Of Cows and Carbon: Vermont Leads the Way

Trivia time: Which four of the US states were once independent nations? Hawai’i—check. Texas—Remember the Alamo? California—briefly, before the Gold Rush. And, uh, ummm….Vermont?!? Ayup, Vermont was the “reluctant republic” from 1777 to 1791, when it became the 14th state.

Vermont was pretty sparsely populated then. Still is. The state capital (Montpelier) is the smallest in the nation, and the Green Mountain State's population of 620,000 or so ranks 49th among US states. And with large tracts of forest lands, farms, abundant water, fertile river bottoms, a reasonably agreeable climate (if you ignore Mud Season), and a long tradition of local democracy that breeds a healthy blend of independence and interdependence, Vermont makes a darned good place to transition to a post-carbon world.

Fortunately, some hardy Vermonters are doing just that. Last weekend, Post Carbon Institute stopped by their first-ever meeting of Transition Town leaders: 50 Vermonters from 17 different localities like Putney, Manchester, and the former mining town of Hardwick—the darling of Gourmet, The Town That Food Saved, and Dan Rather(!). Joining the fun were another dozen leaders from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Long-time PCI supporter Carl Etnier (Peak Oil activist and prolific radio host), herbalist Annie McCleary, and naturalist George Lisi led the team of Transition Town organizers--including Barbarina Heyerdahl, Bill Laberge, Kye Cochran, Annie Galliard, Paul Levasseur, Kathryn Blume and others--in hosting this gathering, with an eye toward amplifying the impact of individual transition efforts across Vermont’s 255 towns, cities, and “gores” (don’t ask).

We also met the leaders of the highly successful agricultural education project Shelburne Farms, which has a close relationship with Transition Shelburne, which is led by other friends of PCI, including Ron Miller. Miller, along with other PCI friends, catalyzed Energy Action Now, which is bringing a diverse set of stakeholders together to set Vermont on a path to 100% renewable energy by 2030. That, in turn, should create a more supportive environment for endeavors like AllEarth Renewables, run by PCI supporter David Blittersdorf.

You get the idea: Vermont is the kind of place where neighbors know (and help) neighbors, the scale of change seems manageable, and quite a few transition pieces are already being put into place. Add in progressive and complimentary efforts like a state-wide feed-in tariff for alternative energy, “Cow Power” from six methane digesters, and leaders like PCI Fellows Bill McKibben, Bill Ryerson, and Josh Farley, and Vermont just might have the capacity to take post-carbon living—and living well—to scale.

Sure, Vermont is an outlier in many respects. After all, much of New England is essentially park land, with relatively few extractive or heavily polluting industries, and the region’s demographics and economy don’t reflect the nation as a whole. But Vermont has its challenges as well: long winters, limited crop choices, widely dispersed communities…it’s by no means an ideal location. No place ever is or will be.

But Vermonters are showing how to bloom where they’re planted…well, at least bloom from April to October, and live carefully the rest of the year.

Photo by Deborah Lisman

Reader Comments

1 comments

personal independence

From: Cam Mather, May 31, 2010 09:14 AM

This sounds great, and the best way to be able to help your neighbor out is to have our own house in order first. Making your own home more energy and food independent will help give you the flexibility to be involved with transition communities. "Thriving During Challenging Times, The Energy, Food and Financial Independence Handbook" is a great roadmap to help you cover all the bases and make yourself more resilient. http://www.cammather.com/

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