Hello! My name is Liam, and I have recently joined the Health & Wellness Education team as the new Alcohol and Other Drug Education Specialist. I have completed a B.S. in public health studies and a M.S. in applied gerontology, both at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. While on campus, I worked as a peer educator in the alcohol and other drug education and prevention program and the collegiate recovery community. I was also active as an executive member of the student programming board. I am excited to become part of the Middcommunity, and I hope to continue to advance accessible and inclusive programming that can best serve all students. Where I to find me: I am more than likely eating ice cream in Vergennes! 

Hello! My name is Crystal Jones (She/Her/Hers), and I am overjoyed to be here at Middlebury! As of July 1^st, I am the new Assistant Director of Education for Equity & Inclusion. I am looking forward to engaging with and having critical conversations with the Middlebury community.

I am originally from the Midwest (shoutout to my Midwest folks!) where I attended Illinois State University (ISU) and earned a Bachelor of Science in General Biology degree and just graduated and with a Master of Science in College Student Personnel Administration degree. I have had the pleasure of working in a variety of areas in higher education during my time at ISU such as academic advising, academic and tutoring services, pre-health advising, advising an affinity student organization, programming, and helping build the foundations of a new Multicultural Center. As a lifelong learner, I plan on not only bringing my past experiences with me, but my readiness to learn more to this position.

When I am not at work you can find me at trivia on Thursdays at the Marquis, probably reading a YA fantasy book, enjoying reality competition shows, and looking to meet new people! Fun fact: I played quidditch at ISU, so being here at Middlebury (where the first quidditch team in the US was created) feels a little like fate!  

Dining Services is holding a Job Fair for all who may be interested in dining employment at Middlebury College! Encourage your friends and family to come talk with us:

58 Hepburn Road
Middlebury, VT 05753
July 30, 2021 4-6pm
July 31, 2021 10am-12pm

Masks and social distancing required. Vaccines are a condition of employment here on campus.

As many know, there is a nationwide and statewide shortage of workers, especially in the service industry. Our employees in dining and facilities services in Vermont have been working in the midst of a significant staffing shortage brought on by the low unemployment rate and the pandemic. As a result, there are numerous vacant benefits-eligible positions in these areas. To help address those needs, Middlebury is implementing a number of programs focused on recruitment of staff in these areas.

Effective immediately, all employees who refer a candidate to a benefits eligible dining or facilities services positions will be eligible for a $500 referral bonus after the new hire completes their 90-day provisional period. In addition, new hires into regular full- and part-time positions in dining and facilities will be eligible for a $750 sign-on bonus at the completion of 180 days of employment.

For a full list of open positions, visit:  Employment | Middlebury.  When applying on-line, applicants will be prompted to include any relevant employee referral information.  The time has never been better to build a future here!

Contact hr@middlebury.edu with any questions.

Middlebury College has partnered with Addison County Community Trust (ACCT) to assess the demand for affordable housing projects in the county. 

Thanks to all who have participated and submitted responses! If you have not already, please join us in participating in this survey to help the College and other employers and policy makers better understand the housing situation and affordable housing needs in the region. Completing this survey will help ACCT better serve the needs of the community in the future.

This anonymous link is being sent to college employees, and no personally identifying information will be collected with your response. The survey will take 5-10 minutes to complete.

LINK: ACCT Housing Survey – College

Or scan this QR Code:

Please complete by Monday, August 9^th.

The College will hold a copy of our anonymous employee responses to help us better understand how the area housing situation affects our employees. The data collected from College employees will be provided to ACCT, and ACCT will publish a community-wide summary report.

ACCT is sponsoring a raffle to win a $50 gift card at the end. There is a separate process for providing your contact information for the raffle and this will not be accessible by the College. 

Thank so much in advance for your participation.

The climate crisis has arrived and even though it is unevenly distributed, it affects all of us, some more inequitably than others. As homeowners or renters, individuals can take action to help address this problem – and reap benefits for themselves, by using renewable energy and reducing their energy consumption.

Middlebury College’s Energy2028 commitment sets several goals for the campus: 100% renewable energy sourcing, cutting energy use by 25%, divesting the endowment from fossil fuels, and weaving these initiatives into our educational mission. Meeting those goals helps address the climate crisis by reducing carbon emissions and other harmful air pollution (which tends to impact low-income communities more than others), cut our energy bills, signal our support for a non-fossil fuel-based economy, and better prepares our students to take on the big challenge of climate change.

Homeowners, landlords and renters can also join in this ambitious initiative by focusing on their own energy footprint and how they spend and invest their dollars. Here are a number of ways that can be accomplished.

100% Renewable Energy – Electricity

Homeowners and landlords on behalf of their renters can take advantage of a number of solar power financial incentives from sales tax exemptions to sizable federal tax credits. There are also net metering provisions that allow homeowners to “bank” any excess renewable electricity generation and use them during times when the amount of solar electricity generated is lower than what is being consumed.

