Among the recent cataclysmic and tragic impacts of this extreme weather is the flooding on a massive scale experienced by Pakistanis in 2022 over a vast land area 3 ½ times the size of Vermont. This antediluvian event threatens the health, safety and survival of more than 15 million people, including 10 million children. Massive international assistance of food and medicine is required to prevent widespread starvation and disease.

Following several years of historically unprecedented draught and fires in California—catalyzed by global warming—the extreme weather pendulum has now swung the other way. According to the Los Angeles Times, recent “megafloods” in early 2023 have killed at least 22 people, knocked out power to 100,000 customers and caused an estimated $1 trillion in damages. 

Vermont is situated in the midst of a large region experiencing some of the most extreme temperature increases in North America as a result of the rising emissions of greenhouse gases. According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), temperatures in Vermont have increased 3°F since 1900, with the last 12 years being the warmest on record. Rainfall now averages 6 inches more per year than it did in 1960. Extreme weather events have also increased in recent decades, vacillating between extended draughts and intense record-setting rainfalls, such as 2011s Tropical Storm Irene and the $700 million in damages and tragic impact on the lives of Vermonters. This trend is expected to continue, bringing with it more frequent and severe storms and warmer winters with fewer days of extreme cold. This winter it was late-January before many parts of Vermont experienced the first significant accumulation of snow. 

How are these meteorological shifts affecting Vermont’s iconic rural activities and drivers of our domestic and tourism-based economies? Consider Vermont’s $50 million plus maple sugaring industry, by which Vermont produces a nation-leading volume of some 2.5 million gallons per year (2022). While modern technologies—such as plastic tubing, vacuum systems and reverse osmosis—have enabled maple sugar-makers to increase the volume of syrup produced, the sap-to-syrup ratio has declined precipitously. Research conducted at farms that have kept detailed records of their maple sugaring operations in the same sugar bushes for a century or more has revealed a dramatic drop in the sugar content of sap by nearly 30 percent since the 1970s—during the exact same span of time when atmospheric temperatures began to rise exponentially. In the 1970’s it took 25 to 30 gallons of raw sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. Nowadays, however, 45 to 50 gallons or more of sap must be processed in order to produce the same yield. This is due to stresses placed on sugar maples by conditions they are experiencing as a result of global warming and other forms of atmospheric pollution. For example, long-term research at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest has revealed that the growth of sugar maples decreases by 40% if their roots are exposed to severe cold when there is no snow pack—a drop in growth that continues for several years. 

Whither Vermont’s fall foliage season, which brings in much of the state’s autumn tourist revenue of $460 million? Says Dr. Barrett Rock—professor emeritus of the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space at the University of New Hampshire, “Serious change in our climate became really noticeable in the mid-1970s, as if a switch had been thrown at that time, including increased temperatures and reduced air quality. Significant changes in forest health also began in the 1970s and all data indicates that it is now occurring at an increasingly rapid rate. This corresponds well with what the climate change models predicted.”

The first hard frosts, which bring out the most vibrant leaf colors, used to occur around the third week in September. But in recent years, these frosts have arrived later. As Rock has observed, “There was a time when Columbus Day was widely recognized for planning a visit to New England for spectacular colors. Now the foliar change may not have even begun by early October, and frost sometimes comes as late as early November.”

Parallel trends have been reported by researchers at the University of Vermont as well as at the Harvard Forest Research Station in Petersham, Massachusetts. Cornell plant biologists found that stress placed on trees due to climate change and other forms of air pollution, such as high ozone levels and acid rain, is causing many leaves to brown off and die without much color change. Leaves are also more prone to being invaded by fungi and bacteria seeking sugar to feed on.

Drought, late-season warmth, and the cloudier days associated with climate change all have the effect of muting autumn leaf colors, which now often progress, as Rock has observed, “from green to pale yellow, followed by leaf fall. Stressed trees have difficulty making anti-fungal compounds, which makes it hard for them to create the beautiful bright colors.”

Vermont’s $1.6 billion ski industry is also feeling the heat, marked recently by surreal warm spells that keep melting and re-melting the snowpack. According to the findings of the Vermont Climate Assessment, depending on the level of carbon emissions in coming years Vermont’s ski season will be foreshortened 2-4 weeks by 2080. With snowmaking machines, most operations manage to generate sufficient snow cover on ski trails despite the paucity of natural snow. Still, the operational changes imposed by climate change—such as running snowmaking machines more frequently—reduce profit margins and increase the impact on aquatic environments due to the need to draw more water to make snow. 

With change being the only constant on the horizon in the coming decades, the future success of Vermont’s traditional sources of seasonal revenue will depend on the state’s ability to adopt and prove resilient in the face of an increasingly warmer climate.

Photo: Michael J. Caduto

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Looking out across the early-December landscape of browns and grays, the fate of our local plants and animals was concerning. At a large farm pond near our house, Canada geese lingered well into December, seemingly oblivious to the cold and despite the scarcity of food. Ravens gleaned the scatterings of cow corn chopped while autumn colors still framed the sky. Phoebes hung around much later than usual, as did the last hummingbirds of the season, which continued to sip nectar from our feeders until September 15—some 10 days later than their usual autumnal departure for points south. Bears continued to feed later than usual, which delayed when they entered their winter dens as well as the onset of the safe period for putting up bird feeders that would not be marauded by our ursine neighbors.

