The City of Burlington, Vermont’s goal is to reduce, and eventually eliminate, fossil fuel usage. In this podcast series, Burlington’s Director of Sustainability Jennifer Green and her guests will be sharing ways we can all reduce our energy usage for heating, driving, and everything else we plug in.
Episodes
Burlington City Arborist | V.J. Comai
Burlington City Arborist V.J. Comai talks with us about the Emerald Ash Borer, the history, variety, and age of Burlington’s canopy, lessons learned from the 1998 ice storm, and plans for Main Street and Church Street.
Village Hydroponics | Nour El-Naboulsi
Nour El-Naboulsi shares the exciting – and at one point harrowing – story of converting a shipping container into the home of Village Hydroponics. The all-electric grow operation is based in the Intervale and currently supports local families from Congo, Rwanda, Nepal, and elsewhere. Nour also discusses the business model and their plans going forward.
Vermont Futures Project | Kevin Chu
Kevin Chu, a Vermonter from birth, is now Executive Director of the Vermont Futures Project, an independent non-partisan organization working toward encouraging long-term economic growth for Vermont. Kevin talks about how they provide useful data and recommendations to achieve this goal.
CSWD | Jen Holliday
Jen Holliday is the Director of Public Policy & Communications for Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD). Jen joins us today to talk about the great strides being made in policy and in practice with our waste and recycling programs.
Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund | Christine McGowan
Christine McGowan is the Forest Products Program Director with Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund whose mission is to support Vermont’s Forestry industry now and for the next generations. Christine talks about the state of Vermont’s forest today and throughout history, McNeil Generating Station’s relationship with the forest economy, the new Vermont Forest Future Strategic Road Map, and more.
New Frameworks | Ace McArleton
Ace McArleton, CEO and co-founder of New Frameworks. New Frameworks prioritizes sequestering carbon with prefabricated straw panels, ADU housing, design and consulting services, and improving and updating the existing housing stock to provide healthier efficient homes.
Burlington High School Construction | Brian Leet
As Senior Project Manager with Freeman French Freeman, Brian Leet is overseeing the design and build of the new Burlington High School ad Technical Center. Brian shares details on the energy saving considerations, the welcoming design and layout, and the timeline for its completion.
Mutual Aid | Bob Risley & Mike Flora
Burlington Electric Department is ready to help get power back online after a large outage wherever it may happen. Through the Mutual Aid program, we have sent crews all over Vermont and even to the Carolinas, Florida, and even Central America. BED’s own Bob Risley and Mike Flora shares stories and discuss why it’s so important to be a member of the greater community.
Heat Pumps and Customer Solutions | Travis St. Hilaire
Travis St. Hilaire is the Supervisor for Customer Solutions at VGS. With a technical background in heat pump technology and installations, Travis is now sharing his passion for this equipment with Burlingtonians who are ready to make the switch from natural gas to net zero energy to heat their homes and water.
Community Leadership | Mona Tolba
Mona Tolba is a shining example of community leadership through her work with the Vermont Language Justice Project and on the Just Transition Subcommittee of the Vermont Climate Council. Mona’s goal is to raise the voice of community members who seldom are heard.