In 2009 alone, the military consumed some 375,000 barrels of oil per day, more than three-quarters of all other countries on the planet. To put that in perspective, Nigeria — with a population of more than 140 million — consumes about the same amount.

During the decades of cheap fuel and easy access, feeding this complex system spread over 820 global installations was of little concern. In today’s economic climate, however, the Department of Defense (DoD) has had to adapt its energy strategy.

“The stakes could not be higher,” Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a statement earlier this year. “Energy reform will make us better fighters. In the end, it is a matter of energy independence and it is a matter of national security. Our dependence on foreign sources of petroleum makes us vulnerable in too many ways.”

According to a recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the DoD is taking aim at its annual $15 billion energy budget with a focus on efficiency and development of renewable, clean fuels — three areas that are pivotal in the race to create a more efficient fighting force and strengthen America’s energy independence.

THE AGE OF DOMESTIC BIOFUELS

As the world’s largest single consumer of liquid fuels, the DoD is taking ambitious steps to source alternatives. The Obama administration recently announced a joint partnership between private-sector companies, the Department of Agriculture, U.S. Navy, and the Department of Energy to invest $510 million in biofuel production over three years.

Both the Navy and Air Force (the latter consuming over 60 percent of DoD fuel) are experimenting with biofuel alternatives based on algae and a weedy plant called camelina. Studies have shown camelina-based jet fuel to reduce net carbon emissions from planes by almost 80 percent.

Unfortunately, current biofuels production is meager compared to what the military or commercial industries might one day demand. The government’s investment in the sector could be the impetus needed to turn it from fledgling to a serious player in the country’s energy portfolio.

“Military use of advanced biofuels could in turn validate emerging technologies and unlock private investment in future advanced biofuels production for civilian markets,” said one industry executive.

General expectations are high. The Air Force is calling for 50 percent of its domestic aviation needs to be satisfied with biofuels by 2016. The Navy’s plans are similar, with a 50 percent alternative energy mix by 2020—as well as a massive fossil-fuel independent “ Green Strike Carrier Group” by 2016.

As an example of just how valuable the U.S. biofuel market will be, the Navy alone estimates it will require a staggering 336 million gallons of biofuel annually by 2020. The division currently uses less than 300,000 gallons.

E IS FOR EFFICIENCY

As with the private sector, improvements in efficiency — from bases to vehicles — is an immediate and affordable way to dramatically cut energy consumption. According to the Pew report, a DoD decision to insulate 9 million square feet of temporary structures resulted in a daily fuel savings of more than 77,000 gallons.

The greatest argument for pursuing a more efficient military, however, can be made for the amount of lives it will save. Eighty percent of the supply convoys in Iraq and Afghanistan are fuel trucks — with over 3,000 American soldiers and contractors killed in attacks associated with fuel delivery between 2003 and 2007.

“Our adversaries are increasingly employing asymmetric tactics and energy can be a soft target,” Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn said at a Pentagon briefing last summer.

To date, the Air Force has implemented changes that include more efficient flight routes, increased use of advanced flight simulators, and development of new turbine engines that offer a 25 percent boost in energy savings.

On the ground and sea, research and development of hybrid and electric vehicles and ships is being aggressively pursued, with an eye in particular on the DoD’s fleet of over 200,000 non-tactical vehicles.

In June 2011, the Department issued a request for information from all players in the electric vehicle sector for proposals and ideas on how to deploy EVs at a cost that is competitive with internal combustion engine vehicles. Gains here will eventually make huge waves in the commercial EV industry and offer tremendous savings on fuel and delivery.

RENEWABLE SOLUTIONS

Perhaps the closest ties between the DoD and the private cleantech sector come through collaborations on sustainable sources of energy. As of April 2010, over 450 renewable initiatives (including solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass) were in use or being developed on military bases.

The shift towards sustainable sources has as much to do with security as it does with budget and autonomy. With the DoD’s heavy reliance on civilian utilities comes increased risk from interruptions due to natural disasters or terrorist attacks.