We have a coyote whose habitual nocturnal hunting regimen crosses the lines of our regular perambulations in and around our old farm. I often find fresh coyote scat deposited in the same location each morning. It is clear from the ground up tiny bones and leaden wads of matted fur that this coyote has been subsisting largely on meadow voles; the hunting made easier by a lack of snow.

Long term meteorological data gathered by Appalachian Mountain Club researchers shows that the number of winter days with snow cover has decreased by three weeks during the past century. AMC climate models estimate that, due to global warming, by 2100 the amount of forest lands in the Northeast that are covered by snowpack in midwinter could diminish by 95 percent. Observations during the past sixty years by the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire demonstrate that the depth of the snowpack is also declining. 

When the ground is bare during the winter, plants and animals are largely unprotected from cold damp weather and extreme low temperatures. In his classic book, Life in the Cold, Peter Marchand refers to snow as the “…thermal blanket under which much biological activity takes place during the winter.” Snow cover provides “…the salvation of many plants and animals that depend upon it for protection from the cold.” Because the insulative value of different forms of snow varies, snow needs to be around 20 inches deep on average in order to protect animals living beneath it from the extremes of winter cold swirling above. In all but the most severe cold days, the temperature beneath snow of this depth tends to remain steadily around 32°F. 

Living in this subnivean (under the snow) environment insulates and provides cover from predation. Small mammals, such as mice and voles, who spend their time tunneling beneath the snow in search of food, are fairly well protected from the sharp eyesight and keen hearing of predators, such as the red fox, barred owl and coyote. Snow cover also decreases the damage and die-off of tree roots caused by exposure to extreme cold. Hubbard Brook research has revealed that growth decreases by 40% among sugar maples whose roots are exposed to severe cold when there is no snow pack—a drop that continues for several years. 

An insulating blanket of snow protects the plants and animals beneath from extreme cold temperatures and other severe winter weather, such as freezing rain. Photo: Michael J. Caduto.

Despite the many profound impacts of climate change on the lives of our wild neighbors, we usually focus on the impacts on humankind: melting glaciers and rising sea levels, weather extremes that have become the new meteorological norm, hurricanes that are setting new records for arriving late into autumn, as well as storms noted for their duration and intensity. Witness what is happening to residents of coastal areas who continue to live according to settlement patterns established during weather norms of the past, even while climate change-induced disasters rain down upon them. Along some parts of Florida’s overdeveloped eastern coastline, multitudes of buildings are now abandoned because they have been undermined by catastrophic erosion from recent, record-breaking hurricane-induced tidal surges and accompanying wind and waves. In some parts of southwest Florida, people and wildlife suffered similarly tragic and heartbreaking fates recently when their homes and habitats were wiped out and entire regions made uninhabitable by Hurricane Ian.

As global warming marches on, people, plants and animals are all in the same proverbial boat, riding the ups and downs that come with the waves of change that wash over a warming planet. Those of us who spend much of our personal and professional lives working on education and action that encourages everyone to mitigate their greenhouse gas emissions, and those who are keen observers of the natural world, do not need sensational headlines to remind us what is occurring during this Anthropocene era; the signs are ubiquitous, both in the headline-grabbing events of our climate times, as well as in the multitude of local and gradual changes that pervade our surroundings and impact the lives around us.

Why do so many people care so much about these changes? What motivates us to work toward solutions to climate change? How do we deal with our dystopian nightmares of a warming world, be they during wakeful hours or in the dead of night? Despite the harm that humans have wrought upon the planet by our overuse of resources and sheer numbers, most people sincerely and deeply care about the beauty and awe inspired by the natural world. 

Earth’s celestial dance with the sun has once again passed the inflection point that marks the start of the winter season. Anticipating the promise of longer days, our thoughts turn toward the celebrations of light, life and love. It is a time to reflect upon how the lives we live can be brought into balance with the wondrous world that we have inherited from our forebears, and the tenuous future that we are charting for generations to come. This is our charge, and our gift: to answer the existential call to action and opportunity to fight global warming in order to show all forms of life with whom we share this fragile biosphere just how dearly we hold that love. As snow is our witness.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Visit SustainableWoodstock.org for specific actions and steps you can take in your daily life to fight climate change. “Climate Action” is found under “Get Involved” in the website banner, at this link: https://www.sustainablewoodstock.org/get-involved/climate-action/

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The IREC position is run through TRORC and serves seven towns. In 2022 those towns were Barnard, Sharon, Strafford, Thetford, Woodstock, Norwich and Bradford. Each town has a member on the steering committee, which guides the IREC’s focus. The work of the IREC is to lessen overall energy use, lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and move to renewable generation of electricity, all while seeking long term cost savings. Woodstock joined the IREC program in 2020, the program’s first year, and thanks to the ongoing support of Woodstock residents and the Selectboard, continued its participation in 2021 and 2022. We hope that the town will continue this support in 2023. 

