Story Map – December 5, 2021
As part of a semester-long service-learning project this past fall, students in the ‘Environmental Studies Community-Engaged Practicum Course’ at Middlebury College partnered with EAN to study the ability of Vermonters, particularly low-income households, to improve their energy efficiency. As part of the progress towards meeting the goals set out in the Global Warming Solutions Act, many carbon mitigation strategies are done on the individual household level and yet for some people, change is much more difficult than for others. Through the further partnership with NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, students interviewed residents of several weatherized homes in the Northeast Kingdom to learn more about what they thought of the efficiency process, what outcomes the homeowners experienced, and what reflections they would offer for the path forward following the new ambitions of the state Climate Action Plan. Scroll through the story map to read these conversations with Vermonters, complete with photos, audio clips, and quotes to get a greater sense of the observed obstacles to individual action towards energy democracy and a sustainable just transition.
Christina Badalamenti, Josie Bourne, Max Memeger, and Will Ebby are students of Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. The opinions expressed by the students in the story map do not necessarily reflect the views of Energy Action Network.