Investments in microgrids, which act as self-contained islands of clean energy generation and storage, are an ideal contingency plan. “We know this technology can save fuel and maintenance time for our deployed forces,” said Brigadier General N. Lee S. Price. “Through this project, we can obtain reliable data on these benefits — and lay the groundwork for successful use of microgrids in theater.”

Solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies make up the majority of the DoD renewable energy installations and are a focal point of investment.

In September of 2011, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the largest domestic residential rooftop solar project in history: a $334M loan to solar power provider SolarCity that will provide “up to 160,000 rooftop solar installations on top of privately run military housing complexes at 124 military bases across 34 states.” Large scale solar projects are also in development across the U.S. — including a 500-MW solar concentrator project at Fort Irwin in California.

SHOW AND TELL

Since March 2010, the DoD has held an annual ExFOB(Experimental Forward Operating Base) event offering private companies an opportunity to show off their latest advancements in “expeditionary energy capabilities.” The primary purpose of these demonstrations is to evaluate and eventually test products that can produce a more self-sufficient and mobile strike force.

According to the Pew report, up to 20 percent of a soldier’s 70- to 90-pound pack consists solely of batteries. Products such as high-efficiency solar mats, next-generation lithium batteries, and fuel cells can all make a difference.

“We view ourselves as a target-rich environment,” Secretary of the Army John McHugh said. “This is the right thing to do for the environment, for the taxpayer and, most important, the right thing to do for our soldiers.”

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com

MONTPELIER. Feb. 2, 2012. On March 21st citizens from across Vermont will participate in the state’s first “crowd-sourced” film on Vermont Energy Independence Day. This is a film project about everyday acts of carpooling, insulating an attic, changing a lightbulb, or buying local. It’s also about sweeping changes found in Vermont’s homegrown renewable energy industry, the new comprehensive state energy plan, and grassroots actions of 100 town energy committees.

Anyone with a camera and image to share of Vermont’s energy transition can participate. Video clips uploaded to a YouTube channel will be organized and edited into a feature length film by Bright Blue EcoMedia.

“Crowd-sourced films are part of the rapidly changing world of digital information and storytelling,” says Vic Guadagno, Director and Producer. “The world is changing, and social media and video storytelling is driving this transition. We’ll weave together one cohesive story, as told by hundreds of individuals. We are encouraging café’s to become Community Story Centers with musical events so Vermont musicians can create the soundtrack”.

Schools, towns, businesses, and other groups are signing up to film their energy stories, host energy independence events, and network via Facebook and other social media sites leading up to March 21st.

“Vermont is emerging as a global leader in the inevitable transition away from nonrenewable energy resources, and towards a more decentralized, renewable, safe energy future.” says Executive Producer Jon Erickson, Professor and Managing Director of the University of Vermont’s Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. “We hope to capture the diversity of ideas needed to achieve greater independence, and show the world what one small state can do.”

Erickson’s undergraduate ecological economics class is helping to build a “story corps” to seek out the “must film” energy stories across the state. Bright Blue is also networking with a range of other non-profit groups to recruit participants, including Vermont Natural Resources Council, Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN), 350 Vermont, Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Renewable Energy Vermont, and Vermont Green.

“We have long been interested in helping to make the case for greater energy action by pulling together the stories that will inspire more people to act,” says Johanna Miller of the Vermont Natural Resource Council and coordinator of VECAN. “This film project will help create a common voice, and celebrate the grassroots energy actions sweeping the state.”

The social media campaign and film is being facilitated and produced by Bright Blue EcoMedia, the nonprofit media company that produced the regional Emmy-award winning series “Bloom” (see bloomthemovie.org). Additional information about Vermont Energy Independence Day can be found on the project’s Facebook page (facebook.com/vteid) and website (march21st.org).

