Top Sustainable Companies
in Vermont
When you think of Vermont, what do you picture? Dairy farms, rolling green pastures, farmers hard at work before dawn? Indeed, these are some of the iconic images of Vermont. Today we’d like to share with you our selection of the Top Sustainable Companies in Vermont that are helping to define a sustainable lifestyle.
As the New Year approaches, we hope these sustainable companies will inspire you as they have for us!
There are many more sustainable companies that we may have missed, so if you believe you should be in the Top Sustainable Companies in Vermont, feel free to contact us and we will evaluate your sustainable initiative.
Top Sustainable Companies in Vermont
1) Clean Yield
Clean Yield operates with the belief that virtually every financial transaction has a moral dimension and, often, a social impact. The company helps clients avoid profiting from the exploitation of people and the environment, while working with clients and their capital to press for a healthier, more sustainable society.
We consider Clean Yield to be one of the Top Sustainable Companies in Vermont because, similar to us, they seek to make sure every step of a company’s business development will make a positive impact on the environment and society.
2) Ben & Jerry’s
Ben & Jerry’s produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream and ice cream novelties, using high-quality ingredients including milk and cream from family farmers who do not treat their cows with the synthetic hormone rBGH.
They have also implemented Caring Dairy™ in their operations. This is a unique program that’s helping farmers move toward more sustainable practices on the farm.
The eggs purchased for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream come from hens on Certified Humane care-free farms. Certified Humane cage-free standards ensure that laying hens have wholesome, nutritious food, access to clean water, and adequate space to engage in normal behaviours, among other criteria crafted by veterinary professionals.
Ben & Jerry’s also supports Fairtrade, a worldwide movement working to ensure that small-scale farmers in developing nations can make it in the ultra-competitive global marketplace.
The list of their sustainable practices goes on!
It’s obvious why we chose to feature Ben & Jerry’s in our selection of the Top Sustainable Companies in Vermont. This is a company that demonstrates how to treat your sweet tooth, as well as the rest of the world!
3) Cabot Creamery Cooperative
Photo Credit:https://www.cabotcheese.coop/richardson-family-farm
Cabot Creamery, founded in 1919, has its roots in Cabot, Vermont. As employers and dairy farmers, they still honour the frugal values of those bygone times.
They hold to generations of family traditions while adopting new best practices, advancing public agriculture policy and driving sustainable innovations to benefit the land, improve animal care and enrich communities on behalf of their families and consumers. And they’re part of a rare remaining breed of dairy manufacturers in the Northeast that are locally owned and operated.
With the launch of their committed sustainability journey, today they assess their impact on the land and on their communities from cow to creamery to consumer, managing, measuring and reporting according to the best practice principles of Context Based Sustainability. For the present and into the future, they are working to enrich the legacy of their farms, their families and their communities by living within their means while ensuring the means to live.
4) Seventh Generation
As Seventh Generation is a leading brand of green household and personal care products, it was only fitting to include them in our selection of the Top Sustainable Companies in Vermont. Established in 1988, the Burlington, Vermont based company remains an independent, privately-held company distributing products to natural food stores, su- permarkets, mass merchants, and online retailers across the United States and Canada.
They are also the ones behind the ComeClean Campaign. A campaign that promotes support the Cleaning Product Right to Know Act (H.R. 5205), which requires manufacturers of both consumer household and industrial cleaning products to disclose all intentionally-added ingredients on their product labels and websites.
“Every day is a new opportunity to care for the next seven generations. One of the best ways we can all do that is by protecting and caring for the environment and natural resources all around us.”
5) Green Mountain Power
Green Mountain Power is committed to their community and the environment, as they transform into Vermont’s Energy Company of the Future to provide their customers with energy efficient products and services to help them save money by using less energy, thus creating a more sustainable lifestyle.
GMP is at the forefront of a new energy system for Vermont that can improve lives, reduce costs, and be produced in a more environmentally and economically sustainable way. They are part of the movement that is transitioning citizens from the traditional grid of the past, to one that is more resilient and reliable. Through the use of a series of microgrids that use renewable and generate clean energy, they are providing innovative energy storage solutions. This work will empower their customers and increase their comfort in all Vermont seasons while fostering healthier, stronger and sustainable communities in Vermont.
With the creation of their Renewable Education Centre, Green Mountain Power is equally devoted to educating consumers, teachers, students, and others who are interested in energy innovation. The Renewable Education Center is an outdoor education centre featuring a fully functional 50 kilowatt solar farm, wind testing tower, educational signs, and a 2 megawatt hydro station.
6) SunCommon
SunCommon believes that everyone has the right to a healthy environment and safer world — and clean energy is where it starts. Energy from the sun can power lives, heat homes and fuel cars. Their mission is to tear down the barriers to renewable energy. They do that by making it easy and affordable for all Vermonters to go solar, making them one of the Top Sustainable Companies in Vermont.
