A few weeks ago, the Working Lands Coalition hosted a celebration to honor the ten-year anniversary of the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative – a program dedicated to supporting farm and forest businesses across Vermont. The celebration, held at the State House with food and live music, saw an overflow crowd of founders, friends, and champions…
Sometimes, it’s not about fixing the problem. It’s about changing the conditions that created the problem in the first place. In other words, sometimes changing the underlying system to create a better future. And the eight Vermont Working Communities Challenge (WCC) Teams are doing exactly that kind of systems change work. The Working Communities Challenge…
It’s around this time of year when people start counting the things they are thankful for: family, friends, and health, so today at VCRD we’d like to share the top five reasons that we find ourselves thankful for rural Vermont. Communities Vermont is made up of 252 towns and cities – each with a unique…
At the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD), we are passionate about the importance of local leadership and supporting individuals and their communities to build a positive future for Vermont. Democracy requires that each of us step forward in service to each other. Most of the time, especially in rural communities, local leadership involves a…
