The way that electricity is being produced, distributed and even used is undergoing monumental change. Thousands of smaller local renewable energy plants, feeding a smart electricity grid, could power our homes, businesses and our cars and trucks in the near future. Continued reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power will only delay our clean energy future and create a costly toxic legacy for the next generation.
VPIRG is working to advance policies in support of renewable energy generation and energy efficiency. By researching the solutions and working with Vermonters across the state to mobilize in support of clean energy we will create a thriving clean energy economy.
The fact that Vermont has one of the oldest building stocks in the country presents a problem and an opportunity. By improving building energy efficiency we can reduce the amount of energy needed for heat in the winter or cooling in the summer, save money, and reduce Vermont’s global warming pollution.
Increasingly, Vermonters are switching from oil or other fossil fuels to solar hot water, wood, grass pellets, or ground source heat pumps to heat their homes.
VPIRG is working to increase public and private investment in building energy efficiency. Through affordable financing programs and support for alternative fuels we can move our old building stock towards becoming zero energy buildings.
Transportation in Vermont accounts for nearly one half of the state’s global warming pollution. To eliminate this pollution and keep money in our local economy we must seek transportation solutions that allow Vermonters to drive less and use cleaner fuels.
VPIRG’s research has found that local renewable energy resources have the potential to meet our current electricity needs and power every mile that is driven in Vermont on an annual basis.
VPIRG is working to identify and promote transportation solutions that work with Vermont’s rural character. Everything from van pools and public transit to electric vehicles and regional rail will provide Vermonters with the mobility they need.
VPIRG is pressing for reasonable limits on campaign contributions from individuals, corporations, political action committees and political parties. Unregulated gifts given by wealthy interests invite corruption, reduce the diversity of candidates for public office, and put wealthy donors ahead of average citizens. We need a new system for financing campaigns.
The first step is to re-establish common sense limits on contributions to candidates. The second step is to implement a fair system of public financing so that campaigns can be decided by the merits of the candidates’ ideas, not the size of their wallets.
Instant Runoff Voting combines a traditional runoff with a regular election in order to ensure majority winners in races where there are more than two candidates. VPIRG supports IRV for statewide candidates in Vermont.
While there was much to celebrate in the 2008 election – for example, 3.4 million more young voters than the previous election – it is also important to recognize the enormous hurdles, inefficiencies and problems in our registration system. Even in Vermont, where general participation is fairly high, participation among young people is poor. That’s why VPIRG supports opening up the process by allowing Election Day Registration in Vermont.
Our health care system is broken and unsustainable. Our federal government needs to play a key role in fixing the system to better serve everyone in this country. We are fighting to win quality, affordable health care for everyone. Meaningful reform must include the choice of a public health insurance plan option, not only insurance reform. We are working with a range of state partners - including VT AFL-CIO, VT-National Education Association, and Vermont State Employees Association - to demonstrate broad support for this goal. We are up against a huge, powerful industry so we are mobilizing supporters in the state and ensuring our federal delegation members are champions on this issue.
Over 40,000 Vermonters are uninsured, while many are underinsured. Despite state programs, the enrollment numbers have not reached their intended goals. Vermont is a national leader in reform efforts but we are slowly falling behind. We need strong leadership in the state house and administration to ensure that we remain committed to covering everyone in our state. We continue our work to preserve and strengthen the Catamount Health Plan, watchdog the implementation and enrollment of the program, develop other channels outside of Catamount that increases access to care for all Vermonters; and develop a road map for the future of health care in Vermont with the objective of obtaining a sustainable, publicly financed system that provides universal coverage.
There are more than 80,000 chemicals in commercial use, the vast majority for which we lack data on potential health and environmental impacts. In the U.S., chemicals are approved without testing and are only removed from the market once they have already been found to cause harm. Lack of regulation at the federal level requires states to lead the way. Vermont must shift our chemical policies from being reactive to proactive. We must establish a regulatory system that uses precaution and protects public health. VPIRG helped create the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Vermont – a coalition dedicated to protecting families from toxic chemicals. VPIRG works with the Alliance to ensure the use of safer alternatives and implement chemical reform in Vermont.
BPA is a synthetic estrogen that can be found in baby bottles, food cans, and water bottles, and has been detected in more than 90% of Americans. BPA has been linked to cancer, reproductive disorders, diabetes, and heart disease. Despite this, the use of BPA remains unregulated. Safer alternatives to BPA exist. Vermont must take steps to protect public health from exposure to BPA and prohibit the use of the toxin in food and beverage containers. To accomplish this, VPIRG is working with coalition partners to educate and mobilize parents, nurses, and doctors, and encouraging state policy makers to require that BPA be replaced with safer alternatives.
Cleaning products used in schools contain hazardous chemicals that can cause asthma and other health effects, and can contribute to lower productivity. Despite the cost neutrality of using safer products, most Vermont schools continue to use harmful supplies.
Hundreds of cost effective, less-toxic cleaning products have been certified to exclude asthmagens, carcinogens, and other toxic chemicals. Vermont’s state buildings have already made the switch to “green” cleaning products. It is time for all Vermont schools to do the same.
VPIRG will work with school nurses, custodians, teachers and others to educate school officials and policy makers, and ensure that all students in Vermont have the healthiest learning environments possible.
E-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the United States. While some e-waste is recycled properly, the majority is dumped into landfills. This presents serious concerns as e-waste can contain lead, mercury, and other harmful chemicals.
Nineteen states across the country have enacted e-waste laws. Vermont must do the same and prohibit e-waste from being thrown out with the trash. We must ensure that responsible recycling options are affordable and convenient for all Vermonters.
VPIRG will work with solid waste districts and local businesses to enact a landfill ban and ensure that electronics manufacturers share in the cost and responsibility of collecting and recycling their discarded products.
While Vermont is known for its pristine image, an unknown number of junkyards litter our landscape. Though many yards are properly maintained, many others pollute our waterways, endanger public health, and are left completely unregulated by the state.
To preserve the beauty and health of Vermont, it is critical that new and existing salvage yards meet basic environmental standards, and that towns and state government are given the authority necessary to implement and enforce those standards.
VPIRG will work in coalition with community groups and environmental organizations to ensure that dangerous “backyard” junkyards as well as licensed facilities are properly regulated and are adhering to a baseline of environmental standards.
The need for energy-efficient lighting has increased the popularity of fluorescent lamps which contain mercury, a known neurotoxin. Although, the benefits of using energy-efficient bulbs are tremendous, the high costs of recycling the lamps are born by taxpayers and local government.
Vermont should establish a free and convenient recycling program for mercury-containing lamps that doesn’t break the backs of citizens or our municipalities. VPIRG is working with solid waste districts, local retail stores, and the environmental community to establish a recycling program that requires manufacturers to share in the costs and responsibility of properly disposing of mercury-containing lamps.
