Source: Burlington FreePress, 6/7/11, by Joel Banner Baird “Burlington-based nonprofit Smart Growth Vermont has merged with the much larger, longer-established Vermont Natural Resources Council, leaders of both groups announced today in Montpelier. As the smaller group dissolves, its planning advocacy and outreach will be folded into the VNRC’s Sustainable Communities Program — and will benefit from fundraising and staffing efficiencies, said John Ewing, who founded Smart Growth Vermont in 1997. Smart Growth Vermont’s small size made it particularly vulnerable to the economic downturn that began in 2008, he said. The missions of both groups have overlapped for years. Both, for instance, have worked toward transportation policies in Vermont that promote vital downtowns and village centers, save energy and reduce disruption to wildlife habitat. Smart Growth Vermont could have survived without joining forces with VNRC, “but it would have to be scaled-back,” Ewing said. “Those efforts are going to have a stronger presence now…” Full Story: Smart Growth Vermont merges with Vermont Natural Resources Council
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