Contact Vic Guadagno, Bright Blue EcoMedia
Phone: 303-247-1800  vic@brightbluemedia.org

Contact your Representatives and Senators in support of these important bills.

Energy Disclosure Bill Context
Building Energy Disclosure addresses the inability of the current marketplace to assign a value to energy efficiency in a home or building. Although energy-efficiency improvements have a tangible value in terms of energy savings and reduced annual costs, they are currently invisible in the marketplace because there is no widely used, consistent metric or method for quantifying and disclosing this information (as there is with the MPG sticker on a car). The success and fairness of such disclosure will depend in part on universal use of the same simple scoring method for each property.

S.143 Bill as Introduced

H.497 Bill as Introduced

Hearing Schedule:

The Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee Hearing
10:00 am
Wednesday, Febuary 1, 2012
State House, Room 8 in the State House.

The House Natural Resources and Energy Committee Hearing
10:30 a.m.
Friday, Febuary 3, 2012
State House, Room 41 (top floor, turn right at the top of the stairs)

Contant your Legislator

Vermont State House


115 State Street, Montpelier, VT

Energy Disclosure Legislation Benefits:

Building Energy Disclosure will provide the following direct benefits:

•    Sellers can see the value of their investment in energy efficiency improvements captured in the resale value of their buildings, encouraging investment in such improvements; and
•    Buyers may be able to consider building energy performance and related operational costs as part of their purchase decision, potentially rolling the cost of any needed improvements into long-term mortgage financing at the time of purchase.

Building Energy Disclosure will also provide the following indirect benefits:

•    Lending institutions will have a reliable method for considering energy costs as part of their underwriting criteria;
•    Appraisers will have a tool for incorporating energy performance into building valuation; and
•    Contractors will see an increase in demand for energy efficiency improvements due to their value in the marketplace, supporting job creation and economic development.

Building Energy Disclosure will also provide the following statewide benefits:

•    It will help Vermont meet our statutory goal to improve the energy efficiency of 25% of our housing stock (or 80,000 homes) by 2020, saving Vermonters money and reducing greenhouse gases.

~ solution-oriented conversations with innovative sustainability practitioners over snacks and refreshments ~

Friday, February 3:
“Taking Sustainability Literally”
3-4:30 pm – Fairchild Tower Lobby, Dartmouth College

featuring: Mark McElroy – author, Corporate Sustainability Management
Jed Davis ’83, T’85 – Director of Sustainability, Cabot Creamery

_________________________________

This inaugural Sustainability Solutions Café will explore the challenge of incorporating multiple dimensions of sustainability assessment into modern business practice without resorting to meaningless corporate “green-washing”.

Come participate in café-style small group discussions, initiated and framed by Mark McElroy’s concepts of vital capitals and context-based sustainability metrics.  Cabot Creamery Director of Sustainability, Jed Davis ’83, T’85, will share how his company has used such metrics to “take sustainability literally” to the benefit of the their bottom line, employees, customers, and the environment. For more on this topic, see http://www.sustainableorganizations.org/ and a copy of Corporate Sustainability Management on reserve at  Kresge Library.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow evening at the joint legislative hearing on energy!

When: Feb. 2, 2012 •  6 to 8 p.m.

Where:  Room 11 at the State House in Montpelier.

This is a unique opportunity, and it’s really great that there are many of you planning to attend.

We wanted to follow up with some important logistics and more information, especially for those of you planning to testify.

