Great Bay recently selected its 55th grantee organization, ReCycle North, located in Burlington, Vermont. The organization is only the second the Foundation has funded in Vermont since it expanded its grantmaking to the state in 2007. (The first was Vermont Works for Women, which received Great Bay planning grant funds last fall. Note that both of these organizations were mentioned in the recent Blog post Green-collar Jobs.)

Led by social entrepreneur Tom Longstreth, ReCycle North’s mission is to “(1) protect the environment by reducing the amount of reusable and repairable items dumped in landfills, (2) give individuals in transition valuable job skills, technical training and more opportunity and (3) alleviate the effects of poverty by making vital household goods and building materials available to the poor.”

The organization’s earned income ventures include a household goods store, a building materials center, a deconstruction service, and computer and appliance repair shops. Together, the project’s serve a diverse range of disadvantaged individuals, providing them training and/or paid employment.

Great Bay has awarded ReCycle North $65,000 to assist in the start-up of its YouthBuild Weatherization Training and Service Program, which will offer weatherization services to low- and moderate income Vermonters. The project will train all of its YouthBuild students — young men and women (16-24 year olds) who have dropped out of high school and are interested in learning construction skills — in Energy Star construction and weatherization techniques.