Net Zero: Towards a Carbon-Neutral Vermont
Deb, riding the Link Express, with her bike stowed below.
Net Zero Vermont is committed to providing paths to a carbon neutral future in the Green Mountain State. Their mission “is to encourage people to adopt a shared vision for a sustainable future, meaning to re-localize, re-direct, and leverage the necessary resources to build model sustainable towns and cities across Vermont and beyond.” Debra Sachs has a long history of sustainability work in the state and graduated from the University of Vermont twice with degrees in forestry and natural resource planning. Sachs is co-founder of the non-profit that is now Net Zero Vermont in the mid-90s as Community Climate Action.
In 1996, Burlington joined the “Cities for Climate Protection,” a campaign of the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), as one of the first cities in the campaign, according to the Burlington City government website. In May 2000, Burlington’s first Climate Action Plan was put into motion, according to BurlingtonVT.gov. Deb Sachs, along with Gioia Thompson- the former Director of Sustainability at UVM- was part of the task force that eventually led to development of the 2000 CAP. Burlington’s most updated Climate Action Plan is linked here.
In the mid-nineties Sachs, working with Thompson and others, staffed the task force for the City of Burlington to develop the Climate Action Plan. Sachs also led the 10% Challenge for Burlington, an initiative to cut energy use by at least 10%. The program included development of a carbon calculator to help people choose to adopt carbon saving measures, said Sachs in an interview earlier this week.
In 2016, Community Climate Action was reconstituted as Net Zero Vermont. This shift was in part pushed by Montpelier activists who wanted to tackle the disproportionate amount of surface parking in Downtown Montpelier. On Monday, Sachs explained that this proposal led to commissioning a design competition for downtown concepts that would help make Montpelier net zero by 2030.
This project attracted design team proposals from around the world and was heavily influenced by community engagement and input. The winning project was ‘Team Bridges.’ With greater density of mixed development, river access and a permanent Farmers Market, this proposal focused on promoting a more integrated transportation system of trains and buses, multi-use paths and satellite parking, said Sachs.
Unfortunately, the city did not end up moving forward with this proposal. Instead, they were presented a plan to build a Hampton Inn hotel and the land to host a five-story publicly owned parking garage with approximately 358 spaces, according to a presentation in May 2020 by the Montpelier City Council. This parking garage was to be located next to the proposed new hotel, behind the Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, which planned to lease approximately 200 spaces in the garage, according to an Environmental Court decision from May 2019. In 2021, after extended litigation, COVID, and the hotel scrapping its plans, the City finally gave up on the parking garage, Sachs explained. Sachs believes that the parking garage project doesn’t benefit anything but cars, and certainly doesn’t advance Montpelier’s goal of carbon neutrality.
Sachs said on Monday that “leadership and a vision for a people-centered downtown with reliable, accessible and convenient public transit, good sidewalks, a mix of housing, shared mobility options including integrated service of trains and buses will advance Montpelier’s zero net energy goal.” All it would take is “someone to take the bull by the horns and say ‘yes, we’re going to do this.’” Building expensive infrastructure to house cars instead of people is not the solution. Montpelier’s Net Zero Energy Action Plan, last updated in August 2021, is linked here. Based on their most recent analysis, the city will be able to reach 88% renewable energy by 2030 (as opposed to 100%) by following their CAP.
According to the Institute for Energy Research over 70% of Vermont’s electricity energy comes from nuclear at the Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in Vernon, VT. Proportionally, Vermont uses more nuclear power than any other state. The state has no fossil fuel resources. About 20% of energy comes from hydroelectric power, and 5% from biomass plants. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Vermont generated almost 100% of its electricity from renewables in 2020. However, the actual renewability of Vermont’s energy is questionable. Much of the state’s hydropower (about 44%) comes from Hydro-Quebec, which is surrounded by much environmental and social justice related controversy. Read more here at ‘The hidden costs of New England’s demand for Canadian hydropower’ by the VT Digger.
Ladies of AALV enjoy their trolleys at a social dinner in March 2022.
Sachs notes that “we need a lot more people to get out of their cars and choose to ride the bus, micro- transit” to make real progress in carbon neutrality. Her favorite mode of transportation is to be active, both by walking and biking (especially her e-bike). She also took the link express bus line from Burlington to Montpelier when her office was in downtown Montpelier. She talked about the strong sense of community on the bus every day, and the ability to still be productive while in transit. Transit is Vermont’s solution to equity in transportation, as personal vehicles are not available to all Vermonters due to income and other circumstances.
Sachs is proud of Net Zero Vermont’s most recent project: the Walk to Shop initiative. This project aims to encourage Vermonters to walk and use public transit to get to the grocery store instead of using personal vehicles. About 90% of Burlington residents live within a 15 minute walk of a grocery store. By using lightweight trolleys, like a carry-on suitcase with bigger wheels, shoppers can carry more groceries home more conveniently.
South Burlington City Counselor, Meagan Emery, walking home from the grocery store (2021).
Net Zero VT is partnering with many local organizations to make trolleys available to the community. The Main Street Market in Richford, which was recently bought by Northern Tier Center for Health (‘NOTCH’), is planning to develop a trolley share program. Richford, which classifies as a food desert according to an article by My Champlain Valley, will benefit from Notch’s work with the Main Street Market, formerly Vista Foods. The grocery store is the only one within 10 miles.
Sachs is proud that this program is “making a difference on the ground.” Walk to Shop is also partnered with theAssociation of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV), which helps ease the difficulties of transition for refugees in the area. Other community partners include: Vermont Clean Cities Coalition, Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, Old Spokes Home, Green Mountain Transit (GMT), GMT’s JEDI Committee, Go! Vermont, and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP VT).
Trolleys can be purchased by contacting Stuart Lindsay at stu@netzerovt.org or Phil Hammerslough at phil@netzerovt.org. For the general public, two trolleys models (single and family-sized) will be available in mid-May for $40 and $50 each, respectively and discounted for senior citizens and for individuals who qualify for deeper subsidies. Net Zero VT estimates that 9,500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions were saved by the 146 trolley users in Burlington over the past year. The trolleys can also be used for other errands that normally require a car, like laundry Farmers Markets, and community gardens. Net Zero VT is hoping to be approved for a grant from the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, which would allow Walk to Shop to put on many more promotion events and partner with more organizations. Be on the lookout for pop-up events this spring and summer, which we will advertise on STVT’s Instagram: @sustainablevt.
Stu Lindsay, Walk to Shop Coordinator demonstrates the ease of using a trolley to carry heavy loads.
Net Zero Vermont will also be promoting the annual Way to Go! Challenge “Park Your Carbon” in the spring. The program encourages Vermonters to choose more efficient travel options throughout the week, with opportunities to brag about your trip by notifying organizers. This spring, the challenge will be held May 1st through 16th, with a theme of ‘Park Your Carbon.’ Visit here for details, spread the word and stay tuned for more information and media regarding this exciting event.