1. First, don’t miss the chance to have fun and connect with each other at an informal gathering from 5-6 p.m. in Room 10 (across the hall from Room 11). Please come a little early, enjoy some snacks, get caught up with other fantastic energy committee leaders and talk about what’s happening under the Golden Dome.
2. Second, for those of you on the agenda to testify, please know that you will have limited time, 3-5 minutes max. The hearing is only two hours long and lawmakers hope to leave room for discussion at the end. Please keep your comments focused. One suggestion: Pick one or two of your greatest success stories to date and then let them know your ideas of policies, programs or projects you would like them to support or consider to further advance your work at the local level. Again, being concise and as specific as possible would be helpful.
3. Lastly, there is a lot happening on energy issues right now at the State House.  Here’s a quick update on a few of the big issues…

§  The House Natural Resources and Energy Committee is considering a bill – H.468 – that would create a mandatory Renewable Portfolio Standard for Vermont. An RPS is a market-based tool that could help catalyze far more renewable generation in Vermont, in the region and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the current draft of the RPS bill there is also a provision that would expand Vermont’s successful Standard Offer program, which helps create needed financial incentives for moving small-scale, distributed generation renewable projects forward in Vermont. Many advocates contend that if Vermont is serious about advancing renewables in the state and in the region, a mandatory RPS is essential. Check out VNRC’s Testimony on the RPS to learn more here: http://www.vnrc.org/program-initiatives/education-and-advocacy/vnrc-rps-testimony-january-2012/
§  The House and Senate are considering bills that would require the disclosure of the energy fitness of a home before it’s sold. These bills are aimed at transparency and consumer protection and could result in some important benefits, such as stimulating efficiency investments via the marketplace, creating Vermont jobs and helping meet the state’s energy efficiency goals. Find out far more about this issue and read the House bill here: http://www.vnrc.org/about-vnrc/update-on-building-energy-disclosure-working-group/
§  Also, with federal ARRA funds drying up and an ongoing need to improve the efficiency of Vermont’s homes, especially for low-income Vermonters, finding an ongoing funding source for weatherization in Vermont is key. There is a conversation underway at the State House about how to fund this important work. Increasing the state’s ‘gross receipts tax’ is one option some are considering. Read far more about this important issue, why it matters and thoughts on a potential funding source here: http://www.vnrc.org/program-initiatives/education-and-advocacy/a-quick-summary-of-vermont-s-weatherization-program/
§  The House passed a bill — H.475 — that makes important changes to Vermont’s net-metering law. It’s expected to make it through the full Legislature fairly easily. Stay tuned!

That’s just a quick snapshot of what’s happening on energy-related bills this session at the State House. At the bottom of this email, find a full summary of energy-related bills. The information above might lend a little context to comments from some of you tomorrow or provide an update for those who can’t make it.

Again, please let us know if you need any more information about the hearing tomorrow evening. Information that we sent previously with all the details and more suggestions is also below.

Look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow and thanks to all for everything you do!

Johanna Miller, VNRC Energy Program Director and VECAN Coordinator
Nancy Notterman, Energy Coordinator for the Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission

ABOUT THE HEARING

The House and Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committees, the committees who take the lead in policy-making related to energy and climate action, know that there are many Vermonters doing real, important work on these issues at the local level and they want to hear from you.

In fact… Tony Klein, Chairman of the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee said it plainly today in a short, video update on energy happenings from his perspective. Check that update out here: www.vnrc.org.

What’s the deal with the February 2 meeting? The goal is to have your efforts as town energy committees more deeply inform the kinds of solutions being crafted at the state level to advance good policies this year… and beyond.

That’s why this special joint hearing is happening. Legislators want to hear:
§  What are your goals as an energy committee?
§  What do you think the state’s goals should be regarding energy and climate change (and why)?
§  What are you doing that’s working? What are some projects, activities, or actions you’ve been wanting to do but haven’t been able to accomplish?
§  Where do some of your challenges lie? What’s making it hard for you to accomplish your goals?
§  What kinds of state policy or programs are needed to support your efforts?
§  What kinds of state policy or programs are needed to support energy and climate action in general?

These are the kinds of things that lawmakers want to hear from you. You don’t have to answer all of them, but be specific! Tell your story. And think about how what you are doing (or want to do) that would be better supported by state policy or programs.

You can also expect to get an update from lawmakers on what’s happening under the Golden Dome on energy this session.