In 2020 Woodstock passed a Climate Emergency and Action Resolution, with a goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. This declaration meant that we as a town were taking this issue seriously and willing to put time, money and energy into solving it; that is the heart of much of the IREC work. As IREC, Geoff completed a municipal GHG emission inventory to understand where the town’s emissions were coming from and track progress towards the town’s net-zero by 2030 goal. Geoff and TRORC also began work to lower GHG emissions in our municipal buildings, developing a proposal to reduce emissions by 12.5% annually by installing new technologies such as heat pumps in municipal buildings and weatherizing. The voters approved the financing for these projects at Town Meeting this past March, and the Select Board will be reviewing the final work scope and pricing proposal at the December 20 meeting. If the proposal is successful, the majority of town buildings would no longer use fossil fuel as a primary heat source.  

Geoff also collaborated with Fire Chief David Green, Efficiency Vermont, and Sustainable Woodstock on the renovations occurring at the Public Safety Facility. The recent work done there is minimizing fossil fuel use at the building through the use of innovative heat pump and thermal storage technology. Efficiency Vermont and Green Mountain Power provided an incentive of over $50,000 to help cover the costs of the energy-efficient, fossil fuel-free equipment. As a result, the town is avoiding over 80% of the emissions that the propane system in the original renovation design would have produced. 

In addition to lowering buildings emissions, The IREC position has also taken action to reduce transportation emissions, which is a high priority in Vermont and the biggest generator of carbon emissions. Geoff facilitated a successful $1.6 million application to the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program with Butler Bus Service and the Windsor Central Supervisory Union. As a result, two all-electric school buses, paid for entirely by the grant, will soon be transporting Woodstock High School students to and from school. The grant will also cover almost all of the cost for new charging infrastructure at the high school to support both the new buses as well as to provide charging for the public.

Lastly, the IREC position has advocated for solar. In collaboration with Sustainable Woodstock, the IREC position worked with Norwich Technologies to secure additional solar net-metering credits to supply the Town of Woodstock, which has an annual savings of around $4,800. This agreement lowers the town’s utility costs, which could support future investments to lower emissions, and supports solar generation in Vermont. Before leaving his role, Geoff and Sustainable Woodstock also began working on siting new community solar arrays in town. This work will continue with the new IREC, provided Woodstock approves funding for the position in 2023.

Woodstock voters have shown again and again that climate action is a priority to our town. The 2020 Woodstock Climate Emergency and Action Resolution is proof of this, as is the recent vote this past March to reduce GHG emissions in our municipal buildings by 12.5% annually through weatherizing and installing new technologies such as heat pumps. With your support, we hope to continue this important climate work with the invaluable help of the IREC position.

Bluebird Vision 2020 Electric Bus. This untouched photo is used under the Creative Commons License 4.0. UniversityRailroad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

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Sustainable Woodstock’s focus on community resilience in response to global climate change is catalyzed by the pressing need to ensure that residents of Woodstock, the surrounding towns and the Upper Valley region are able to find sustenance, health and safety—the necessities that individuals and communities need to achieve their full potential. To these ends, Sustainable Woodstock has increased our capacity as a leading local and regional grassroots organization that reaches across social, economic and cultural barriers to promote Sustainable Opportunities for All. We have increased the events and initiatives that provide support and security in regards to food and energy needs for those from all backgrounds and income levels. The links between Earth stewardship, social justice and racial equality are more clear and present than ever before.

