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Semester Report

What will it take to get U-32 to be renewable again? I have been doing my best to answer this
question during my independent study this last semester. I have done countless hours of research and
talked with many people in the community to try and figure out the best route for U-32 to go renewable. I
have talked with VEEP (Vermont Energy Education Program) members Andy Shapiro Mariah Keagy
and Cara Robechek as well as Green Mountain Power representative Lauren Kelley. These people have
helped me see what the best options for our school are and what I can do to help make these options
reality.

Currently our school uses around 2 Megawatts of power annually. Keep in mind that this energy
is not sourced renewably, it is powered by natural gas generators that have very negative effects on our
planet. We need to switch to renewable energy and we need to do it now before our situation gets worse. I
want to work with Efficiency Vermont who according to The Chronicle awarded us as an “Energy Star”
school in 2015 for being in the top 25% of most efficient schools in the U.S. Since we backed out of the
deal we are no longer nearly as efficient as we were previously. Efficiency Vermont does energy audits of
buildings and I believe that an energy audit of our school would be very valuable to highlight where a lot
of our energy goes and force us to think about how we can mitigate usage of energy. Using this data we
can go back to being efficient with our energy and enter a long-term contract with a renewable energy
source.

The first obstacle in our goal of going renewable is money. Money dictates almost everything that
happens at U-32 from teachers being cut to facilities being maintained. Money will be the deal breaker for
convincing the school board to go renewable. Often a question asked is:
“How can you afford to go renewable?”
My answer is:
“How can you afford not to?”
According to the U-32 Middle/High School Budget 2018-2019, the budget for electricity this year is
$182,000. That is a lot of money annually for non-renewably sourced power. In an article about the
previous hydro deal, it was revealed that U-32 saved around $10,000 annually by partaking in a
power-purchase agreement with the Kingsbury Dam in North Montpelier:
“The school saved about 10,000 dollars a year, which is a small fraction in the 15 million dollar
budget”(Robyn Dudley, The Chronicle). I intend to highlight these possible savings to the U-32 School
Board with the help of Green Team to get us back on a renewable contract using a power purchase
agreement similar to the one in which we previously participated.

Ten thousand dollars saved on renewable energy is a lot of money to throw down the drain
especially if the power is not sourced locally and renewably from a reliable source. It was stated in the
article that maybe we have enough money to not care about where our power comes from. This is ​very
bad ​because in our growing expanding world it is our duty to the earth, economy and taxpayers to use
renewable energy and spend less money. Despite the school board’s scrupulous examination of the
budget, this excess of $10,000 annually for the past two years fell through because Bill Kimball dropped
the ball with the Dam. The deal was very good for U-32 and we should have stayed on. We saved around
$10,000 dollars a year which could go to the currently struggling food service:
“‘They would pay us 90% of their savings,” Porter said. “Which would create a 10% savings for them’”
“‘We had a very simple, safe contract,’” says Porter. ‘There was no risk for them’”​(Robbie Porter, The
Chronicle).

Recently Vermont has been exploring different ways to be eco-friendly as a state. Among these
methods of being more renewable and ecofriendly are community education of climate change,
sustainable logging, localized economics/value added products, education of upcoming generations, tax
credits on solar and other renewable energy sources, preserving vast swaths of land to save the wildlife
and much more. Vermont is currently the fourth most energy efficient state in the country according to
ACEEE (American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy). For a rural state without large,
concentrated cities this is quite the accomplishment because public transportation and energy distribution
are limited. Being fourth in the country could also partly be due to the incentives Vermont offers for
renewable energy.

I am currently reading ​Wandering Home​ by Bill McKibben right now and in this book there are
many forward thinking business owners and environmental savants that are passionate about what they do
and have been trying to be more kind to the planet in their work. In the heart of the Green Mountains
there has been legitimate action going into being more green and less wasteful. Since the book had been
written in 2005 this action has done nothing but risen to a movement. These days owning solar panels and
making biogas looks good but the bottom line is that there are still colossal amounts of carbon being
carbon emitted into the atmosphere and we need to reduce our emissions as much as possible by doing
things such as deriving our electricity from a reliable source.

A good way to make change is to educate others about the climate crisis and make an impression
in their lives so that they might be more excited and apt to change they way they use carbon. Bill
McKibben is doing a wonderful job of education through his inspirational writing and do the math video.
Iona Bristol and I are currently writing a newsletter to educate students on what they can do to reduce
waste they put out as well as their carbon footprint. A few things we focused on were recycling,
composting, driving less and using reusable products. These are all very easy things that students can do
day to day that will help mitigate carbon and waste. Hopefully the newsletter inspires students to make a
positive change in their lives and spread the word to others.

Young people such as myself know that a change must be made in the way we use energy and
fossil fuels. We know that we are the ones to make that change and that we can make it by educating
others, showing up to climate rallies, getting renewable energy for our homes, driving fuel efficient
vehicles and encouraging others to do the same. The Vermont Youth Lobby has been instrumental in
giving students a voice to say what needs to be said without the guise of cleverly placed political
statements and useless lobbying. The Youth Lobby has been a voice for the future and has made a true
impression on Vermont Politics. To solve the climate crisis we cannot argue about what is going on. We
need to take deliberate action against fossil fuel companies and make an honest effort to educate young
people. This is why Vermont’s community has been vital to us being the 4th most energy efficient state in
the country because organizations like Efficiency Vermont, VEEP and renewable energy contracts such
as the hydro deal U-32 were part of really making a difference in the world to set a good example for
those who are thinking about going renewable. There is still work to be done here in Vermont but we
have a great head start, we know what needs to be done and now we just need to do it.

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