The HOW:
§  To get on the agenda to speak at the hearing simply email me at jmiller@vnrc.org or call me at 802-223-2328 ext. 112. (For efficiency’s sake I am working with the committees’ assistants to put the list of town energy committee leaders together.)
§  Come prepared with a summary of what you’d like to say. Be honest, brief, to the point and be prepared for questions that legislators might have.
§  Just like in committee, you will speak directly to legislators, so you will face them to share your stories and ideas. Other committee members and interested folks will be in the audience, so it will be a good opportunity for others to hear what you are up to.

Additionally:
We hope to use this as an opportunity to connect energy committee leaders to each other. So, come early! Join us at 5:00 p.m. in Room 10 at the State House for some snacks and peer-to-peer networking before the hearing.

Interested in carpooling with other folks who might attend? Look to find carpool options through the GoVermont web site at: www.connectingcommuters.org.

If you have any questions or want to run what you hope to say on Feb. 2 by me or Nancy Nottermann of CVRPC, please contact us at: jmiller@vnrc.org or Nottermann@cvregion.com.

Thanks for all you do! Please let me know if we can expect to see you or other members of your committee on Feb. 2. Hope so!

Best,
Johanna

P.S. Several bills have been introduced aimed at expanding opportunities for renewables and promoting energy efficiency. Two of the bigger bills are aimed particularly at promoting renewables, including a bill aimed at creating a mandatory Renewable Portfolio Standard in Vermont and a bill that would make important changes to Vermont’s net metering law. (Find bill numbers and a link to more information on these bills below.)

2012 ENERGY-RELATED BILLS FOR INTRODUCTION

House Bill Summaries

H.0464            Hydraulic fracturing wells for natural gas and oil production.  This bill would formalize the existing Agency of Natural Resources Underground Injection Control (UIC) Rule on underground injection wells, which provides that no natural gas or oil well proposed for use in hydraulic fracturing will be permitted if injection into the well results in movement of contaminating fluid into underground sources of drinking water.  Relying on this standard, the bill would prohibit the issuance of a permit for discharge into an injection well for recovery of natural gas or oil on the basis that permit applicants cannot effectively show that contaminating fluids used in hydraulic fracturing activities will not threaten underground drinking water aquifers.

H.0468            A renewable portfolio standard and the Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development Program.  The general purpose of this bill is to continue to advance Vermont toward a clean energy future by promoting renewable power in the state. The first main component of this bill aims to establish a mandatory state renewable portfolio standard (RPS), which would require Vermont utilities to have 80 percent renewable energy portfolio by 2025.  Secondly, the bill proposes certain revisions to the existing Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) Program, the most notable revision regarding the expansion of the state’s successful Standard Offer Program by removing the existing cumulative capacity ceiling on plants that may receive the standard offer.

H.0475            Net metering and definition of capacity.  The effect of this proposed bill would make it easier for Vermont residents to go solar by lifting the existing cap for registration of net-metered projects from 5KW to 10KW and by exempting residential installations from the 4% statewide cumulative capacity cap on net metering systems.  The bill would also affect electric companies by requiring them to base their calculation of additional credits for solar net metering systems on the standard residential energy rate charged by the company to the majority of its residential customers.

H.0476            Transparency in billing for electric power.  This bill would increase transparency in electric power bills by requiring distribution utilities to include an itemized poles and wire charge (which allocates by kWh the cost of building, operating, and maintaining the provider’s transmission/distribution system, and includes any regionalized transmission costs paid by a provider) and a power charge (which allocates by the kWh the cost of power generated or purchased by the provider to distribute directly to retail customers and includes capacity, energy, and the cost to transmit power).

Senate Bill Summaries

S.0141            Prohibiting commercial construction on certain state and conserved lands and to public service board approval of wind towers and turbines.  If enacted, this bill would prohibit most commercial construction (including wind turbines and towers) in Vermont’s parks, forests, wilderness, and conserved lands. The bill also proposes to amend the public service board’s criteria for issuing a certificate of public good for wind towers and turbines by requiring a more in-depth aesthetic impact analysis of proposed projects.