2022 Highlights

• Sustainable Woodstock—The Whole Environment: Working with the community to foster Woodstock’s unique legacy of stewardship, sustainability and resilience—yesterday, today and tomorrow. 
• Climate Change Leadership: Producing and partnering on numerous public programs, student and community actions, films, articles, solar energy projects, energy conservation and transportation initiatives and programs, including a Regional Climate Action Plan to curb carbon emissions and mitigate global warming.
• Energy & Transportation Action Group: Collaborating with the Town and Village of Woodstock and the Intermunicipal Regional Energy Coordinator (IREC/Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission) to design and retrofit buildings to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions at considerable savings to Woodstock residents over time.
  • Equal Energy Opportunities for All: Raising $100,000 to implement energy-efficiency improvements & upgraded systems for income-sensitive households—from weatherization to heat pumps.
  • Renewable Energy for All: Promoting the means to make renewable energy affordable for everyone. Partnering with Norwich Solar Technologies, Twin Pines Housing, SEVCA and IREC to plan a solar array to serve low- to moderate-income households. 
  • Window Dressers: Implementing a 2-year project for income-sensitive households in Woodstock and the surrounding towns, making some 450 interior storm window inserts to reduce cold drafts, save energy, lower heating costs and reduce carbon emissions: https://windowdressers.org/
  • eBike Trials: Provided 67 free public eBike trials (to date) to promote low-impact transportation, in partnership with Vital Communities, Local Motion, Norman Williams Public Library and St. James Church.
• Community Gardens & Food Security: Helping to meet the crucial need for sustenance as the root of sustainability for individuals and families. SW expanded our Billings Farm and King Farm community gardens and planted additional food security plots. Our GROW YOUR OWN GARDEN project created 225 beginner gardening kits that were distributed free to income-sensitive households—feeding some 600 people. This year we also funded raised beds at Woodstock’s Riverside Mobile Home Park.
• Natural Resources Projects & Funding: On behalf of the Town and Village of Woodstock, Sustainable Woodstock applied for $280,000 in state funding to implement natural resource projects related to water quality. Procured a project design grant from VT Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) and Watershed United Vermont to mitigate erosion along Barnard Brook (in partnership with the Woodstock Resort Corporation & Billings Farm). Initiated a process—in partnership with the Connecticut River Conservancy, Woodstock Resort and ANR—to remove the three remaining dams restricting fish passage along Kedron Brook.
• Advocacy: SW advocates on the local, regional and statewide level for sustainability and community benefits, ranging from climate change mitigation and community resiliency to quiet alternatives to leaf blowers.
• Upper Valley Partners & Leadership: No town is an island. Sustainable Woodstock has worked on regional sustainability initiatives, educational programs and events in partnership with more than 60 organizations and municipal bodies throughout Woodstock, the Ottauquechee Watershed and the Upper Valley. As a result of SW’s success, residents in Lebanon, Brownsville and Plymouth asked for help with forming organizations to address sustainability and resiliency in their own communities.
• Celebrating the 4th year of partnering with Pentangle Arts on monthly screenings of our Upper Valley Climate Change & Sustainability Film Series—with attendance of over 4,500 people (to date) from  the Upper Valley and beyond, including online viewers from Europe to New Zealand! Inspiring viewers to act on critical environmental and social issues, with generous support from underwriters Mascoma Bank & Vermont Community Foundation, and sponsors Mark D. Knott DDS, Ellaway Property Services, Unicorn and Yankee Bookshop.
• Bridgewater Community Center: SW is in the 4th year of helping to transform the Bridgewater Area Community Center into a resilient, sustainable hub, including the Bridgewater Community Childcare, which opened its doors to children and families in June 2022! During this time, we have spearheaded a successful $100,000 grant from the State of Vermont and National Park Service to restore and weatherize historic windows and install new storm windows throughout, and co-authored a successful $75,000 grant from the Canaday Family Charitable Trust to install energy-efficient systems.
• Completed 7 years of monthly Green Drinks discussions, reaching a growing audience with presentations and discussions on sustainability initiatives in Woodstock, the Upper Valley and beyond—a dynamic venue for networking, public education and collaboration between sustainability and resilience organizations. 
• Weekly Columns: 12+ years of writing weekly columns for the Vermont Standard. (A special thanks to the Vermont Standard staff!)
• Community Recycling: At SW’s Annual Recycling Day, on October 15, 2022, participants recycled nearly 11,000 pounds of used electronics, and 5,000 pounds of documents. Forest Carbon Action Group: Marking 4 years of leadership educating foresters and landowners about managing forest carbon to mitigate climate change. Published a 24×36 full-color Family Forest Carbon Poster with Northam Forest Carbon. 

Sustainable Woodstock is honored and grateful for the energy, enthusiasm and hard work of our dedicated volunteers—and for the incredible generosity of our supporters—all of whom make it possible to accomplish so much on behalf of our communities and the environment. Thank you!

Photo caption & credit: A sampling of harvests from Sustainable Woodstock’s Community Garden at Billings Farm that were donated to the Woodstock Community Food Shelf. (Photo: Amy Wheeler/Sustainable Woodstock)

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Scientists predict that, as climate change worsens, so will the intensity of hurricanes. In order to form, hurricanes need warm ocean water, moist air, vertical wind shear (change in wind speed as you travel upwards in the atmosphere), and a pre-existing disturbance like a cluster of thunderstorms. The combination of these four ingredients, according to NASA, is what makes the perfect storm, so to speak. In a world warmed by climate change there is more moisture in the atmosphere. Think of a pot of water put on the stove to boil– as the water gradually heats more water vapor escapes into the air in the form of steam. According to NOAA, temperatures in some parts of the Caribbean hovered around 90 degrees (more than 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than usual) as Hurricane Ian was forming, and these unusually warm waters were at least in part responsible for the intensity of the hurricane.

According to scientists, while the frequency of hurricanes and storms is not increasing, the intensity of hurricanes is, and will continue to worsen due to climate change. In the past few years there have been multiple storms that, like Ian, rapidly intensified before making landfall. Rapid intensification occurs when a tropical cyclone’s maximum sustained winds increase by at least 35 mph in a 24-hour period (tropical cyclones are what can become hurricanes). It was once unusual for storms to keep strengthening until landfall, but there are roughly 25 percent more rapidly intensifying storms in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific now than 40 years ago. Noru, which recently hit the Philippines, was one of the most rapid storm intensifications that scientists have ever seen before: the storm’s winds accelerated from 50 miles per hour to 155 miles per hour within a day.

In addition to increasing intensity, research shows that hurricanes are now moving more slowly. This might sound like a good thing, but is far from positive; when hurricanes move slowly, they have the opportunity to drop more rain. The mechanism causing this slowdown is still being debated, but the effects are devastating. 

Sea level rise will also increase the severity of hurricanes, making storm surge flooding even worse for coastal communities. Sea level is predicted to rise 1-12 inches in the next 30 years and anywhere from 2-7 feet by the end of the century, depending on our future greenhouse gas emissions. Rising sea levels will push flooding further inland, causing even more destruction.

