Editor’s note: This commentary is by Jack Hanson, a senior environmental studies major at the University of Vermont who lives in Burlington. He is president of the Renewable Energy Network at UVM, a club that helps connect students with Vermont renewable energy professionals, and is an intern with the Bernie Sanders campaign.
[I] moved from Chicago to Vermont in 2012 to pursue a degree in environmental studies at the University of Vermont. As I approach graduation this May, I can say with confidence that I couldn’t have chosen a better place to study the relationship between human society and the non-human environment. Among many other bold and progressive stances taken by the state, Vermont is leading the way towards the 100 percent renewable energy world that is both possible and necessary.
This transformation is not invisible, and it is not without controversy and pushback. A passionate and vocal minority of Vermonters ardently oppose many of the new renewable energy developments that have been completed or are being proposed. Their complaints are centered on the visual and environmental impacts of the projects.
Two of Vermont’s staple industries — skiing and maple sugaring — will suffer drastically during my adulthood, and tourism to the state faces serious risks as well.
New developments of any kind, including renewable energy, can generally be seen and noticed, and therefore create change. However, compared to the impact of NOT developing renewable energy swiftly, these disruptions are minimal. Many of the ongoing impacts of our energy consumption are out of sight and out of mind for Vermonters, as we currently get much of our energy from fossil fuel sources out of state, which are very damaging to the health and safety of the communities in which they are extracted (e.g. fracking for natural gas), as well as the communities in which they are burned (e.g. coal- or gas-fired power plants). People living in these areas suffer from air pollution, water contamination, and/or soil contamination on a daily basis. Furthermore, our use of fossil fuels accelerates climate change, which has global implications, including here in Vermont. Two of Vermont’s staple industries — skiing and maple sugaring — will suffer drastically during my adulthood, and tourism to the state faces serious risks as well.
As consumers of energy, we should be aware of where our energy comes from, and be working to reduce the damage that our consumption has. When we do this, we realize that seeing solar panels on the side of the road, or wind turbines on top of a mountain, is a small price to pay for the wonders that cheap and abundant energy provides us, especially when compared to the suffering imposed by the energy system that those renewables are replacing. Let’s continue to move swiftly and boldly towards an energy system powered locally and sustainably — for our own sake, and for the sake of humanity as a whole.
