Editor’s note: This commentary is by Ricky Klein, aka Ricky the Meadmaker, who is a founder of Groennfell Meadery in Colchester.
[A]s the one of the founders and the current head brewer at Groennfell Meadery in Colchester, I wanted to build a company where sustainability, employee satisfaction, and the quality of my product were all non-negotiables.
While hoping to achieve all of these wondrous things, I’ve also had to chase that beautiful and elusive creature: profitability. Obviously, having the triple bottom line of environmental sustainability, community and profitability has meant many long hours and innumerable tough business decisions.
I don’t mind the long hours, of course; it just comes with the territory. What troubles me is the number of times we’ve been forced to choose between the environment and a more immediately profitable option. I say “immediately profitable” since almost any decision to defer environmental sustainability is a losing gamble in the long run.
It is not enough to pay a little extra each month to support renewables; we need a program in Vermont to better represent the total cost of fossil fuels.
When we first started construction on Groennfell Meadery almost three years ago, we learned about Cow Power from Green Mountain Power. We immediately signed up for the additional fee assuming that, with the adverse effects of fossil fuel based power, eventually the sustainable energy options such as biofuels, solar and wind would not only represent a good long-term investment, but also an immediate cost-savings to utility customers. Even with the subsidies for solar, wind and biogas we have not seen the prices for renewable energy sources come into alignment with their long-term benefits.
Thanks to a wildly fluctuating petroleum market and governmental programs which often favor petroleum production and distribution, the cost of burning fossil fuels doesn’t reflect the impact they’re having on our environment. It is not enough to pay a little extra each month to support renewables; we need a program in Vermont to better represent the total cost of fossil fuels. This is why we at Groennfell Meadery support the carbon pollution tax.
Vermont’s Comprehensive Energy Plan requires that an incredible 90 percent of our power come from renewable sources by 2050. This is a plan which many think unattainable. I think instead we need to see it as a non-negotiable and to start putting in place systems like the carbon pollution tax to make it easier to make the right decision. You can learn about the many programs proposed to help make the transition to sustainability as easy as possible at www.energyindependentvt.org.
Is a nearly complete elimination of fossil fuels in 35 years an extremely lofty goal? It certainly is. But it’s time we consider our commitment to a sustainable future a non-negotiable. We owe it to every business and individual who comes after us to make it as easy as possible to make the right decision for themselves, their businesses, the environment and our community.
