Climate Matters: A conversation with Rep. Amy Sheldon on the Renewable Energy Standard

The Renewable Energy Standard, passed by the state Legislature in 2015, sets targets for the amount of renewable energy used in Vermont, states how much of that energy must be generated in Vermont, defines what kinds of energy count as renewable energy, and puts in place a system of renewable energy credits as a way to account for all of the above.

The average first frost in Addison County typically comes in early October, but the current 10-day forecast for our area suggests our first frost will be delayed.

If you Google “What can I do about climate change,” you will get millions of hits, with plentiful lists and sets of recommendations. The focus most often is on individual rather than collective action. 

In Vermont, the scent of wood smoke on a late fall afternoon is an iconic smell. It’s not like that here today, in the first week of June — it’s more like sitting on the side of the campfire where the wind is blowing, but without any of the benefits of th … (read more)

What do food justice and climate resiliency actually look like? Few can deny that one of Vermont’s best attributes is its commitment to locally grown food. 

I don’t know if it’s just us Americans, or if it is a universal human trait, but we seem to prefer medical treatment over prevention.

What is the carbon footprint of human defecation? This oddball question comes to me as I continue this journey of exploring what I as an individual and what we as a community can do to combat the climate crisis.

I believe that the staff at the Green Mountain National Forest are good, well-meaning professionals who care deeply about our forest, but that they are locked into outdated science and policies in a 2006 Forest Plan that works directly against efforts to … (read more)

A well-known saying on bicycle touring trips is, “Drink before you’re thirsty, eat before you’re hungry, and shift before you have to.” 

I have examined the findings of the 2022 report from the International Panel on Climate Change and other authoritative research, and what I have found is downright terrifying for our young people’s future. 

According to the Low Carbon Diet Program, a group of five- to eight households agree to meet consistently once a week over a month for an hour to motivate each other to take energy saving actions listed in the “Low Carbon Diet” workbook by David Gershon o … (read more)

Do you remember when Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth” came out? I saw it in a crowded movie theater almost 20 years ago. Recently I wondered how our local climate data in Vermont look now compared to then. Quick answer: things have gotten worse. 

Founded by students in 2003, the Knoll, Middlebury College’s educational garden, has become a vitally important center of climate justice, resiliency, education and community nourishment.

Gas stoves make people sick, why are we still using them?

With a little advance planning, it is quite feasible to do the things you want to do in Vermont by public transit, and thus decrease your carbon footprint substantially compared to driving a fossil-fueled vehicle by yourself.