Reliance on fossils fuels has had devastating impacts on the environment and threatens the ability of our planet to sustain us. The need to move beyond these dirty sources of energy and actively embrace sustainable practices is the driving force behind SunCommon’s mission. SunCommon understands that the switch to renewable energy must be made and that homeowners, businesses and towns can help lead the way.
This is why SunCommon is dedicated to making the transition to solar power easy and affordable. In addition, SunCommon seeks to challenge the profit-maximizing ethos that characterizes so many corporations today. Instead, the company is committed to doing business in a way that honours their workers, customers, and the environment.
This commitment is reflected in every decision the company makes including the net-zero office building in which they work, the hybrid and electric vehicles they drive, and the high-quality green jobs that they provide.
7) Sustain
Sustain is the one of the first sustainable, Fair Trade certified brand of condoms marketed first and foremost to women that we have discovered. Started by Jeffrey Hollender, the founder of Seventh Generation, the leading brand of eco-friendly household and personal care products, and his daughter Meika Hollender, Sustain is here to revolutionize the condom industry by providing women with an alternative to mass condom brands.
Sustain condoms contain no detectable levels of Nitrosamines, a carcinogenic chemical found in most condoms sold in the U.S. They’re also vegan, GMO-free and not tested on animals. Sustain’s latex comes from a Fair Trade Certified, environmentally sustainable rubber tree plantation on the planet – meaning the health of the soil and biodiversity of the land are as safe as the people who work it. Beyond banning child labor and paying reasonable wages, the plantation provides education and healthcare to the entire community.
All this, and it appeals to women, too, who purchase about 40 percent of the condoms in the US. With modern and clean packaging and a voice and tone that speak to women and the issues they care about, Sustain looks and feels nothing like what’s on the market today. Sustain is all about responsibility – not just personal, but corporate. Through their 10 Percent for Women program, ten percent of profits are distributed to organizations that provide reproductive healthcare and family planning services to low income women in the US.
Next Up: Top 15 Sustainable Initiatives in Maine
8) LineSynch Architecture
LineSync Architecture integrates art and responsible technology into inspired spaces through integrity in service, quality and imaginative design. As stewards of the built environment, the LineSync Architecture Team is committed to honesty, community and FUN. LineSync Architecture demonstrate that they are deeply commitment to creating positive change in the community and the environment through their work.
They embrace the mission to “do good” in all things they do, put customers first, and seek to make Vermont and the world a healthier place to live. By simply watching their video, you will quickly understand why their are one of our Top Sustainable Companies in Vermont!
9) Rutland Area Farm & Food Link
Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (RAFFL) is a non-profit organization that provides farmer services, cooking workshops and learning,gleaning, an on-line local foods market and the Locally Grown Guide, a resource to local farms and food. They coordinate the Rutland Herald’s weekly Harvest Watch and chat about local farm and food happenings on Thursday mornings on 94.5 The Drive.
This is a great sustainable initiative that we are thrilled to have discovered. It’s great to see that a local harvests is being promoted throughout Vermont, especially considering its rich history in agriculture!
10) The Gleanery
Since the fall of 2012, the Gleanery has put another great sustainable initiative to the farm to plate concept— know your farmers… and your artisans. From the food to the dishware, to the actual table showcasing the culinary creations, the local effort behind each article is of equal importance.
The Gleanery is a restaurant in the heart of Putney, Vermont that we hope to visit one day. With a primary focus on utilizing local ingredients that are available through a strong network of local farmers and producers, they serve locally-sourced food.
And there you have it! L’Autre Couleur’s Top Sustainable Companies in Vermont!
L’Autre Couleur is a socially conscious content marketing & design agency that represents companies making a difference in social good & sustainability. We offer end-to-end full service in digital marketing services, ranging from content writing & web design, to social media and campaign management. To work with us on content writing or digital marketing projects, feel free to contact us.
This was the 2st post in the Top Sustainable Companies series; one for every State in the United States. By the end of 2016 you can expect a Top Sustainable Companies article for every State in the United States! To stay updated on the up and coming initiatives, subscribe to our monthly newsletter and like us on Facebook. Also please comment if we have left out any important sustainable companies in Vermont that you believe should be part of the top sustainable companies, or if you have any thoughts/ comments on the article.
Check out some of the sustainable companies happening in your neighbouring country:
- Top 15 Sustainable Initiatives in Nova Scotia
- New Brunswick’s Top 15 Sustainable Initiatives
- Top 15 Sustainable Initiatives in Ontario
- Top Sustainable Companies in Maine
- Top Sustainable Companies in New Hampshire
Sincerely,
L’Autre Couleur