As we ride out the rest of hurricane season it is important to acknowledge that hurricanes do not affect everyone equally. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and low-income people are at a disproportionate risk of hurricanes. These communities are more likely to live in neighborhoods with poor housing stock that are vulnerable to damage from natural disasters. When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans communities of color were the most impacted and were more likely to be below sea level. Additionally, though New Orleans called for mandatory evacuation, many low-income residents had no way of leaving the city or lacked the funds to do so; a 2011 study determined that 93% of those stranded in the days following the storm were Black. We continue to see these trends as more hurricanes hit, and it is indicative of an environmental justice problem. Environmental justice seeks to address the disproportionate exposure of historically marginalized communities to environmental harms. We see again and again how disadvantaged communities are the most impacted by climate change, and hurricanes are often a prime example.

It is essential that we curb our carbon emissions now to prevent worse disasters down the line. Cutting emissions would minimize sea level rise, helping to prevent higher flood levels. This would also help preserve coastal wetlands such as the Everglades, which are biologically diverse and fragile ecosystems. Lastly, cutting our carbon pollution would be a way to address environmental justice concerns so that the most historically marginalized and vulnerable people don’t continue to bear the brunt of the climate crisis.

What can you do?

• Donate to the American Red Cross.
• To help victims of hurricane Ian, donate to Feeding Florida, Florida Disaster Fund, and many more.
• To help those impacted by Hurricane Fiona, donate to orgs such as Brigada Solidaria del Oeste or Global Giving’s Hurricane Fiona Relief Fund. 
• Take steps to reduce your carbon emissions.

The post How Climate Change is Changing Hurricane Season appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

Climate change is a real existential threat, in the midst of which it is crucial that we each find some sense of balance between concern, taking action and still being able to appreciate and enjoy each day. That said, many people have trouble enjoying even routine daily activities and recreational pursuits because they feel guilt that such activities could contribute to climate change, often experiencing grief over what has come to pass, and anguish over what they anticipate is still to come.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, one out of every two residents of the U.S. expressed concern over the impact that climate change is having on their mental health. The number of patients seeking therapy for issues related to climate anxiety has grown significantly. A recent book by Dr. Britt Wray, who holds a Ph.D. in Science Communication, is about how to maintain and sustain oneself in the midst of the long-term challenges presented by climate change: Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis.

Our struggle to adapt to a constantly changing world, and the information flooding in with each new wave of the news cycle, frequently centers on tension between our survival instincts and our more resilient, adaptive behaviors. The threats, both real and perceived, presented by global warming are regularly triggering the kinds of fight-or-flight feelings that arise in the region of the brain located near the spinal cord. After some years now of dealing with the survival brain’s responses to the environmental, social, economic and political challenges that we face due to climate change (and the coronavirus pandemic), many are experiencing a heightened sense of anxiety and all manner of coping behaviors, most of which are neither healthy nor helpful for actually, well…coping. 

Meanwhile, the higher-functioning part of our brain, the prefrontal cortex—which is located behind the eyes and forehead—is constantly trying to digest the news we’re receiving each day.  This part of our brain helps us to absorb new information and react accordingly, based on what has worked constructively in our previous experience. But this rational footing is not able to find traction when forced to navigate the constantly shifting sands of the global-warming news cycle. As a result, many of us have become caught in a negative feedback loop of anxiety caused by our brain’s inability to chart a predictable path forward in the midst of long-term uncertainty. As neuroscientist Judson Brewer points out in his excellent book Unwinding Anxiety, when fear and uncertainty overwhelm our brains, our rational thinking starts to break down and irrational behaviors take over. Sound familiar? Chocolate, anyone?

According to Brewer, when we focus on this dynamic between our survival instincts and our higher-level rational thinking—becoming more aware of what is causing our anxieties—we are then in a better place to step back from impulsive behaviors and choose to make wise choices. We can detach from reactive thoughts and actions and instead chart a path forward that is rational, healthy and even calming.

Taking this road to rationality will better enable us to endure and take good care of ourselves and those we love, even in the midst of climate change angst. There’s a reason that airplane passengers are directed to put on their own oxygen masks first, before assisting others: We need see to our own needs in order to be available to take care of others. It is important to be able to step back from heated discussions about climate change (pun intended) and tend to the fundamentals of good health care during these times: eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep and seeking emotional support by all means safe and available (interpersonal and digital).

Focusing full-time on climate-change related issues can be demobilizing. Even on a warming planet, we all need to make time to count our blessings and find joy in life. By relying on well-informed, steady, methodical planning to fight climate change, we are making progress. And perhaps the best way of all to cope with our own anxieties is to reach outside of ourselves and do something good for those in need, and for the health of the planet. Our salvation lies in appreciating what we have, and deriving satisfaction from the act of helping others.

Watching a monarch butterfly emerge from its chrysalis is a late-summer balm for the soul. You can also plant milkweed to start a monarch waystation for future generations. Monarchs were recently declared endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Photo: Michael J. Caduto

• Become empowered by taking meaningful action to contribute to efforts to fight climate change, such as those suggested online by the Environmental Defense Fund: https://www.edf.org/you-are-not-alone-we-deal-climate-anxiety-too
• Seek counseling if you’re finding that climate anxiety, grief or other related thoughts and feelings are impacting your emotional state and mental health. 
• Support individuals and organizations who are actively working toward eco-justice for those who are being most heavily impacted by climate change, including residents of income-challenged communities and countries who contribute the least to greenhouse gas emissions but often suffer the greatest impacts of climate change, as well as indigenous peoples who have a long history of being treated unjustly. 