Solar project developers offer a range of financing options from outright purchase to long-term leasing. In general, solar electricity can save users a significant amount of money over the long term (around 20 years). Outright purchase tends to be more advantageous but requires up-front capital that may not be available. Lease options tend to make owning solar electricity much more affordable on a monthly basis and avoids the up-front capital costs.

If your roof or site is not suitable for solar you can still benefit by participating in community based solar projects. These are projects that site larger solar arrays on someone else’s land and then sell shares in the system. Buyers can purchase shares equal to their average electricity consumption and use those shares to substitute for the electricity they use at their house.

In the greater Middlebury area, the Acorn Renewable Energy Co-op of Middlebury is developing a new community solar project open to any Vermont resident with a Green Mountain Power electric meter. The project has received its permits and will be located on the capped landfill in Bristol.  Financing at advantageous rates is available to qualified borrowers through the National Bank of Middlebury.

The Vermont Energy Action Network also maintain an energy dashboard that has abundant information and resources to help renters and homeowners find solutions for their individual circumstances. You can find other community solar projects there as well. The Vermont Public Service Board provides a good selection of solar energy related resources too.

100% Renewable Energy – Heating

Many Vermonters already heat their homes with renewable energy in the form of wood or wood pellets. Vermont’s forests are pretty well managed overall and are generally harvested at rates below their annual net growth which helps assure this is a renewable, low-carbon, and very local energy source. You can get a good sense of the status of Vermont’s forests here. As long as Vermont’s forests are growing faster than they are being harvested, using wood can also help reduce carbon emissions as the carbon emitted by wood burning is more quickly reabsorbed by forests than fossil fuels which took hundreds of millions of years to be turned into oil and gas deep below the land surface.

Common fossil fuel heating sources in Vermont are #2 fuel oil, propane, and natural gas. These all contribute significant carbon emissions and are transported much further and go through many more processing stages than wood does in general, i.e, they require more energy to get to your doorstep than wood does. If you are not able to switch to wood for heating, look into the feasibility of an air source heat pump which runs on electricity. These heating systems have become very efficient and can produce enough heat for most residential uses down to around 0 degrees Fahrenheit. If your residence is well-insulated, a back-up source of heat for below zero times may not be needed.

Check with your electricity provider for incentive programs to help households afford a heat pump. Lower income households may also receive additional rebates or other benefits. If you own or rent a mobile or modular home, or are considering purchasing one take a look at a net-zero model like ones made by Vermod or other manufacturers.

If neither wood or a heat pump is a good choice for you and your furnace is old (15 years or more) consider replacing it with a new one, most of which are far more efficient at turning fuel into heat. The difference can be on the order of 20 to 25% better which means significantly lower heating bills and a faster return on the cost of a new furnace. Check with Efficiency Vermont and your fuel supply company to see if they offer any incentives for furnace upgrades.

Energy Conservation and Efficiency

The best form of energy from an environmental, economic, and social justice perspective is energy not used. The less you use, the smaller the impacts associated with energy production: fewer trees cut down, fewer wells drilled in sensitive areas, less pollution emitting stacks at fuel refineries threatening the health of nearby residents, less mining for rare earth minerals to make solar panels and components, fewer acres of land flooded to generate hydroelectricity and so on.

A good first step is to have an energy audit done to generate a custom list of energy efficiency and conservation measures and costs for your space, and what difference they can make in usage and utility bills. Whether you are a homeowner or a landlord this can provide a roadmap to greater savings and better comfort for occupants. For older buildings payback on investment can be very quick. There are numerous incentives available to help cover the cost of an audit and in some cases you can have the cost of the audit credited back if you undertake some of the conservation/efficiency measures identified by the audit. If you are feeling handy Efficiency Vermont can provide phone consultations to help you get started. More information about that and/or hiring a contractor is here. Also consult your utility company. Burlington Electric Department, Green Mountain Power, Vermont Gas Systems and Vermont Electric Cooperative all offer programs and incentives for their customers.

If you are in the market for a new mobile or modular home take a look at the option of zero-energy ready modular homes available at Vermod. Many mobile home manufacturers offer high performance energy features in their product lines as well. Look for EnergyStar certified products to assure high performance in any new home whether mobile, modular or new construction on site, including apartment buildings.

Whether you rent or own, there are numerous energy saving changes that you can make to reduce demand and lower the costs of heating or electricity where you live and that you can do yourself. Here are a few places to get started:

For Renters (and Homeowners too):

Energy Star Top 10 Tips for Renters

Tips for Renters and Rental Property Owners

13 Tips for Apartment Renters to Save Energy

For Vermonters

Vermont Energy Dashboard Resources

Investing in Fossil Free Funds

Another way individuals can have a positive influence on addressing the climate crisis is by choosing to invest any extra funds or allocate retirement contributions to funds that explicitly exclude investment in companies that are in the fossil fuel business. You’ll be joining a large number of investors who have already done so, nearly 15 trillion dollars to date, including Middlebury College. If you are looking for a place to start here is a helpful resource to help you choose investments that fit your needs and circumstances. Voting with your pocketbook sends a powerful message to corporations and investment managers that you care and want a speedy transition to a fossil-free economy.

