Vital Communities is a nonprofit working toward a thriving Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont.
We build connections — across the Upper Valley’s nearly 70 different municipalities, and among its many businesses and organizations — to address our shared challenges.
Vital Communities fosters collaboration and innovation among local businesses through its corporate council.
This initiative brings together leading employers and institutions to address shared challenges, such as housing, child care and sustainability.
One such example is Copeland Furniture, which is committed to environmental responsibility. By sourcing sustainably harvested hardwoods from the American Northern Forest within a 500-mile radius, the company reduces its carbon footprint and supports local economies.
Additionally, Copeland uses low-emission finishes and materials to minimize its environmental impact. Their flexible polyurethane foams are made without ozone depleters, harmful flame retardants, heavy metals, formaldehyde and phthalates and are low in volatile organic compounds.
Another council member, Kendal at Hanover, a community of over 400 retirees, recently codified their commitment to achieving carbon neutrality throughout their campus, both in Scope 1 emissions (from sources they own or control) and Scope 2 (from the electricity they purchase). The facility undertook an extensive energy audit that resulted in initiatives including carbon-neutral conversion options for heating and cooling, increasing insulation and air sealing, and adding more EV charging stations.
For nearly a decade, council member Hypertherm Associates has partnered with Casella Waste Systems to divert waste from the landfill. In January 2021, Hypertherm Associates achieved the landmark of sending less than 1% of its waste to landfills. They also invited other businesses from across the region to send materials for reuse and recycling to their facility for consolidation, and Casella has connected them with material buyers and recycling processors for further collaboration and waste reduction efforts.
Partnership with suppliers has been crucial in Hypertherm’s journey to eliminate single-use packaging in their supply chain. With suppliers, they have co-designed packaging solutions that better protect their products, can be reused thousands of times, and fit seamlessly into their assembly processes, resulting in less wasted unpackaging time and avoiding the use of tons of corrugated cardboard, bubble wrap and laminated plastic packaging.
Beyond waste reduction, Hypertherm Associates prioritizes environmental stewardship in its operations and facilities. They use permeable pavement wherever possible and have re-established meadows for pollinator habitat with hives to support the bee population and gather rain from roofs to support their native, low-maintenance landscaping at their LEED Gold Certified manufacturing and office facility. Hypertherm plans to install solar EV charging on-site soon to supplement their existing EV chargers.
“We’re inspired by the work our council members are doing to reduce their carbon footprints and increase sustainability, and we know they inspire each other,” said Sarah Jackson, Vital Communities executive director and a member of the council. “It comes from a connection to this place, its people and future generations.”
Rebecca Bailey is communications manager of Vital Communities, a nonprofit that engages Upper Valley people, organizations and communities to create equitable solutions to region’s challenges. Its 69-municipality service area straddles the Connecticut River between New Hampshire and Vermont. The Sustainability Spotlight is produced monthly for NH Business Review by New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility. To learn more about ways to advance your sustainability, visit NHBSR.org.