The post Living Well in the Age of Climate Change appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

A 2019 U.S. Department of Transportation report estimated that Vermonters consume over 5 MILLION gallons of gasoline on lawn care every year, which is associated with the release of over 100 MILLION pounds of CO2. And this doesn’t even include all the diesel-powered “commercial” lawn mowers operated within the public and private sectors.

A typical “commercial” gas-powered riding mower can consume 1 gal of gas per hour. And since burning 1 gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel releases roughly 20 pounds of CO2, each of these commercial riding mowers operated for 600-1,000 hours over Vermont’s roughly five month growing season consumes between 600-1,000 gallons of fuel, which generates between 12,000-20,000 pounds (6-10 tons!) of CO2.  For comparison, a car that’s driven for 12,000 miles per year and averages 30 mpg, consumes 400 gallons of gas, generating around 4 tons of CO2.

In contrast, a typical commercial battery-electric riding mower consumes roughly 3 kilowatt hours (kWh) per hour of operation, and in Vermont, the generation and distribution of 1 kWh electricity is associated with the release of roughly 0.26 pounds of CO2. So, when a commercial E-mower is operated for the same 600-1,000 hours, it consumes between 1,800-3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, which is associated with the release of only 468-780 pounds of CO2, which is about 25 times LESS CO2 emissions than a gas-powered riding mower operated for the same amount of time.

Residential gas-powered walk-behind mowers have smaller engines, but they’re inefficient and therefore burn .5 to .75 gallons of fuel per hour, which in-turn releases 10-15 pounds of CO2 per hour. This means that for every 1,000 residential gas-powered walk-behind mowers operating in Vermont, they’re collectively releasing 10,000-15,000 pounds (5-8 tons) of CO2 per hour, in addition to lots of smog-forming exhaust emissions.  Gas-powered yard tools are another major source of GHG emissions, noise, and air pollution.  

The good news is that switching to battery-electric lawn care equipment for homeowners and renters is now easier than ever because this equipment is relatively similar in price to gas-powered equipment, there’s a large variety of brands and models to choose from, and all of Vermont’s electric utilities offer valuable rebates.  

Although there’s currently only four manufacturers of commercial E-riding mowers, the market is clearly moving in the direction of electric.  And while commercial E-riding mowers are significantly more expensive than gas or diesel-powered riding mowers due to the large battery capacities required to provide “all-day” run times, the rebates offered by Vermont’s utility companies for commercial riding mowers are also significantly higher than the rebates for residential E-walk behind mowers.  

Another reason for its growing popularity is that the cost of ownership, or the “life-cycle” costs for both residential and commercial E-mowers is a lot less than gas-powered equipment. This is due to the lower cost of electricity compared to fossil fuel, and much lower maintenance and repair costs.  For example, the cost savings for commercial E-riding mowers is typically $4 to $7/hour, which results in savings of between $2,500 to $7,000 per year per mower, depending on the number of operating hours.   

E-lawn equipment is also a lot more convenient because there’s no need to transport and store gas, it doesn’t require oil changes and tune-ups, is a lot quieter, and has zero tailpipe emissions.

For all these reasons, thousands of Vermont homeowners and renters have begun making this switch, as well as larger entities such as Shelburne Farms; the city of Burlington Parks and Recreation Department; the Town of Enosburg Falls, the Burlington Airport, and the University of Vermont. 

The Ten Stones Homeowners Association in Charlotte is now in its third season using an E-riding mower to maintain about 6 acres of private lawns, green space, a community garden, and walking trails. In addition to appreciating the reduced noise and lack of tailpipe emissions, the Association is also saving approximately $1,000 per year compared to the cost of operating a diesel-powered mower. 

While there are also now about a dozen lawn care contractors in Vermont offering e-lawn care services, there are still hundreds of other contractors still using gas-powered equipment, as are the majority of homeowners and renters, municipalities, public schools, colleges and university campuses, museums, state parks and historic sites, resorts, golf courses, etc.

To help encourage the transition to E-lawn equipment within the public and private sectors, since 2016 the Mow Electric! Campaign has been collaborating with the state’s electric utility companies, the Vermont Clean Cities Coalition, town energy committees, citizen advocates, equipment vendors, elected representatives, and others. 

The Mow Electric! website supports this work by providing links to utility incentives or rebates, lists of E-lawn equipment mowers, interactive “life-cycle costs and CO2 emissions comparison” spreadsheets, a list of E-mowing contractors, and lots of other resources. All Vermonters are invited to help encourage this necessary and important transition.

Steven Wisbaum, founder of the Mow Electric! campaign, mowing with the Ten Stones Village Association’s battery electric zero-turn “commercial” lawn mower. Photo by Satchel Blood.

The post E-lawncare Movement Gains Momentum appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

The climate and energy bill aims to reduce national carbon emissions 40% by 2030. A collaboration of researchers led by energy modellers at Princeton University estimates that, by 2030, actions supported by the bill would advance the U.S. two-thirds of the way toward meeting its climate goals, reducing national emissions by the equivalent of one billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. In addition, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, through 2031 the bill will net about $300 billion in revenue and will reduce federal deficits by $305 billion, all while decreasing net taxes by roughly $2 billion per year.

