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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 13 November 2019

DURHAM, N.H.—From a large field of entries, 16 finalists are advancing to the final round of the 2019 New Hampshire Social Venture Innovation Challenge Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019, beginning at 9:15 a.m. in Holloway Commons at the University of New Hampshire. Learn about the teams and their ideas to solve pressing sustainability problems.

At 12:40 p.m. in the Memorial Union Building’s Granite State Room, the SVIC awards will be announced and UNH’s 2019 Social Innovators of the Year award will be presented to Harriet and Alan Lewis, co-founders of Alnoba, a gathering place for changemakers dedicated to developing leadership, models of sustainability and stronger communities. They will deliver a keynote address on how the next generation can be equipped with the knowledge and tools to be successful in tackling humanity’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

All events are free and open to the public, but space is limited and registration is required. The finalists will compete for cash and in-kind prizes worth almost $30,000. Guests are also invited to join contestants, finalists and winners, judges, sponsors, UNH faculty, staff and alumni and the broader community at a networking reception and celebration, sponsored by New Hampshire Community Development Authority and NH Business Finance Authority, immediately following the awards ceremony.

The SVIC engages aspiring and practicing student and community social entrepreneurs in designing novel, sustainable, business-orientated solutions to some of society’s most pressing social and environmental challenges. It is an idea-stage competition with the goal of inspiring innovative, solution-orientated thinking and providing a forum to shine a light on these ideas.

Lead sponsors include Impax Asset Management, Kennebunk Savings Bank, Nixon Peabody, and Timberland, as well as sponsors: AMI Graphics, CCA Global Partners, Cirtronics, Clean Energy NH, Cole Haan, Lonza, MegaFood, New Hampshire Business Review, New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs, Prime Buchholz, ReVision Energy and W.S. Badger.

The SVIC is a collaborative, interdisciplinary event, organized by UNH’s Center for Social Innovation & Enterprise, a partnership between the UNH Sustainability Institute, the Peter T. Paul College of Business & Economics, and the Carsey School of Public Policy, and co-hosted by UNHInnovation and Net Impact UNH. 

The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation, and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health, and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. As one of the nation’s highest-performing research universities, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, and receives more than $110 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea, and space.

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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 12 November 2019

DURHAM, N.H.—As climate changes, Northeast winters are warming more rapidly than other times of the year. While this may mean favorable growing conditions start earlier in the year, some ecosystems, such as perennial grasslands, can take better advantage of that change than others, such as forests, according to new research from the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire.

“By the end of the century, we expect a typical winter will be 3 to 5 °C warmer on average than what we currently experience,” said Rebecca Sanders-DeMott, a postdoctoral research associate with the Earth Systems Research Center. “Although we think of winter as the dormant season for plants, it is increasingly clear that winter conditions have an important effect on ecosystems, such as forests and grasslands. While we might think a longer growing season means that forests can take up more carbon, this can be offset if warm winters cause soils to thaw and lose carbon long before tree growth begins.”

To evaluate the impact of warmer and more variable winters, researchers have been monitoring ecosystems since 2014. Using environmental sensors mounted high above the forest and grassland, they continuously measure how much carbon dioxide is moving in and out of the ecosystem, which is a metric of biological activity much like the ecosystem’s breath.

Winter 2015-16 was the warmest ever recorded in New England but was within the range of climate projections for the end of the century. In the grassland, these record-breaking temperatures caused the grasses to start growing in February, well before what is thought of as “winter’s end.” As a result, the grassland plants took up roughly three times more carbon from the atmosphere during the late-winter/early-spring than they would have during a typical year.

On the other hand, the forest could not benefit from warm winter conditions because growing new leaves takes time, and trees bear greater risks of leafing out too early if colder weather returns. So, instead of becoming a greater carbon sink, the forest lost carbon during the early spring due to elevated decomposing in the unusually warm soils. Although small carbon losses in spring are not unusual, the extended time period between soil thaw and leaf out in 2016 caused the forest to lose 2.5 times more carbon than normal.

Over the course of the full year in 2016, the forest still took up more carbon than it lost, but the net gain was reduced by about 50 percent relative to a more typical year. And while the grassland vegetation benefited from the warm winter, it didn’t take up as much carbon overall as the forest.

“By carefully examining the uptake and loss of carbon at each site across several winters with variable weather conditions, we are learning about how winter climate affects ecosystems that are important components of the New England landscape,” Sanders-DeMott said.

This material is based upon work supported by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station, through joint funding of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award number 1006997, and the state of New Hampshire. Sanders-DeMott also is supported by the postdoctoral scientists support program award. Additional funding for this project comes from NH EPSCoR/NSF Research Infrastructure Improvement Award EPS 1101245 and NASA Carbon Cycle Science NNX14AJ18G.

Founded in 1887, the NH Agricultural Experiment Station at the UNH College of Life Sciences and Agriculture is UNH’s original research center and an elemental component of New Hampshire's land-grant university heritage and mission.

The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation, and world. More than 16,000 students from all 50 states and 71 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. As one of the nation’s highest-performing research universities, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF and NIH, and receives more than $110 million in competitive external funding every year to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea, and space.

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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 12 November 2019

New Hampshire Employment Security is hosting the Keene Job and Resource Fair on Thursday, November 14, 2019, from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. This hiring event is taking place at Keene State College in the Spaulding Gymnasium located at 100 Wyman Way, Keene NH 03431.

