Editor’s note: This commentary is by Elizabeth Courtney, an author and environmental consultant who is former chair of the Environmental Board and former executive director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council. She can be contacted at elizabethcourtneyvt@gmail.com. A version of this was first published in the Times Argus-Rutland Herald on April 29.
[D]onald Trump, like a bull in a china shop, is wreaking havoc on the environment. Congressional inaction only adds to the chaos. Trump’s given orders to dismantle the EPA, to ignore the Paris Climate Agreement, to reinvigorate the coal industry and much more. He may hold the levers of national power but his newfound strength doesn’t hold a candle to the power of a united citizenry acting out of conviction, caring and collaboration.
On April 29, these citizens, in communities large and small, rallied around the world to protest Trump’s climate abusive policies. Protest rallies and demonstrations can build confidence and begin to organize a movement, but if the first 100 days of the Trump presidency are any indication of what’s to come over the next three and a half years, we had better make sure we have more than rallies to protect our environment and tackle climate change. We all know that climate change waits for no one. There’s no time to lose.
But let’s not despair. Local governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Planned Parenthood, Vermont Conservation Voters, Capstone, the Vermont Foodbank and so many others — with their volunteer boards and citizen activists — are alive and well in this stressful time. They are a force in communities, on many different issues, all over the country, every day. Much of their muscle comes through dedicated volunteers. From food shelves to forest health and from parks and recreation to human habitation, local volunteerism is where the rubber meets the road. Oh sure, support from Washington is great when you can get it, but when that revenue stream runs dry, the grassroots must grow deeper. Despite, or perhaps because of the lack of support from Washington, volunteer efforts at the grassroots level are growing exponentially. In Montpelier, the public support for many NGOs has skyrocketed since November 2016, especially those that work to protect the environment and curb climate change.
A $10,000 prize was established by private funders to spark a sustainable Montpelier design competition to envision how to achieve Montpelier’s goal of net zero energy use by 2030. Like so many towns and cities in New England, energy sources are at the heart of Montpelier’s economic and environmental issues. The two biggest contributors to climate change pollution are the lack of energy conservation and efficiency in the transportation and housing realm and the fuels we use to run our cars and heat our homes.
In anticipation of the implementation phase of the Montpelier competition, a new NGO called the Sustainable Montpelier Coalition is being created.
These tough nuts were tackled head on in the design competition. Some 27 entries produced five finalists, who built their plans around the land use goal Vermont has had on the books for more than a half century. Loosely translated, that policy states that we should build in concentrated settlements surrounded by open countryside. This planning goal has met with varying degrees of success over the decades, helping to reduce sprawl and keep agricultural fields and forests productive. Today we find that this half century-old land use policy, when used faithfully, can achieve yet another end: It can reduce our energy consumption. We could lessen our contribution to climate change, have more enjoyable, convenient, affordable living while dramatically increasing our energy conservation and efficiency, with a smarter, higher density land use pattern in our urban centers.
In anticipation of the implementation phase of the Montpelier competition, a new NGO called the Sustainable Montpelier Coalition is being created. Sustainable Montpelier Coalition’s mission is to bring together a diverse coalition of interests to work with the City Council, Planning Commission, city staff and the many NGOs, like Montpelier Alive, the Senior Center, the Economic Development Council and more, to help ground the winning plan.
As we watch Montpelier blossom with its grassroots activism, become more energy efficient, smarter about where and how to live and save time and money with a variety of mobility options, we will see the emergence of a new clean energy model for the region and beyond, thanks in large part to the power of local volunteers.
While Trump’s short-term policies and the continued inactions of Congress are disheartening, we know that local grassroots activists will trump Washington every time.
