Welcome to Our 2022 Season

Dear friend of Shelburne Farms,

Despite entering the third season of a pandemic, we have lots to offer and many things to celebrate. Here’s what we’ve been up to and what you can expect this season. We are: 

1. Celebrating 50 years! This summer marks fifty years since the education nonprofit, Shelburne Farms Resources, Inc., was launched with the idea that through education we could help build a better world. Thanks to our amazing community of supporters, and the gift of the property to the nonprofit in 1984, we’ve grown an international network of educators and transformed the former private estate into a beautiful and powerful place of learning for a sustainable future.
    
2. Introducing the Shelburne Farms Institute for Sustainable Schools. This is an umbrella, connecting hub for all our professional learning programs for educators preK-12. In partnership with the University of Vermont we are launching two innovative Education for Sustainability graduate certificate programs this year. We’re also expanding our farm to school professional learning model across the country!
    
3. Opening our trails by donation. The past two years crystallized the value of having places to seek respite and renewal in nature, so we’re offering our trails by donation again, because we believe everyone should have access to places of natural beauty. Expanding trail access, conserving land, improving our historic buildings and landscape, and creating a more diverse and inclusive community is a significant commitment. Come visit and learn, and know that your support is now more important than ever. 
    
4. Working toward achieving carbon drawdown by 2028.  Drawdown is the point in the future when levels of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline.  To that end, we continue to invest in renewable solar power, which is close to offsetting 100% of our electricity needs. We’re adopting and expanding new electric technologies like heat pumps and electric vehicles and mowers that emit zero direct carbon emissions. And we are experimenting with using biochar at the dairy to control nitrous oxide emissions in the manure pits.    
    
5. Educating for a sustainable future. Throughout the pandemic, we never stopped delivering on our educational mission close to home, internationally, and remotely, but it feels good to be opening up our campus more this summer, with workshops for educators, onsite programs for learners, our Children’s Farmyard, daily cheesemaking, summer camps, and our Farm Store showcasing products grown from our working farm. 
    
6. Welcoming overnight guests at the Inn. After two quiet years, we are excited to be opening the Inn’s doors again as a way for visitors to experience all that we offer here. Dining reservations for the community will open when we have staffing in place to do so.  Keep an eye on our website. 

As always, none of this is possible without the help of the many friends of Shelburne Farms. Thanks again for being part of the Shelburne Farms community. Here’s to the next 50 years.

With deep gratitude,

Alec Webb
President