S.0143            Disclosing building energy performance and promoting thermal energy efficiency.  Under this bill, upon the request of a prospective buyer, an owner of a building would be required to disclose the building’s energy efficiency performance, which would be calculated by one or more energy disclosure tools to be developed by the department of public service. The bill would also require the department to study and recommend different funding and financing options to promote thermal energy efficiency and improve the overall energy fitness of Vermont buildings.

S.0148            A pilot project on expediting development of small hydroelectric plants. This proposed bill requires the commissioner of public service, in consultation with the secretary of natural resources, to enter into a memorandum of understanding with FERC for a pilot project that would make it easier for small hydroelectric power projects and conduit hydroelectric facilities to receive exemptions under FERC’s licensing requirements.  The terms of this project would mirror those of a similar project that commenced in August 2010 between FERC and the State of Colorado (through the Governor’s Energy Office) to streamline and simplify authorization of small-scale hydropower projects in that state.

S.0156            Energy, environmental costs, and appeals to the public service board.  This bill would require a full evaluation of environmental costs and GHG emissions reduction measures to be incorporated into determinations for electric and natural gas energy planning and permitting in the state.  The bill also proposes the addition of two members to the public service board to be involved only with appeals to the board of secretary of natural resources decisions that specifically concern renewable energy and telecommunications facilities.

S.0158            A charge for storage of spent nuclear fuel.  This proposed bill would establish an annual charge of $2 million dollars per dry cask (an individual container containing spent nuclear fuel, plus all associated components and systems) and a separate annual charge (to be determined by the commissioner of public service) for the storage of spent nuclear fuel in storage pools located in the state. These annual charges are to be paid to the commissioner of taxes no later than June 1 of each year of storage, and the funds received will be distributed among the following entities: the electric efficiency fund, the general fund, the education fund, and the Town of Vernon, and the clean energy development fund.

S.0170            A renewable portfolio standard, the Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development Program, and climate change.  This bill is the Senate version of H.0468 (see above). The differences in this bill include the increase of the existing 50 MW capacity of the current SPEED program to 100 MW, the achievement of net-zero carbon emissions from energy consumed in the state by 2025, and institution of a climate change education campaign.

S.0214            Customer rights regarding smart metering. This bill would require the public service board to develop terms and conditions governing the installation of wireless smart meters. The terms and conditions would include the requirement of electric companies to obtain a customer’s written consent before installing a wireless smart meter on his/her property, and to remove, upon the request of a customer and at no cost to the customer, a previously-installed wireless smart meter.

S.0220            Exempting solar generation on flat roofs from municipal bylaws.  This proposed bill would also make it easier for Vermonters to go solar (see also H.0475 above) by exempting solar generation on flat roofs from municipal land use regulations.  The exemption would include the installation, operation, and maintenance of any device that, using solar energy only, heats water or space, or generates electricity.

S.0229            Utility bill payments. This bill would require the public service board to regulate the payment of utility bills with respect to companies that are subject to the board’s jurisdiction. The board would have a deadline of November 2012 to establish an order regarding the payment of retail charges online or by means of a credit or debit card.

S.0247            Establishing the Vermont green trust. This bill proposes the establishment of a public body, headed by a five-member board of government-appointed directors, and charged with the provision of financing and investment in clean energy throughout the state. The trust’s funding would include revenues generated by participation in various regional and state energy-related programs; taxes, fees, or assessments imposed/collected from spent nuclear fuel storage; eligible federal funds available to support clean energy projects; gifts, grants, donations.

To read these bills and learn more, you can search for any of these bills here:

http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/billtext.cfm?Session=2012

Who wants to build a risky, dirty 1,700 mile oil pipeline across America’s heartland?

Big Oil and their lobbyists, that’s who. Guess who else? Their political puppets.

