Catamount to Climate Advocate: A Conversation with Jack Hanson
Jack Hanson speaks at a climate rally on Church Street in Burlington
This article contains work from students in UVM’s Environmental Journalism course. Thank you to Leah Golding, Lindsay Foxwell, Emma Graham, Phoebe Swartz, and Sophie Acker for their contributions.
In 2013, University of Vermont freshman Jack Hanson interned on a clean energy bill against a moratorium on wind power in Vermont. He worked all summer; phone banking, reaching out to state representatives, getting other folks to reach out to theirs. In May, the bill passed by 1 vote, removing the moratorium on wind power. “That was a big moment of realization for me. I thought, “Wow, I really can actually influence what happens in policy,” Hanson recalls.
Ten years later, Hanson’s resume has expanded quite a bit. Since graduating from the University of Vermont in 2016, Hanson has worked for a slew of sustainability organizations, including our own Sustainable Transportation VT, and served as a Burlington city councilor for 3 years. Last January, Hanson founded Run on Climate, a climate organization focused on environmentalism from a bottom-up approach. The organization works to “empower climate champions to build successful campaigns for local office and enact policies that move their communities off of fossil fuels as quickly as possible.”
Taking a Run on Climate
Run on Climate also supports candidates for local office around the country who have a central focus on addressing the climate crisis. Hanson believes that if enough communities copy Run on Climate’s ideas around how to take climate action and operate more sustainably, we will see positive change and regain hope for the state of our future.
“Money going into lobbying for the state level policy doesn’t always result in policy progress, especially with this governor,” Hanson explains. “Those same resources invested at the local level always do have impact.”
Will BTV be Net Zero by 2050?
“I would say we haven’t implemented a strong enough policy to decarbonize our transportation and thermal sectors [to reach net zero]. We’ve put in place some measures, but it's just not nearly enough to see the type of reductions that are laid out in the 2030 plan,” Hanson says.
Henson, who voted for the Net Zero Energy plan as a city councilor, states that “one piece is implementing the policies that are already on the books”.
When looking at the policy that requires rental units to weatherize, there has been very low compliance due to a lack of contractors. “The city needs to really invest in training and workforce development around weatherization…that's the only way we’re gonna meet that goal,” says Hanson.
The city must follow through on existing policies like this, as well as create new ones.
“Right now, the city is discussing requirements for large buildings to decarbonize…but as drafted currently, that policy wouldn't even get us close to net zero by 2030,” says Hanson.
Notable progress has been made, but this overshadows the improvements the Net Zero Energy plan needs. “It shows that we’re not on track and that we need to significantly step up if we want to get on track,” Hanson explains.
For Burlington to reach this goal, individuals need to play a part as well. “The city government alone is never going to be able to get us there, it's gonna take everyone involved and engaged,” says Hanson with passion.
Members of the community can advocate for this plan and influence city counselors to take action.
Jack Hanson speaks to supporters at Vermont’s state capital
Changing Behavior Changes the Planet
Hanson is also a big advocate for getting people out of single-occupancy vehicles and has succeeded in pushing clean transportation incentive programs. In 2021, he created the Commuter Incentive Program that recruited 100 participants to stop commuting primarily by single occupancy vehicle for six months. At the end of the program, over 75% of the participants said they were going to continue their sustainable commuting habits. This program changed the permanent transportation behavior of the majority of participants, creating lifestyles that will contribute to a healthier planet.
“We only have a couple of years to limit climate change and stay below a 1.5-degree increase,” Hanson says. “We’re going to need a major change in our collective mindset, because this issue is going to require all of us to take action every day.”
As the climate crisis progresses, many Americans are desperate for solutions. While the passage of climate legislation at the state and federal level has stalled, local government officials in New England are stepping up to the plate and becoming leaders in the fight against climate change.
“This is not just another issue,” Hanson says. “We are in a crisis and everything we do matters.”
