphone app – especially an intuitive one that shows the real-time location of buses in the rural transit system, Advance Transit. No, ...more
Bird and Quest
The Vermont Center for Ecostudies lists 382 species of bird that occur in Vermont, whether year-long resident or migratory visitor. The VCE’s Vermont Atlas of Life citizen science operation has recorded sightings of 332 of ...more
Subbasin Spotlight!
This year's Aquatic Adventure Super Quest showcases the 5 subbasins that make up the Upper Connecticut River Valley, or, more fondly, the Upper Valley. A subbasin is a term used to describe a watershed within a ...more
A Lot Lighter with More Hands: Leadership Upper Valley
On the bright, sunny morning of June 13, Cobb Hill was waking up, and the soon-to-be graduating 2018 Leadership Upper Valley class was just arriving for their final meeting. Before the ceremony at Harpoon Brewery, ...more
Buses are FREE Thursday for Dump the Pump Day!
Join people around the Upper Valley and nationwide and take the bus Thursday, June 21 for the 13th annual Dump the Pump Day. Stagecoach and Connecticut River Transit ("The Current") will be FARE-FREE. And Advance Transit ...more
Longevity & Commitment: Keynote Remarks from Heroes & Leaders 2018
Editor's Note: Many thanks to Kevin Peterson, Director of Economic Development for the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, who offered the keynote speech at our May 3 Heroes & Leaders celebration. Read his complete remarks ...more
Long-Standing Stewards: Heroes & Leaders 2018
Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts a Heroes & Leaders celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the greater Upper Valley region. This year, Heroes & Leaders is ...more
Staff
Paige Heverly
Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator
Transportation, Energy
Transportation, Energy
— Paige Heverly, Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator
Paige Heverly joined Vital Communities in 2017 as the Energy and Transportation Project Coordinator. Hailing from the suburbs of Philadelphia, she moved to Vermont in 2011 and earned a joint BA in Renewable Energy and Ecological Design and Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College. After completing her Master of Energy Regulation and Law from Vermont Law School, Paige worked in energy efficiency consulting in Portland, Oregon. Her love of local food systems, the White River, and the Green Mountains brought her back to the Upper Valley to work on regional issues with localized solutions. Paige is passionate about closing ecological loops and treating waste as food. In her free time, she enjoys baking homemade English muffins, weeding her garden, and writing letters to her pen pals.
Sarah Brock
Energy Program Manager
Energy
Energy
— Sarah Brock, Energy Program Manager
Sarah Brock joined Vital Communities in 2013 as our Energy Program Manager. Through her work Sarah provides support for our region’s 40+ local energy committees, engaging with dozens of volunteers and clean energy businesses in programs like Solarize Upper Valley, Weatherize Upper Valley, and the Upper Valley Green Real Estate Network. Prior to joining the Vital Communities team, Sarah was an Environmental Philanthropy Associate with the High Meadows Fund, a supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation. Sarah now lives in Warner, New Hampshire, with her husband Zach and her chickens. When she's not busy advocating for energy efficiency, Sarah enjoys playing the trombone and taking walks in her backwoods to look for signs of New Hampshire's abundant wildlife.