Editor’s note: This commentary is by Elizabeth Courtney, co-author of “Greening Vermont: The Search for a Sustainable State,” and former executive director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council. She was a member and chair of the Vermont Environmental Board and a 1995 Loeb Fellow at Harvard University.
I’ve been searching for some heartening news lately, hoping to keep a positive mindset in the face of the latest climate report from the White House. It cites findings that many of the changes predicted to happen decades from now are in fact upon us today. It paints a dark picture of the unsustainable situation we are in.
In my search for the good news on the Vermont environmental front, I find some decidedly worthy candidates, such as expanded net metering, a new shoreline protection bill, improvements to modernize Act 250 and a first-in-the-nation GMO labeling bill. Good news, for sure — but it still feels like we’re treating the symptoms, not the root cause of our unsustainable lifestyle.
Vermont is fortunate that the Gund Institute at the University of Vermont and the Vermont Legislature have laid a foundation for the state to consider the bigger picture when reviewing our economy and the overall wellbeing of the state. In addition, Gov. Shumlin has established the first goal — Goal–1.1.1 for a state strategic plan to establish an economic development strategy for the state.
You may recall back in 2012 Vermont was the first state to pass legislation calling on the state government “to establish and test genuine progress indicators” in its decision-making. It is now time to put the call to action. We have achieved the establishment of the indicators, now the state should apply those indicators as a measure of our economic environmental and social progress.
We know Vermont is not wealthy in financial terms but our overall wellbeing as measured by GPI, including environmental and social indicators, is notably better than many other states.
Remember, the GDP, with its “growth at any cost” philosophy, spends down our natural resources and concentrates wealth to fewer people. In contrast, the GPI measures the money in circulation in the economy minus costs of degraded ecosystems and social inequities plus the value of volunteering time or using ecosystems services for functions as diverse as drying clothes to purifying water.
By putting genuine progress first and orienting the economy in that direction the state could change a lot for the better.
For example, of the 25 factors included in the GPI, the two most significant are the depletion of nonrenewable energy sources and income inequality — the GPI score drops as more nonrenewables are depleted and as income inequality grows. Improving the GPI score requires concerted actions of informed leaders in the different sectors.
In addition to the legislative actions this year that protect our environment, several initiatives in Senate Bill 220 will improve training for workers and give small businesses greater access to capital. Merging the environmental benefits of policies with social improvements will provide a better picture of the overall economic progress in the state.
The Gund Institute just completed an analysis of GDP vs GPI for all 50 states. Vermont ranked 33rd in GDP per capita, but 22nd in GPI per capita. We know Vermont is not wealthy in financial terms but our overall wellbeing
as measured by GPI, including environmental and social indicators, is notably better than many other states. The GPI allows us to quantify the difference.
GPI information also clarifies what matters most in terms of how to increase the wellbeing of Vermont residents. With the Vermont Legislature empowering the administration to explore how GPI can guide budget priorities that fit our values, Vermont has another opportunity, as it did with GMO labeling, to lead all states in adding GPI as a measurement to create a healthier economy.
Applying the GPI to measuring state economic progress could foster the necessary discussion about our environmental and cultural reality for the next generation — specifically, how to tackle the big issues of income inequality and oil consumption per capita.
In Vermont we care about our neighbors and our land. We value durability on this finite planet. When we use GPI to measure our progress, Vermont would be taking on the challenge of building a new economic model that supports the wellbeing of our communities, contributes to the health and productivity of our natural resources, builds capital and demonstrates that local economies can thrive. We should see that Vermont is moving toward a future based on a diversified, broadly accountable, economic system deeply rooted in place.
And that would be the best news I’ve heard in a while.
Elizabeth Courtney may be contacted at elizabethcourtneyvt@gmail.com.
