Rally for Sustainability! An Environmental Column by Yuki D.

Energy dependence is a problem that has been left by the politicians and people of the current generation to the world’s next generation, our youth, to solve. This was the main reason behind the Vermont Sustainable Heating Initiative powered Rally for Sustainability on Friday, December 5. Over thirty high school and college students from Mount Abraham Union High School, Montpelier High School, and the University of Vermont showed up in Montpelier to support the student’s hopes for a sustainable future.
The evening started with poster and t-shirt making in Montpelier High School’s library. For t-shirts, there were mottos like, “Sustainable is Attainable,” “I’ll Make You Hot” (with a picture of a pellet stove), “It’s Electric!” (with an electric car), and “Local Food Tastes Better.” It was obvious that the rowdy UVM students definitely brought of energy to the event.
Carrying their posters and dressed in their new “green” t-shirts, the students marched from the high school to the steps of the capital building. All the while, the participants braved through the cold, shouting sustainability chants and pumping their arms to have cars honk their horns. Overall, it was a fun, yet freezing, walk to the statehouse. Since it was dark out, there was not much of a crowd outside. Nevertheless, the students started to dance to techno music provided by some of the students.
Around six-fifteen, the students moved to inside the statehouse for a question and answer session with some state legislators. These politicians were Representative Dave Sharpe, representing the Addison-4 District; Representative Tony Klein, representing East Montpelier and Middlesex; and newly voted Representative Kesha Ram, representing Chittenden 3-4. Representative Ram just graduated from UVM where she was Student Body President. She is very excited to be serving for the youth of Vermont.
The next hour or so was taken up by questions from the students about environmental issues like the relicensing of Vermont Yankee, agricultural run-off, the readiness of Vermont for alternative energy, the future of wind energy, the toxicity of everyday plastics, and the possibility of changing the culture surrounded around the democratic process.
All three of the politicians answered the questions thoroughly, although sometimes getting off topic. Most of the topics came down to finances, the raising of certain taxes, and the youth taking power and changing the way the Vermont government thinks about environmental policies. Representative Sharpe mentioned Mount Abraham’s own Vermont Sustainable Heating Initiative as a group of individuals working to change the view of high school and college students.
All three representatives were absolutely towards alternative energy in Vermont, but unfortunately, they believe that the state is not going to get anywhere without an executive official to support wind, biomass, solar, and hydroelectricity.
Representative Ram ended the night with telling students to speak up and stay connected to people, not just electronically, but face to face. Also, she encouraged students to run for office if they want their voices to be heard.
Overall, it was a great night, filled with techno dancing, sustainability, marching, attention, t-shirts, and hopes for the future of Vermont.