Green Mountain Coffee perks up local energy saving efforts
Toolbox
By Sarah Hinckley Times Argus Staff - Published: October 13, 2008
MONTPELIER – In the midst of a business expansion, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is giving one of its largest local grants to help improve energy efficiency in Vermont.
The coffee company is giving $30,000 to the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network to help residents of participating towns reduce energy use. VECAN is made up of groups formed at the municipal level focused on energy use, savings and efficiency.
"Green Mountain Coffee's community outreach is focused on alleviation of poverty and hunger, reduction of solid waste and responsible energy use," said Jasna Brown, Green Mountain Coffee's domestic outreach coordinator, in a written statement.
"Our partnership with VECAN speaks directly to our social and environmental missions, providing individuals with resources to learn to live more lightly on the land and save money while doing it," Brown added.
Grant funds will be spread among several groups within the VECAN network and a partner of the organization, Vermont Natural Resources Council.
"Every little bit helps and this is going to be a real shot in the arm for VECAN," said Elizabeth Courtney, executive director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council. "Partnering with one of Vermont's premier businesses is a very exciting proposition. We're excited to make that connection. Not only are they a grant entity, but they are going to be working shoulder to shoulder with us on this."
One example of the collaboration will take place on Oct. 16 from 7 – 9 p.m. at 81 Demerritt Place on the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters campus, with the Waterbury LEAP – Local Energy Action Partnership – hosting a Button Up home weatherization workshop.
"We would love to get as many people from as many towns as possible," said Duncan McDougall, chairman of the Waterbury LEAP group, which got its start almost two years ago with help from VECAN. "We just want to help people save money and reduce their energy usage."
The workshop is an example of what the local energy committees are doing in their communities. There will be refreshments and information booths beginning at 6:30 p.m. Then participants can join workshops in which direct solutions for issues in their homes, at no or low cost, will be offered. Instructors and experts will also let attendants know at what point it is necessary to call in professional help to make a home or business more energy efficient, according to McDougall.
More than 50 Vermont towns have initiated energy-saving measures like installing compact fluorescent light bulbs, weatherizing leaky homes and advancing alternative transportation options, according to a Vermont Natural Resources Council statement.
In Waterbury, the LEAP energy committee has distributed 2,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs, arranged for and provided energy audits for local businesses – including the municipal buildings – and conducted energy-efficiency contests in local schools, according to McDougall.
Each year Green Mountain Coffee Roasters takes 5 percent of its pre-tax profits and puts it back into local and coffee-growing communities, according to Michael Dupee, vice president of corporate responsibility for the company.
"This is one of many," he said about the grant, admitting it is one of the largest the company has given.
Choosing to support VECAN made sense for the company, and it helps the whole state work towards reducing energy usage, Dupee added.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has announced two acquisitions in the last two months – a facility in Tennessee and part of a company in Seattle. Growth for the coffee company has been in the double digits for the last few years, according to Dupee. As business expands, so does the amount of grant funds the company can give to local organizations, he added.
Nowadays when you're talking about responsible energy practices or reducing energy use, you're talking about saving money, Dupee said.
"Vermonters are going to be going through the eye of the needle (this winter)," said Courtney. "We want to help as many people as we can. (With this money) we should really be able to get some positive help on the ground."
Contact Sarah Hinckley at sarah.hinckley@timesargus.com.
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