The City of South Burlington, with support from CCRPC Staff, identified high impact actions to reduce South Burlington’s share of Vermont’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Climate actions were divided among the following sectors: buildings and thermal, transportation, renewable energy, natural areas-adaptation-resilience, and government operations.

In Vermont, transportation accounts for over half of all green house gas emissions. Driving less is arguably one of the most impactful and immediate personal changes that Vermonters can make to reduce their emissions but a number of factors make it challenging for Vermonters to make this important connection and ultimately change their transportation behaviors. CarShare Vermont designed a community-based social marketing campaign to help people better understand the impact of their personal transportation choices on climate change, and to demonstrate how relatively modest shifts in transportation habits can meaningfully combat climate change. More specifically, we wanted to showcase how utilizing a service like CarShare Vermont allows people to own fewer cars and consequently drive less, making greenhouse gas emissions reductions easier to sustain over the long-term. Learn more at http://www.carsharevt.org/stand-up-to-climatechange/.

Vermontivate! is a game of change - not just behavior change, but also attitudes, knowledge, and relationships centered on Energy, Food, Transportation, and Team-Building. Players take on a wide range of challenges which help promote both individual action and community engagement. This is the Appendix to the final report, available as a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmEdOKIV-1I.

This analysis report summarizes for local and regional policy makers how Chittenden County’s climate has already changed and how our climate is projected to further change during this century. This report also discusses how these climate changes will impact people, the environment, and our communities.

CCRPC contracted with TranSystems / E.H. Pechan & Associates and the Center for Climate Strategies to assist CCRPC in understanding how a host of issues related to climate change, energy and air quality planning are being addressed in other regions and to recommend a strategy for CCRPC to follow in advancing their GHG program.