The Republican presidential candidates have a lot to say about how much they love the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. But there’s a few crucial facts that just don’t seem to come out of their mouths. They don’t say that the pipeline is hauling highly toxic crude over some of our nation’s most critical water sources. They fail to mention how the first Keystone pipeline caused fourteen oil spills since 2010. And they NEVER say how much money Big Oil companies have given their campaigns.

Check out this video to hear what these puppets are saying about Big Oil’s pet project – and learn the truth about the dirty oil money that’s been pumped into their bank accounts.

Big Oil’s Puppets Love Keystone XL from Sierra Club National on Vimeo.

Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Hayes Room

135 Main Street • Montpelier, VT  (802) 223-3338

Join Ben Graham to look at how buildings can be a part of a regenerative land use pattern.

We will discuss using local, natural materials for building and how they are used in high performance design. There will also be coverage of community based development patterns that integrate agriculture and affordability.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ben has been designing and building natural buildings since 1999 and recently co-founded the Ecological Design/Build Group.  He teaches at Yestermorrow and is focused on integrating nature and culture through architecture, planning and design.

This talk is a part of the Transition Third Thursday presentation series at the Library, co-sponsored by Transition Town Montpelier and Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

15 extraordinary people transforming the way we live: The worldwide climate-change movement started with the dreams of a few college friends.

HOW TO BREAK THROUGH
“Believe that the world can change, and commit to your part of the solution. Look at the world with clear eyes, but remain hopeful, and celebrate! When you feel challenged, reach out and reach in.”
- May Boeve

Four years ago, after despairing over the U.S. government’s failure to act on climate change, I found myself demonstrating with thousands of people in all 50 states. I wanted to know who had organized “Step It Up,” which was, at the time, the world’s largest action on climate change. When I dug around, I found it was a small group of, well, kids— May Boeve and a circle of 20-somethings—friends from Middlebury College who would soon go on to build an activist network that has organized record-breaking global protests.

What on Earth made May and the rest of the Middlebury group think they could accomplish such mass-scale actions? How did they not become paralyzed by the scale of the task? What makes May and the rest of the 350 kids heroes to me is that they never waited for an answer. They built a movement based on the desire to grow their friendship and concern for the world to include an ever larger circle.

“I wanted to be surrounded by others who wanted to change the world,” May told me. Back in college, she had, in some ways, felt isolated: It had taken her much of her college career to find a community that shared her concerns. Once she found it, she didn’t want to let it go.

While some students bond and form groups around rockclimbing or chess, May and her friends formed a community while working together to force Middlebury to reduce its carbon emissions. When they graduated, they planned to move together to Billings, Mont., to help stop the building of new coal-burning power plants. But author Bill McKibben, who brought world attention to climate change with his book The End of Nature, approached them and asked if they might instead turn the power of the group friendship to the task of building a national and, later, an international climate movement.

With McKibben’s prestige behind them, they used phones, email, social networks, web pages, and community connections to reach every grassroots and impromptu citizens’ group they could.

On April 14, 2007, their nationwide coalition mounted Step It Up—simultaneous actions in 1,400 communities across the country. Next, the group formalized itself into the organization 350.org, named for the number of parts per million of carbon dioxide that the atmosphere can safely contain, according to models by NASA scientist James Hansen.

At first, 350’s goal was to mobilize world opinion in advance of the 2009 United Nations negotiations in Copenhagen, where activists hoped world leaders would forge a binding international climate-change agreement.

On Oct. 24, 2009, they organized people in 181 countries to stage 5,200 demonstrations demanding global action on climate change: CNN called it “the most widespread day of political action in our planet’s history.”