All of the above options and choices are good first steps. Start with one that seems most appropriate for your situation and use your success to take the next. Your shift to renewable energy and/or a more efficient use of energy in your living space, or where you invest any savings does make a difference. Telling your family and friends about what you’ve done can help leverage your impact into a larger, collective impact – which is how change at a greater scale happens. Addressing the climate crisis requires us all to do everything we can. Your actions matter!

The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.

―  Barack Obama

It’s World Breastfeeding Week!  Since 1992, the first week of August has been celebrated as World Breastfeeding Week.  Breastfeeding is not only good for babies but it’s good for families, communities, and the environment and it’s important that we all do our part to support breastfeeding.  The GMHEC schools certainly do.  Champlain College, Middlebury College and St. Michael’s College have all been recognized as “Breastfeeding Friendly” by the State of Vermont.  This means that each of these schools have policies in place to support a woman’s choice to breastfeed, allow use of flexible time and breaks for expressing breastmilk and provide a clean, private space (that is not a bathroom) for breastfeeding or expressing milk.   Learn more here about how breastfeeding is a shared responsibility and about the resources available to our Cigna members including counseling and supports and breast pump rentals.  

Registration is now open for the annual Vermont Corporate Cup Challenge.  Grab a couple of teammates and join the fun at this year’s virtual race. Click here to find out more about this year’s event.  To register, you must have a team of three.  To register to your team, please complete this google registration form no later than 5:00 pm EST on Friday, September 3rd as that will ensure that we have adequate time to get everyone registered, submit the payment and make sure all racers receive their race packets prior to the in-person event.  Get ready, get set, and have fun!

Are you ready to get off the “on again, off again” diet rollercoaster?  Would you like to finally make peace with food and your body?  Are you interested in becoming empowered to use your own body’s wisdom to guide your food choices?  If so, then you may be interested in a four- week IntuitiveEating program.  This group will be led by Amy Sercel, the Anti-Diet Dietitian, Kate Morris, Clinical Social Worker and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and Lizzy Pope, Associate Professor of Nutrition and Food Sciences at UVM.  This program will be offered in September, date, and time to be determined based on participant interest.  If you think you might be interested in joining this group, please contact Rebecca Schubert at Rebecca.schubert@gmhec.org no later than Friday, August 27^th.  We must have a minimum of twelve participants to offer this program.

Beth’s Weekly Intention Setting: One of the best ways to gain control of your time & energy is to set an intention. Setting and living your intentions allows you to focus on who you are in the moment, to recognize and live your values, and to raise your emotional energy, which in turn raises your physical energy. Join Beth Umba, yoga, and meditation instructor as she guides you through a powerful session to help you set an intention that will move you into your day with focus and energy.   Monday’s 7:30-8:00 am EST.  Zoom Meeting ID: 510 1754836

Strength & Core with Kim:  Join Kim Jacobs, ACE Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor for a 45-minute total body strength training class using hand weights and resistance bands in the comfort and safety of your home. Just two sessions per week, performed consistently will increase your strength, support your joints, and increase your flexibility. We emphasize functional strength exercises to improve your movement in life. Our core strength and stretching helps to prevent and rehab back pain. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  7:15-8:00 am EST.  Free.  To sign up for this class email Kim at kim@bfitvt.com

How to Lead with Intention & Influence: Leadership is defined as having the ability to positively influence others. How you lead your life, your health, your teams, your community, your family–it’s all part of your ability to lead others. Join Positive Psychology Practitioner Kate Siano and Mindset Master Coach Liz Nicklas as they explain the science of positive psychology and well-being, the neuroscience of mindset, and how a possibility mindset could be the secret to leadership. They will explore evidence-based mindfulness practices that are easy to implement, can cut down on stress, and can help individuals lead with intention and influence, creating an environment for their organizations to flourish.  Brough to you by the team from WellRight.  Wednesday, August 11^th 1:00-2:00 pm EST.  Register here.  

Promoting Your Income & Assets: n this class, we explain why you might need insurance policies, and we review five common forms of insurance. Our goal is that you will feel better equipped to assess the coverage appropriate for your needs. We’ll also discuss typical qualifications required by the different types of insurances, as well as tax considerations. Lastly, we share some tips for shopping around and getting the best price.  This event is brought to you by the team from MySecureAdvantage.  Tuesday, August 10^th.  Noon-1:00 pm or 3:00-4:00 pm EST.  Click here to register.