Inspiration

An Introduction to Climate Legislation in Vermont

Matt Henchen

An Introduction to Climate Legislation in Vermont By Sophia Jerome, Montpelier High School 2023   “It’s inspiring yet frustrating that young people have to spend their days instead of hanging out with their friends or going to school or going skiing or spending time with their families… at the State House asking people to take this urgent issue, [climate change], as seriously as it is warranted,” says Johanna (Joey) Miller, Energy and Climate Program Director at VNRC. With all of the chaos caused by the novel coronavirus, it has become easy to forget that our previous struggles are still relevant and important to recognize.. Climate change is one of those.   Vermont legislators agree that youth voice plays a large role in the progression of climate legislation, and because of that, it is crucial that concerned students are informed about what is happening at the State House related to climate […]

Climate-Focused Writing Contest – Win $1000

Matt Henchen

Create a Climate Vision Sustainable Montpelier Coalition Invites you to A Competition for Creative Writers and Artists “Hard times are coming…We will be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now. What if we could see through our fear-stricken society to other ways of being and imagine some real grounds for hope?” Ursula K. Le Guin On a ____day in the year 2047, George and Gina looked out their bedroom window and saw….” Or…….. Writers, help us create a new kind of story! The Sustainable Montpelier Coalition is inviting writers and graphic artists of all ages to imagine what central Vermont will be like in the year 2047. This world won’t be darkly dystopian: rather, it will describe innovative solutions, for how the people of this region are dealing with the growing effects of climate change. What if a 12-foot snowstorm has cut off […]

Youth Groups Increasingly Impatient Over Climate Inaction

Beck Andersen

Co-written By: Beck Andersen and Matt Henchen 11/13/19 On November 17th, hundreds of Vermont youth, from middle school to law school, will converge on the statehouse to create a “Declaration of Independence” from fossil fuels. “We’ve been asking for bold and comprehensive climate-related policies for the past several years and most of our political leaders have been slow to respond,” Harwood Youth Lobby member Sydney Kulis argued, “so now we’re going to show them what we expect them to do this legislative session” “We just hope they listen.” “Young people are the least responsible for the climate crisis, but we are the ones who will inherit the dire consequences of climate inaction.” -Lili Platt Youth lobby students are also planning the 5th annual Rally for the Planet this Spring, which they hope will be a “celebration of climate policies that have been passed this year,” said Kulis. “They’ve been telling […]

Join the Youth Climate Strike!

Matt Henchen

Earlier this year, Greta Thunberg and 46 other youth activists issued a call to everyone around the globe to join them in a massive climate strike on September 20th. The Climate Strike will kick-off a week of mass, actions between Sept 20-27. In most countries, the youth strikers have chosen Sept. 20th as the day of their Climate Strike, while in a few other countries they have chosen Sept 27th. In the US, the coalition of youth strike groups, the Future Coalition, chose September 20th as the date. Students from the Vermont Youth Lobby are standing in solidarity with Greta Thunberg and her courageous call to Strike for the Climate.  There is no doubt we are in the midst of a climate crisis and that now is the time to take bold and comprehensive action to change the course of our futures together.     We strongly encourage students from across […]

Registration Now Open for the 4th Annual Rally for the Planet!

Matt Henchen

REGISTER BELOW The official date for the 2019 Youth Rally for the Planet has been changed and is now Wednesday, May 1st. Please join the Vermont Youth Lobby on Wednesday, May 1st from 9am – 1:30pm as we rally for CLIMATE, JOBS, AND JUSTICE! The main goal this year is to let lawmakers know we want Vermont to take a much stronger leadership role in the global fight against climate change! We’ve been asking our lawmakers for bold action to address climate change for several years now and are growing increasingly frustrated by their general inaction. We applaud the many legislators who have tried to make climate action a priority, but the pace of change taking place in Montpelier is not nearly fast enough to meet the challenges we are confronted with, as highlighted in the most recent IPCC report that gives humanity 10-12 years to make dramatic cuts in […]