In Middlebury, over 150 residents participated in the “Greater Middlebury Climate Economy Initiative” process with support from 36 visiting resource team members. Over 70 volunteers joined task force groups that will work to:

• Advance public transportation, facilitate more ridesharing, and make Middlebury and surrounding towns the best possible place for biking and walking;
• Increase staff capacity at the local and regional level to coordinate climate change and energy related actions;
• Help farmers transition to organic and regenerative practices; and
• Advance energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities for homes, businesses and other buildings.

In addition to selecting the 4 focus areas, the group decided to develop a vision for the initiative to unify efforts of the Task Forces moving forward. The group also decided that engaging youth was a critical component of this process and that concerted efforts will be made to engage younger members of the community in all aspects of the Climate Economy Initiative as it moves ahead.

As the task force groups move priorities to action they are supported for up to a year by VCRD and on an ongoing basis with resources from federal, state, regional, local, non-profit, and business leaders who participated in the process.

For the latest updates on the ongoing activity in Middlebury, click here to visit the website for the initiative. Other resources include a Facebook album of photos from the process and the Middlebury page on our website that captures news and the many ways we’ve worked with Middlebury throughout the years.