College community reflects on climate work, looks ahead

It was standing room only inside the Franklin Environmental Center this past Thursday, when members of the Middlebury College and broader community gathered for a discussion on educating students amidst the climate crisis. 

Farmers are changing their offerings and membership models in the face of extreme weather.

The federal government killed a program that was designed to reduce the cost of electricity for low-income Vermonters by installing millions of dollars’ worth of solar energy across the state.

72% of Vermont is now in drought. State officials are reminding Vermonters of steps they can take to prevent human-caused fires.

As with other hazardous weather events, local municipalities are exploring ways to contend with extreme heat and support residents during hotter stretches.

According to the latest figures from the Yale Climate Opinion Maps, 65% of adults in the US somewhat or strongly agree that global warming is affecting the weather.

Municipalities around Addison County are working to address damage caused by recent extreme weather and prepare for more in the future.

The warming of our world didn’t seem so bad when it meant I could actually get ripe tomatoes before the first frost. Now it’s clear it means much more. It means ticks, flash flooding, landslides

Unfortunately, we have ample evidence now, decades into this slow-moving apocalypse, that the powers that be are not going to act sufficiently without some form of powerful motivation.

Regarding this past weekend’s torrential flash flooding in Texas. Rivers rose 26 feet in two hours. Over 80 people died in Texas. Their deaths were attributed to flash flooding and poor weather predictions. Yet isn’t the root cause climate change?

This summer, the Energy Navigators program is continuing to expand its reach and closing in on a key milestone.

Regardless of changes at the federal level, Addison County residents will still have access to support for clean energy projects offered by various local entities.

The recently published Town Energy Committee’s report for 2024 shows that town operations are heading in the wrong direction, with a 16% increase in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2023.

“They say you write the book you need,” explained Rochester author Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder, who is preparing to publish “Mother, Creature, Kin: What we learn from nature’s mothers in a time of unraveling” on Tuesday, April 8. “I wrote a book about spiri … (read more)

Vermont Governor Phil Scott has a track record of opposing progressive climate policies brought forth by the Democrats in the state Legislature. Now that the Democrats have lost a veto-proof supermajority, Gov. Scott is finally showing us his true colors … (read more)