Open the doors of opportunity when you meet and interview with hiring managers from companies ranging from small local businesses to large corporations. The Keene Job & Resource Fair will allow you to learn about the businesses that are hiring and what their hiring needs are. A full list of participating employers is available at www.nhes.nh.gov by clicking on the green job fair link on the homepage.

“Opportunities for employment abound here in New Hampshire as our economy continues to boom,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “The Keene Job & Resource Fair will surely be an exciting chance for Granite Staters to connect with employers and pursue lucrative employment opportunities.”

“The Keene Job and Resource Fair is an opportunity for job seekers to meet face-to-face with a variety of employers, develop a network of professional contacts and have an opportunity to ask employers questions about their specific organization or industry. New Hampshire continues to support and provide the necessary tools to our unemployed or underemployed residents to secure that next good employment opportunity. New Hampshire businesses are in need of a knowledgeable, skilled, proficient and experienced workforce. New Hampshire Employment Security is committed to meeting the workforce needs of New Hampshire’s business community. The Keene Job & Resource Fair offers the opportunity to bring together the businesses we work so closely with to the skilled and valuable people they need to fill their crucial positions”, states Commissioner George Copadis of New Hampshire Employment Security.

If you are a job seeker who is unable to attend the Keene Job & Resource Fair, you can access job and career services through New Hampshire Employment Security. Our One-Stop Centers provides resources free services, resources, and tools to assist both job seekers and employers with the entire job search process, hiring, and employment needs. NHES has services available online and onsite to assist job seekers including an automated Job Match System, internet access, career assessments, as well as, workshops on job searching, resume writing and interviewing techniques and career counseling to people looking to find new employment.

For more information, please contact Kate LaPierre at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via telephone at 603-228-4083 Or visit www.nhes.nh.gov.

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Written by Patrick R. McElhiney

Category: Articles

Published: 11 November 2019

The above video is of the ceremony which took place on Veterans Day in 2019 at Pine Grove Cemetery in Barrington, New Hampshire. First Seacoast Bank and Nippo Lake Golf Club provided a free lunch for attendees at the American Legion Post 114 in Barrington.

Today, Americans respect and honor all veterans, whether they be active duty, reserves, retired, or deceased. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their service, which is duty bigger than oneself. Because they are brave, we are the home of the free, and the collective reputation provides reassurance that the protection of the United States will be eternal and that the greatness of our nation that we cherish each day will forever be preserved. The sacrifices that veterans make when they sign up to serve the military are notable – they give up the opportunity of having profitable careers in the private industry, often to face war in hostile places that could result in injury or death, all to serve and protect the U.S. Constitution.

Veterans give up blood and treasure to guard this nation, in order to ensure there is no end, and that we will never surrender our rights and our freedoms. We are indebted to their civility, their bravery, and their security – wherever they go, their reputation precedes them. Each veteran is distinct for their own courageous and heroic efforts to protect this great country. They are unafraid and unfearful of doing their job, which is probably the hardest thing they’ve ever done. It is important that we recognize them for their valor, and celebrate their glory each and every day. Each time you see a veteran, tell them, “Thank you for your service!”

Veterans Day, originally known as Armistice Day, is a day to celebrate veterans who have served in the Armed Forces, on the anniversary of the Armistice with Germany at the 11^th Hour, on the 11^th Day, of the 11^th Month, which marked the end of World War I in 1918. Veterans Day celebrates all veterans, not to be confused with Memorial Day, which honors those who have died while in military service. Armistice Day was renamed to Veterans Day in 1954.

It should also be noted that the U.S. Marine Corps celebrated its 244^th Birthday yesterday, November 10^th, 2019, the day before Veterans Day.

The American Legion placed 300 flags on the graves of veterans this year, with the help of Barrington Cub Scout Troop 358. There are about 120-250 cemeteries in Barrington that have veteran graves on private land. Esther Sawyer, President of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit at Post 114 said that if a veteran needs something, they take up the request. They recently donated books to the Barrington Library, after finding out that there was only one book about veterans there. One of the books was written by someone in Rochester, New Hampshire.

Spouses of veterans can now become members of the Auxiliary Unit, which has been around about as long as the American Legion Post 114. In June, there will be a picnic to help raise funds for veterans. The mission of the organization is to support veterans and their families. For veterans in the community, if they need something, they should contact the American Legion. The organization is comprised of more than 2.1 million wartime veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. The Auxiliary Unit is comprised of 1 million members, the nation’s largest patriotic women’s association. And there are also 360,000 Sons of the American Legion, which are male descendants of U.S. wartime veterans.

There are more than 13,500 local posts worldwide. Members have served in Desert Storm/Desert Shield, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Vietnam, Korea, and World War II. Some of the services that the American Legion provides through its local post include:

• Representing at no cost veterans and their families seeking VA disability and medical benefits.
• Volunteerism at VA medical facilities.
• Providing financial assistance to needy military and veteran families with young children at home.
• Awarding college scholarships to children of U.S. servicemembers killed while on active duty since the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001.
• Educating school children on such topics as flag respect, military service, history, and patriotism.
• Providing & distributing U.S. flags for the graves of American military personnel laid to rest at overseas cemeteries.
• Participating in patriotic observances and events around the world each year at the local, state, national, and international levels.
• Handling honor guard services and memorial tributes for fallen personnel and veterans, from individual funerals to memorial dedications.

For more information, please visit www.americanlegionpost114.com.