Bram has served on the Vermont Tax Structure Commission and the Governor's Business Advisory Council on Health Care Financing, and for five years was co-chair of Vermont Medicare & Exchange Advisory Board. He is a graduate of both Middlebury College and the University of Vermont. Bram talked about the how Net-Zero is a great start to being supporting our climate. He then talked about what “long-termism” to climate change means to people: 1) Future people matter 2) There are many future people 3) what we do now impacts their happiness. Therefore, if we care, we should do something about it!
At Danforth, they are aiming for Net-Zero, but doing it as they can. It is hard as the technology is not there yet and they are still need oil for casting and the furnace. In addition to the business case, there is the ethical case in which they do not want to put stuff in the air that kids would breathe. Danforth highlights their environmental values and reinforces their relationship with customers.
Bram talked about what makes Danforth appealing to staff. Based on national employee satisfaction surveys, the number 1 reason people are proud of where they work is because of flexibility. Bram indicated that sick kiddos at home is not a crisis, just a kid that needs their parent. They work hard to be flexible for their staff and make it a place people are proud of!
Bram further talked about trying to be environmentally friendly with products and trying new things, but making an effort to support the climate. “The antidote to despair is action.”
There were questions about trying to base the infrastructure for electricity and wondering if solar is the only solution. Currently, solar is not the only solution, and the state of VT is looking at other options including wind (controversial-ish) and hydropower in Canada. VT is not there yet, but slowly working towards it. The technology is every evolving and the federal government has put a lot of money into trying new solutions.
Bram then talked about the new Pottery business they have entered. They were looking to offer new products and try to mix pottery and pewter – so they researched different business to partner with after finding the right one…the company offered to sell to Danforth. They are a small business with 4-5 potters and were looking to sell to the right owner as they were looking to retire. This will be a new dimension for Danforth, but they are looking forward to new things to adapt to their consumers.
Thank you, Bram.
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