Energy Expo inspires good, "green" habits

Author: Thomas Phillips

Last Saturday, Vermont landowners, businessmen, and homeowners gathered at the College's McCardell Bicentennial Hall to participate in the first Addison County Green Energy Exposition, "Building Sustainable Homes and Businesses." The exposition featured ideas and projects involving alternative and environmentally friendly means of home-living, transportation and energy consumption.

Individuals and representatives from a variety of energy-conscious businesses and organizations presented their ideas and products in 30 separate booths scattered across the Great Hall.

Brian Hurley, a senior employee of Building Energy: Building Solutions for a Sustainable Future, which is based in Williston, gave a presentation on energy-efficient products that can help businesses and homeowners live "green." Solar water-heating systems, wind generators and alternative fuel boilers are among the products Hurley and his company market to customers.

According to Hurley, having these products in place can increase the property value of a residence.

"The solar hot-water system will essentially pay for itself over a 10-year period," said Hurley. "It's these types of renewable energy solutions that we need to continue to implement."

Businesses have an additional incentive to be "green," namely the impact of energy reduction on production costs. John Beeman, who works for Mermin Windows & Doors, said that efficient energy use is essential to running an efficient business. "Once you start receiving utility bills and taxes, you start looking at things differently," she said. "These concepts are fairly basic. If you can make the cost situation better for yourself and your business, then why wouldn't you?"

In addition to businesses, many organizations focused on climate change were present. Efficiency Vermont, Making Vermont Idle-Free and CVPS Cow Power were just a few of the organizations there to present at the exposition.

Laura Asermily, the coordinator of Middlebury Global Warming Action Coalition (MAGWAC), gave a presentation that pinpointed environmental issues on both the local and federal levels. She kicked off her presentation with a documentary film titled "Too Hot Not to Handle," describing some of the consequences of global warming across the country. Raising the issue of dependence on oil, the film notes the problem of food transportation and its stress on scarce resources.

According to the film, most foods travel to locations more than 1,000 miles from the farms where they originated. The cost of such transportation is not just in dollars, but also in the damage caused by pollutants to the environment. Opportunity costs are also at stake. Money used towards food transportation could instead be used for global-warming research and media advocacy.

The documentary also states that efforts to protect the environment should begin at the federal level and then move to the local level. In the film, Tom Potter, mayor of Portland, Ore. stressed the importance of individual involvement. "Everybody can do something," he said. "It makes dollar sense as well as common sense."

Asermily brought this point about local involvement to the forefront of her presentation. Quoting a statistic from her organization's pamphlet, Asermily said, "a 2002 study shows that transportation sources are responsible for almost half (46 percent) of the greenhouse gas emissions in the Town of Middlebury."

Clearly, the dangers of environmental harm are present even here in Middlebury.

To address such dangers, many presenters at the exposition shared ways to contribute to climate change on an individual level. Paul Schmidt, a local homeowner, produces his own form of bio-diesel and has experimented with using vegetable oil in his car and heating tanks. According to Schmidt, "bio-diesel is an incredible solvent. By using this, there will be less of a need for Saudi Arabia."

Schmidt emphasized how simple it is to utilize bio-diesel forms of fuel in our everyday lives. But Schmidt acknowledged that bio-diesel users especially need to frequently check and clean home filters, which can gradually become blocked over time. "It's all about filters, filters, filters," he said. "So far, everything's been pretty good."

Ellie Buechner '08, one of the handful of students present at the exposition, gave her perspective on the importance of individual action in the climate change movement.

"I try to recycle, turn off the lights when I leave my dorm and be energy conscious," she said.

"I try to do my part. However, we are part of a divided campus where some care about the environment and others don't even recycle."

Buechner felt that the lack of student attendance at the exposition was a reflection of many students' apathetic attitude towards climate change.

"It is really great that so many people from town showed up, but I am disappointed with the low college turnout," said Buechner.

Added Kira Tenney '09, "Everyone should be exposed to what's going on and be involved in the cause. There is interesting stuff going on in the local area, but we need more students to attend these kinds of events."

So what more can students do to shake the reputation for apathy? According to Asermily, "Students can do a lot to help out. Buy a fuel-efficient car, walk and bike more, take the bus, switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (preferably 15 watts) and go door-to-door with pamphlets describing these issues."