This article addresses Burlington Vermont's history and how they began their journey to use renewable energy sources. To start, a unique source they use is biomass using wood from fallen trees around the area. While using wood for biomass energy may be harmful at the household level their state refinery avoids that problem. There are also regulations behind the wood collected to adhere to sustainable standards. What this city also does to reduce emissions is to be very conscious of what they're using and keeping up with efficiency. By being conscious of what they are using they have expanded while trying to reduce the amount of energy needed to live. Burlington has done this by expanding bike use and reconfiguring heat systems to do more for the city. In the article the author got a quote from a professor of ecological economies in vermont and he said something which should be obvious and is very important “We don’t have a gift from nature of ample sun or mighty winds or powerful rivers, so if we can do it so can others.” This is important to look at because they looked at themselves through a big scope and found out what works best for them. Not every strategy of renewable energy will work everywhere but there are always solutions. Burlington is an excellent success showcase for renewable energy. Providing over 40,000 residents with completely sustainable energy and in some cases having more than enough and being able to sell surplus energy to neighboring states is no small feat. Being the first city in the United States to achieve sustainability and have the goal of net zero emissions this does not only make the city itself more valuable but brings in business as well. Companies with similar mindsets and ambitions can put up shop there and their green goals are actually possible there. By making smart investments and diversifying the sources the energy rates have always been competitive which has allowed them to continuously grow. This is important to my project because it is another example of creatively meeting the energy needs of the area through renewable energy.
Colin Woodard, "America's First All-Renewable-Energy City", contributed by Logan Young, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 25 May 2020, accessed 4 November 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/americas-first-all-renewable-energy-city
Critical Commentary
This article addresses Burlington Vermont's history and how they began their journey to use renewable energy sources. To start, a unique source they use is biomass using wood from fallen trees around the area. While using wood for biomass energy may be harmful at the household level their state refinery avoids that problem. There are also regulations behind the wood collected to adhere to sustainable standards. What this city also does to reduce emissions is to be very conscious of what they're using and keeping up with efficiency. By being conscious of what they are using they have expanded while trying to reduce the amount of energy needed to live. Burlington has done this by expanding bike use and reconfiguring heat systems to do more for the city. In the article the author got a quote from a professor of ecological economies in vermont and he said something which should be obvious and is very important “We don’t have a gift from nature of ample sun or mighty winds or powerful rivers, so if we can do it so can others.” This is important to look at because they looked at themselves through a big scope and found out what works best for them. Not every strategy of renewable energy will work everywhere but there are always solutions. Burlington is an excellent success showcase for renewable energy. Providing over 40,000 residents with completely sustainable energy and in some cases having more than enough and being able to sell surplus energy to neighboring states is no small feat. Being the first city in the United States to achieve sustainability and have the goal of net zero emissions this does not only make the city itself more valuable but brings in business as well. Companies with similar mindsets and ambitions can put up shop there and their green goals are actually possible there. By making smart investments and diversifying the sources the energy rates have always been competitive which has allowed them to continuously grow. This is important to my project because it is another example of creatively meeting the energy needs of the area through renewable energy.