What are Climate Wise Business practices and how can businesses be wise about climate? This Upper Valley Adaptation Workgroup invited local business leaders to discuss how they are mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to climate change by becoming more resilient, and proactively managing risks and leveraging opportunities.
Event Summary
On December 7 Robin Tindall, the Environmental Stewardship Team Leader at Hypertherm and April Harkness, the Environmental, social, and governance Program Manager at Hanover Co-op Food Stores of NH & VT shared how their businesses are addressing climate change and its effects.
Led by the Upper Valley Adaptation Workgroup (UVAW), this forum offered the chance to explore how to make short term decisions that will have long term benefits for your business and community.
The event also included a presentation by Andrew Hatch, the Energy Efficiency Program Manager at Resilient Buildings Group, Inc.. in Concord, NH and Jennifer Severidt, the Customer Engagement Manager at Efficiency Vermont as they walked through services they offer to businesses.
UVAW is a bi-state, multi-stakeholder working group of leaders and partner organizations. Started in December 2011, the workgroup meets monthly to focus on building climate-resilient communities in the Upper Valley. Since 2017, UVAW has been housed at Vital Communities, a nonprofit based in White River Junction, VT, with a mission of bringing people together, bridging boundaries, and engaging our whole Upper Valley community to create positive change. UVAW’s previous public forums have explored such topics as preparing for just and prosperous climate migration, protecting land and wildlife in a changing climate, impacts on farms, managing droughts and downpours, and mobilizing local communities for resilience.
Resources
Presenters
April Harkness Environmental, social, and governance Program Manager at Hanover Co-op Food Stores of NH & VT
Robin Tindall Environmental Stewardship Team Leader at Hypertherm
Andrew Hatch the Energy Efficiency Program Manager at Resilient Buildings Group, Inc.
Jen Severidt Customer Engagement Manager at Efficiency Vermont
Take Action
- Co-op Food Stores: https://coopfoodstore.coop/about-us
- Hypertherm: https://www.hypertherm.com/en-US/about-us/
- Vermont:
- Efficiency Vermont: https://www.efficiencyvermont.com/
- Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility: https://vbsr.org/
- New Hampshire:
- Resilient Buildings Group (NH): http://www.resilientbuildingsgroup.com/
- NHSaves: https://nhsaves.com/
- NH Businesses for Social Responsibility: https://www.nhbsr.org/what-we-do/climate-programs
- Community Power Coalition of NH: https://www.cpcnh.org/
- UNH Sustainability Fellows Program: https://www.unh.edu/sustainability/sustainability-fellowships – Sustainability Fellowships pair exceptional undergraduate students and post-baccalaureates from UNH and universities across the United States with municipal, educational, corporate, and non-profit partners to work on transformative sustainability initiatives. There is a section on this webpage with information about hosting a fellow – projects are typically solicited in the fall for the following summer.
- UNH B Corp Clinic: https://www.unh.edu/sustainability/b-impact-clinic – The B Impact Clinic gathers teams of undergraduate students from many majors and disciplines to serve as consultants for regional companies that are working to complete their B Impact Assessment. Applications from companies are accepted on a rolling basis.