Shelburne resident Chris Gibbons has recently taken an interest in the new Google Fiber Optic Internet Connection. For more information on the application Chris is putting together for Shelburne, read the article on the front page. Here is some information on Chris' life and his own Shelburne business.

Family: Chris and his wife, Beth, have been married for five years. In 2005, the couple moved to Vermont because Beth was offered a residency at Fletcher Allen Health Care for neurosurgery. In 2006, the couple purchased a house in Shelburne and in June of 2009, Chris opened his business here.

Education and Career: Chris grew up in Michigan, and went to Michigan State for a while, attended Jr. College, and hopped around a bit, undecided as to what he really wanted to do. He entered into the world of hospitality, bartending and managing restaurants and resorts, until he ended up at Glacier National Park in Montana. It was here that Chris found his love for forestry and preservation. He refers to Glacier National Park as the "crown jewel" of national parks. After this pivotal discovery, Chris went back to Michigan and received his degree as a park ranger. At first, Chris' work as a park ranger was seasonal but later it developed into a position working for the Michigan Department of Agriculture in exotic pest response. Here he worked predominately to chase and destroy the emerald ash borer (a little green beetle). This bug is 98 percent deadly and kills scores of trees. The bug only moves about a half of a mile in its entire lifetime, so Chris' job was to track it down and destroy it before it decimated an area. Chris worked for the Department of Agriculture until he and his wife moved to Vermont in 2005. After working in different forestry jobs, Chris found a job with the Rainforest Alliance in their forestry division under the smart wood division. Chris described this as his dream job, which gave him the training he needed to later open his own business. In June of 2009 Chris opened his own business, American Green, with Shelburne resident Wolfram Pinker. Essentially Chris and Wolfram travel the country auditing any company that touches a wood product such as paper mills, sawmills, and print shops. Chris and Wolfram ensure that the companies are following Forrest Stewardship Council certification standards. The focus of American Green is to be completely mobile. They use Skype, email, and other forms of electronic communication to provide good, quick, and responsive customer service.

Favorite food: Chris and Beth are both vegetarians, and Chris laughs that he likes to mimic meats. He said if he could eat pizza, burritos, and burgers (veggie, of course) in rotation, he'd be happy.

Hobbies: Video games, thinking games, strategy games, going out to eat with his wife, watching movies, and watching the Green Mountain Derby Dames

Favorite music: Chris likes a contrast of music from Dead Can Dance to Neil Diamond

Favorite movies: "Ghandi" and "Legends of the Fall"

First Concert: David Lee Roth, solo, in Michigan in the 1980s

Bucket list: Open a pub, learn Chinese, travel, and adventure stuff, "When I think about anything I want to do, I usually do it."