As written, the key climate and energy provisions of the bill would:

• Increase the availability and affordability of electric vehicles and EV chargers;
• increase the availability and lower the cost of renewable energy to households, including solar panels and heat pumps;
• extend by ten years the available tax credits for renewable energy, including solar and wind;
• increase renewable energy production in the U.S.;
• ramp up production of batteries and computer chips critical to producing EV’s and other electric-based systems and equipment;
• impose fees on methane emissions resulting from the production of oil and gas;
• allocate $60 billion to aid disadvantaged communities where most of our polluting infrastructure is situated, and who face the highest risk of flooding and other damage due to climate change.

Considering that more than 40% of the recent rise in inflation is due to the increased cost of fossil fuels, these initiatives would have an outsized impact on decreasing the proportion of household budgets paying for energy costs. Over 100 million households would see their energy costs decrease, especially among those who install heat pumps and who switch to electric water heaters and furnaces. (As more and more of our electricity is produced from renewable sources, switching to electrical appliances and systems gradually reduces greenhouse gas emissions.)

Significantly, the bill would do away with the cap on the number of EV’s that vehicle producers can sell by offering a $7,500 tax break to buyers of new cars, which would remain available through 2032. A ground-breaking tax incentive of up to $4,000 would be offered to those purchasing used EV’s. These tax credits will help to make EV’s more affordable for low- to moderate-income households who would not have otherwise been able to afford to purchase an EV, with an income-eligibility limit of $150,000 for couples and $75,000 for individuals. (According to the New York Times, the average cost of an EV is now $60,000.) Vehicles manufactured outside of the United States would not qualify for the tax credits, while those made in the U.S. (by any manufacturer) would qualify.

The impact of passage of this bill would be even more far-reaching when considering the $280 billion bill that has already been passed by the House and Senate to subsidize U.S. production of semiconductors (including computer chips), which have been in critically short supply since the start of the pandemic, thus limiting production numbers and raising the cost of EV’s across the auto industry.

As with most Federal bills of this size and scope, the climate and energy legislation comes with significant Faustian concessions to fossil fuel companies, including tax credits for controversial carbon capture technology and new leases for exploring carbon fuel sources in federal waters and lands. If there is any silver lining, it’s that the other provisions of the bill that support renewable energy and fight climate change will contribute to a reduced demand for fossil fuels over time, thus decreasing carbon emissions and both the need and value of leases.

As of this writing, all 50 democrats in the Senate have expressed their support for  the climate and energy bill. If Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough approves the bill for reconciliation (thus eliminating the possibility of having the bill blocked by a filibuster), the bill could pass the Senate within a few weeks.

The 2022 climate and energy bill supports the installation of EV charging stations in disadvantaged communities. The station shown here is located at Woodstock’s East End Park. Photo: Michael J. Caduto.

What you can do:

• Click here to contact Senators Patrick Leahy and Berny Sanders to express support for the climate and energy bill.
• Click here to contact Representative Peter Welch to express support for the climate and energy bill.
• Contact your legislators at the Vermont Statehouse to encourage strong actions on mitigating climate change: https://legislature.vermont.gov/people/
• Encourage local government officials to push for net-zero energy standards on all municipal buildings that are being newly-built or renovated in the future.

The post Hope on the Horizon in Federal Climate & Energy Bill appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

It wasn’t long ago when we listened for decisions rendered by the Supreme Court of the United States with hope that the court’s rulings would reflect justice for all, and a jurisprudence imbued with compassion and concern for the greater good. This hope now seems misplaced, if not quaint, in light of last month’s Supreme Court ruling on West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency. By rendering this retrograde decision the court abrogated any semblance of impartiality in the fight against climate change.

The court’s ruling on West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency restricts the authority of the EPA and other governmental agencies to limit carbon emissions in a “generational shifting way” unless Congress votes explicitly to support such action. This means that Congressional action is now needed to undo what the Supreme Court did, and to restore the government’s authority to enact and enforce regulations designed to reduce carbon emissions. Even though the EPA hasn’t been doing all that it could to reduce carbon emissions, as mandated under the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, the court’s ruling still represents a paradigm shift by reducing how effective and powerful the government can be going forward in its fight against climate change.

This and other recent decisions by the Supreme Court drives a point home that has become increasingly clear in recent times: The burden to be good stewards of the environment, and to care for the most vulnerable members of our society, falls increasingly to every individual, household, community and state. Never in our lifetimes has the well-being of the nation rested so heavily, and palpably, on our collective shoulders.

