BED Regulatory Specialist Amber Widmayer and General Manager Darren Springer talk about the recent legislative session. Amber and Darren talk about the progress made on the Clean Heat bill, fee structuring for EV drivers, and how they contribute to the legislative process at both the State and Federal level.

Our next door neighbors at the Department of Public Works, Lee Perry (Division Director for Maintenance) and Dave Hammond (City Fleet Manager) join us to discuss the successes and challenges of moving our city's fleet of vehicles to electric.

Cristina Garcia is back! This time, she talks about Latinx In Sustainability, an organization she founded out of New York, NY. She talks with us what the group is doing to help underrepresented and under-resourced Latinx communities in an effort to diversify the sustainability workforce.

Essex High School senior Chase Desroches has channeled his passion for sustainability into organizing the first Vermont Future Fest. The festival is taking place in Jeffersonville, Vermont on Wednesday, June 14 at 4:30pm. 

In commemoration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we speak with Ita Meno, an Indigenous Islander of the CHamoru diaspora, and BED's first ever Project & Equity Analyst. They bring over a decade of experience working for the City of Burlington (CEDO and the Department Permit & Inspections) to help us bring a fresh perspective to our department's work and to their work with CQ Strategies. Ita is helping us reach all of our customers including those who may not be able...

VEIC Senior Consultant Adam Sherman and BED's Chief Forester Betsy Lesnikoski discuss the harvesting practices we support Private vs. public forests; misconceptions surrounding biomass harvesting; how they support the future of Vermont's forests; and carbon emissions at McNeil Generating Station.

Principal Planner at the City of Burlington's Department of Permitting and Inspections. Mary is also a historic preservationist and partnered with BED to develop the City of Burlington Historic Buildings' Path to Net Zero Energy.

Virginie Diambou, CVOEO's Racial Equity Director, speaks about the organization's stated mission to "address fundamental issues of economic, social, racial, and environmental justice" and, specifically, the successes they've had in their weatherization program.

Steven Conant, owner of The Soda Plant complex on Pine Street talks about the history of the Soda Plant, today's diverse assortment of businesses and organizations, and his efforts to reduce fossil fuel usage throughout. Renovations began in 2018 to insulate, weatherize, add heat pump. What's next?

South End resident Chip Patullo debunks common concerns about heat pumps, shares great advice on how to start weatherizing your house, and he talks about his work with the Champlain Housing Trust.

Deputy Directors at the Building Electrification Institute and strategic electrification experts Cristina Garcia and Caytie Campbell-Orrock discuss the Town Meeting Day 2023 ballot item concerning a proposed carbon pollution impact fee for large buildings in Burlington. 

Biking is the most energy efficient way for people to get around. Executive Director of Old Spokes Home Jon Copans talks about their mission to make bikes more accessible and affordable for all Burlingtonians and how Old Spokes Home is helping us achieve our Net Zero Energy goal.

Local commercial property owner and entrepreneur A.J. Rossman talks about the challenges and opportunities of bringing his commercial office space on North Avenue up to Net Zero Energy standards.

The DeltaClimeVT business accelerator is a Vermont-based program serving startup and seed-stage ventures focusing on climate economy innovation across multiple industries. Geoff Robertson & BED's own James L. Gibbons talk about the successes and opportunities that DeltaClimeVT brings.

Annie Bourdon, Executive Director of CarShare Vermont, talks with us about the history, benefits, and considerations of carsharing in Burlington. In addition to offering an affordable alternative to owning a vehicle, CarShare Vermont's fleet includes electric vehicles. This is a great way for Burlingtonians to familiarize themselves with EV technology and contribute to the City's Net Zero Energy vision.

Nicole Hernandez left Tennessee and her teaching career during the pandemic to begin a new life with her family here in Vermont. She soon found the Vermont Works For Women Trailblazers program and studied various energy-related trades including forestry.

Tony Nguyen drives over 40,000 miles a year delivering pizza for a living and taking road trips with his son. Tony shares his research on how much money he saves driving his Tesla over his old internal combustion engine car. We also discuss EV rebates available to Burlingtonians including MileageSmart that supports low- and moderate-income Vermonters.

UVM professor and climate scientist Dr. Amy Seidl has written two books on climate change. She talks about adaptation and resilience from an evolutionary biology perspective. How has life adapted to our changing climate and how can we prevent the adverse effects.

Jeff Padgett is a Division Director at Burlington's Department of Public Works. As a neighbor he has worked to move his Burlington home to Net Zero Energy and away from fossil fuels. We will talk about the steps he has taken in recent years as a homeowner. 

Winter is not too far off. Is it ever far off in Vermont? So now is as good a time as any to start preparing. Today, we're talking weatherization with Tim Perrin, Manager of Energy Efficiency and Innovation at VGS. Like BED, VGS is an Energy Efficiency Utility with their own staff of energy experts dedicated to helping Burlingtonians find ways to save energy and money.

Sophia Donforth, Executive Director at VEEP - Vermont Energy Education Program, talks about their programs that guide K-12 students and teachers in developing a deep understanding of energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy technologies, and climate change. She also discusses the kits and other classroom materials they make available to Vermont (and NH!) classrooms.

About 90% of people who live in Burlington live within 1,500 steps or a short 15-minute walk of a market. While grocery shopping is a universal task, most people are in the habit of driving to the grocery store. Debra Sachs came by our studio to discuss Walk to Shop, a non-profit program that offers shopping trolleys at cost - or fully subsidized to many Burlingtonians in need.

Peggy O'Neill-Vivanco from the Vermont Clean Cities Coalition talks about residential and commercial advantages of switching your lawn care to electric tools. O'Neill-Vivanco and host Jennifer Green also discuss the many rebates available for helping Burlingtonians make the switch. [correction: There are about 80 Clean Cities coalitions, not 800.]

Burlington High Schoolers Chenoa and Finley discuss their semester in the innovative Burlington City and Lake program learning about how every aspect of the city affect our lives.

Sebbi Wu, Climate and Equity Advocate at VPIRG, and BED GM Darren Springer discuss the City of Burlington charter change that affects new construction. They also talk about the equity ballot question, our new Net Zero Energy yard signs, and the new rental weatherization policy.