The group succeeded in producing an incredible show of grassroots strength, but it was not enough to stop the negotiations from falling apart. When it became likely that Copenhagen would deliver no meaningful action, May and a group of other American youth attended a meeting with the United States’ chief negotiator, Todd Stern, and other members of a U.S. State Department delegation. May was crying so hard about the failure of the negotiations that she almost could not speak. She kept thinking of a group of 6,000 schoolchildren in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, who had participated in 350’s first international day of climate action: They reminded her how many lives were at stake all over the world.

She realized that there was no policy point she could make that would have an impact. The only thing she could do was appeal personally on behalf of the global movement of friends she and the 350 team had built. “I want you to know, if you fail to rise to the challenge,” she said to Stern, “that you are personally responsible to all the millions of people who have tried to let you know how important this issue is.”

Despite the disappointment at Copenhagen, the climate movement has only gotten larger and stronger. The 350.org group has continued to organize major worldwide events: a global work party in 188 countries on Oct. 10, 2010, and Moving Planet, more than 2,000 events to show the world that it’s possible to stop using fossil fuels (by traveling by bicycle, foot, boat, and other means).

This year, 350 merged with its sister grassroots organization, 1Sky, which worked exclusively in the United States. The organization itself has little official hierarchy—everybody pitches in. May has become its executive director in part because she is good at building partnerships.

Thanks to May and her crew, millions of people in thousands of locations around the world have come together to express the depth of their friendship to each other and to all of us. It is the friendship of humanity.

www.yesmagazine.org

Net metering allows residential electric customers to generate their own power using small-scale renewable energy systems. Any excess power that customers produce goes back to their utilities, essentially running their electric meters backwards. Customers then get a credit on their electric bill.

The bill allows a simple 10-day registration process for systems with capacities up to 10 kilowatts. Last year, that process was only available for systems half that size. Typical home solar systems are around 7 kilowatts. This bill also clarifies how utilities should calculate the extra six cents per kilowatt hour that people with solar net metering systems receive for the excess energy they produce.

Rep. Margaret Cheney, D-Norwich, who is vice chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, said the bill will help clarify the benefits of net metering and simplify the process for slightly larger systems. It will also promote more renewable energy generation, she said.

“It is having real results,” Cheney said. “More small renewable energy systems are going up as a result of net metering laws.”

Vermont has allowed net metering since 1998, when it passed the first law allowing the practice.

The current law also addresses a controversy over net metering that has persisted over the years. It requires the Department of Public Service to issue a report analyzing whether and to what extent net metering systems are subsidized by other retail electric customers. The report is due Jan. 15, 2013.

Utilities and some ratepayers have raised concerns that customers with net metering systems are being subsidized by other customers.

Eric Werner, general manager of Hardwick Electric Department, said the small utilities in particular have concerns with net metering and the costs that are shifted to standard ratepayers.

The issue, Werner said, is when net metered customers provide power back to the grid because they produce more than they use, they receive retail rates for it. For example, a retail rate for electricity could be 18 cents per kilowatt-hour, but the utility pays 10 cents. The gap between retail and what the utility pays the generators of large-scale electricity is what pays for things like infrastructure upgrades and running the utility. Net metered customers, Werner said, can then use the grid but not contribute to the costs to maintain it.

“A lot of the issue is that net metered customers are getting an advantage, and costs are shifted to other customers,” Werner said.

Another issue, Werner said, is that installing things like solar systems generally requires a few thousand dollars, so the people who are getting the advantage generally have more money. For smaller utilities in particular, he said, net metering requires a large amount of time for staff to calculate the billing for customers with these renewable energy systems.

Cheney said the counter-argument to the subsidy argument is that all the small distributive generation provides a benefit to the entire state by alleviating utilities from having to make more capital investments. She said the study required in the new bill will hopefully put the debate to rest.

“If there does turn out to be a cost to ratepayers, we’ll do something about it,” Cheney said.

The bill still needs to go through a third reading and pass through the Senate.

Correction: This story originally stated that this year’s net metering bill will give people with solar net metering systems six cents more per kilowatt hour of excess solar energy. It will actually clarify how utilities calculate that extra six cents.