 In the documentary YOUTH v GOV—which was recently screened by Sustainable Woodstock and Pentangle Arts as part of our Climate Change and Sustainability film series—research findings make it painfully clear that the U.S. government is also complicit, having known for two generations about climate change and its potentially devastating impacts on people and the planet. Despite decades of ostensibly climate-friendly policies that were passed, and public proclamations about Federal commitments to fight climate change, behind the scenes it was often business as usual: supporting the fossil fuel industry. The facts behind this compelling and astounding account can be read in They Knew: The US Federal Government’s Fifty-Year Role in Causing the Climate Crisis by James Gustave Speth. (Stafford resident “Gus” Speth is a Fellow and former Professor of Law at Vermont Law School, and co-founded the Natural Resources Defense Council.) In this context, the July 28, 2022 agreement among Democrats in the US Senate to support a spending package that contains major initiatives to fight climate change, including $369 billion in climate and energy investments, offers a glimmer of hope for action to emerge at the Federal level.   

Still, the overriding existential question that each of us now has to answer can be found in the often cited call to action that President John F. Kennedy posed during his 1961 inaugural address: “Ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.” Although Kennedy’s call to action was intended to inspire a sense of national engagement, rather than to highlight the U.S. government’s failure to date to meet its obligations toward its citizens and the planet, it is eerily prescient in light of where our country stands today.

On a global scale—from Greta Thunberg to Xiuhtezcatl Martinez—youth activists are leading the way in the fight against climate change and the interrelated issues of injustice and inequality. Unless we, too, act with immediacy and urgency, Earth will soon cross the rubicon beyond which there is no turning back in the advance of global warming. At this critical juncture in the history of the planet, We The People are the bulwark against a rapidly warming climate. We now represent the last, best hope in our fight against climate change. 

The documentary film YOUTH v GOV recently screened in the Climate Change and Sustainability Film Series.

What Can You Do?

• Initiate and support climate change mitigation initiatives in your local community, government, region and state.
• Write your representatives in the US Congress, and at the Vermont Statehouse, to let them know you support legislation that will empower government agencies to enact, enforce and implement strong and immediate action on climate change.
• Help Sustainable Woodstock’s Energy and Transportation Action Group, and our Intermunicipal Regional Energy Coordinator (Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission), in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change in Woodstock, the neighboring towns and the Upper Valley, including the ongoing development of a Regional Climate Action Plan.
• Read the Vermont Standard “My Turn” column for a detailed list of “What You Can Do about Climate Change” in your daily life. (p.2D, October 7, 2021)

The post At the Climate-Change Rubicon appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

Climate change is causing rising temperatures. The 10 warmest years on record have all occurred since 2005, and 7 of the 10 have occurred just since 2014. Temperature change is not happening evenly across the globe–the northeast region of the country is the fastest-warming area of the contiguous United States and is warming at a rate 50% greater than the global average. Vermonters are already feeling changes on the ground, and these changes are affecting our health. 

The heat index is a measure of how hot it really feels when relative humidity is factored into the actual air temperature. For example, if the air temperature is 90°F and the relative humidity is 65%, the heat index – how hot it feels – is 103°F. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) heat index shows the likelihood of heat disorders with prolonged exposure and/or strenuous activity. Exposure to high temperatures, especially when combined with high humidity, limits the body’s ability to thermoregulate, or keep its internal temperature within healthy boundaries. When our bodies fail to thermoregulate, this causes heat-related illness including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. Exposure to extreme heat can also amplify existing conditions.

Some populations are at greater risk of death from exposure to extreme heat, including the sick, elderly, disabled, homeless and displaced, children, and outdoor/manual laborers. Low-income people are also more at risk because they are often concentrated in urban heat islands, which occur when cities replace natural vegetation with concrete, pavement, buildings, and other surfaces that absorb heat. Low-income people are also less likely to be able to afford to an air conditioner or heat pump. In the US, it is well-documented that environmental burdens are overwhelmingly placed on low-income communities and communities of color. This means that risk of heat-related illness is a good example of an environmental justice issue, where low-income people and/or people of color are disproportionately at risk of climate-related ills.

Warmer weather does not only cause heat-related illness, but also increases the risk of a host of other health risks to humans. Ticks love warm weather, and climate change is making Vermont winters shorter and warmer. Ticks are not active when the temperature falls below freezing so, as winters warm, tick activity increases and the season when they are active lengthens. This means more opportunities for humans and other animals to come into contact with them. This warmer weather also means that mosquitos are active earlier in the spring and later into the fall. Warmer weather also causes waterbodies like lakes and ponds to become warmer and more stratified, meaning the shallower layers are much warmer and do not mix with cooler layers below. This causes cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms, which release toxins harmful to humans and animals. 

When we think about climate change we often think about the possible future effects, which can make it easy to miss the effects of climate change that are already here in plain sight. Increased temperatures are one of those effects that we are all dealing with, and that will be more and more important in the coming decades. Temperature change is a dangerous reminder that we must act now on climate, or suffer the consequences.

The Heat Index shows how the ambient air temperature feels hotter with higher humidity.  (Credit: National Weather Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

What you can do:

• Take measures to keep your home cool in summer, including weatherizing your home by adding insulation and making your home more energy efficient. This will help keep your home cool in the summer, since there will be more of a barrier to the heat.
• Invest in shades for your windows, particularly for southern-facing windows. Blackout thermal shades are best, and can be used in the winter to keep heat in, but less-expensive alternatives will also help.
• Consider switching your ac unit out for a heat pump. Heat pumps use electricity to cool and dehumidify in the summer and to heat the house in the winter. Heat pumps are much more efficient than air conditioners.

The post Rising Temperatures and Human Health appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.