Ira Shadis is the new executive director
Ira Shadis is the new executive director of Friends of the Mad River. He has served in an interim leadership role since November 2022.
Shadis brings over a decade of experience working with conservation and community focused nonprofits. He has worked with Friends of the Mad River for the last five years. He joined the organization to help launch Storm Smart, a program aimed at working with private landowners and managers to “spongify” The Valley. His role expanded in 2020 to include a broad suite of projects and programs to support the stewardship of the Mad River and surrounding land.
“Ira has done great work with us and we couldn’t be more pleased to have him step fully into the leadership of this organization,” says Matt Williams, Friends of the Mad River board president. “He brings a strong background as a program manager, community builder, and steward of the watershed. You can see his appreciation for The Valley in the care and curiosity he brings to his work every day.”
In his new role, Shadis will lead the 34-year-old organization in its mission to steward clean water, healthy land, and a vibrant community. Friends of the Mad River will continue to deliver regular programs, like Storm Smart and the river monitoring program Mad River Watch. Shadis will also continue to participate in the many collaborative efforts ongoing in the Mad River Valley, like the Conservation and Recreation Visioning project, the Mad River Valley Black Bear Initiative, and StewardMRV.
“A small organization like Friends of the Mad River can’t do its work alone, we need the support of the community to really make an impact for the health of the river, the land, and the diversity of life in the Mad River Valley,” said Shadis. “I’m excited to deepen our existing relationships, build new connections, and foster a network that can not only protect this place, but celebrate it for years to come. I want people in this community to feel free to reach out, share ideas, and tell me about all the ways you connect with the Mad River and the surrounding Valley.”
Shadis lives in Montpelier with his partner, along with six chickens, four (indoor) cats, and one dog. When he is not at work building resilience in the Mad River watershed, he can be found practicing cello etudes, riding his bike down dirt roads, skiing along the Catamount Trail, playing pick-up basketball, or reading a good book. He can be contacted at
2022 Vermont’s Greenest Building Award winners include local businesses
The 11th annual Vermont’s Greenest Building Awards, hosted by the Vermont Green Building Network (VGBN), recognized 11 projects and design/build teams, two of which involved local contracotrs. The projects received awards for achieving the highest standard of demonstrated building energy performance for commercial and residential buildings and documentation of green building strategies including health, transportation, water and affordability. Award-winning projects must demonstrate an energy use intensity of at least 50% below the regional average energy use for buildings of the same end use to qualify for a Vermont Green Building Award and demonstrate an energy use intensity or at least 75% below the regional average to qualify for the Vermont’s Greenest Building Award.
The 2022 Vermont’s Greenest Building Award winners included Roots Builders, Waitsfield, for a residential project, the Coe House. This house produces more power than it uses with an 11.9 kW PV solar system on-site. Heating and cooling are provided by a SpacePak air to water heat pump system distributed via radiant floors on all three levels and two fan coil units for cooling. Domestic hot water is a heat pump tank heater, all appliances are Energy Star electric and ventilation is provided by a broan ERV 250TE.
Shelterwood Construction, Moretown, received an award for a residential project, the Black and Light House. This home, designed by Harry Hunt Architects and built by Shelterwood Construction, is an all-electric home with triple-glazed European tilt and turn windows, a passive house level air tightness, mechanically balanced ventilation via a Zehnder ERV, south-facing exposure, and a combination of exterior and cellulose insulation.
To learn more about Vermont Green Building Network visit:
www.vtgreenbuildingnetwork.org
Mad River Romance has just published “3 Vermont Romances to Warm Your Heart,”
a collection of short stories set in the Mad River Valley.
This second ebook in short story romance series includes tales about a woman’s rediscovery of her life on Camel’s Hump, a Valley author who might have magic powers, and a story that features everyone’s favorite: creemees! Each story is paired with a Valley adventure for readers and their loved ones to enjoy. “We hope to give our readers a glimpse of The Valley and a smile with every story,” said Judy Beningson, Mad River Romance co-founder.
The ebook is available on Kindle for $0.99 and free for subscribers to Kindle Unlimited.
To order, go to Amazon.com/Vermont-Romances
Proceeds will go toward Valley charities.
