The following is a list of commentaries by VNRC Director of the Legacy Project Elizabeth Courtney that have appeared in the Rutland Herald/Barre-Montpelier Times Argus Weekly Planet column, which focuses on environmental issues.

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Inventing Our Future December 11, 2011

Irene and the May floods have shaken our lives and our confidence—many have doubt and fear about the future. But what if we could prepare for what’s coming and ensure a smooth transition into its unknown by—well—inventing it? I was with a group of citizens and state leaders on December 3rd in Fairlee, Vermont who together, were inventing the future, right before our eyes.

Protecting our Landscape October 11, 2011

So far Vermont has managed to preserve the integrity of its natural and social character, despite decades of the most rampant, fossil-fuel driven consumption this country has ever experienced. Many believe that Vermont is a place apart from the rest of the nation — having retained, with some striking exceptions, its historic settlement pattern of compact town centers surrounded by a billboard-free, open countryside of working farms and forests, streams and lakes, wetlands and wildlife habitats.

Calling all Vermonters to plan for a more resilient Green Mountain state June 26, 2011
In a dark sort of way, I enjoyed Kathryn Blume’s recent VPR commentary offering a tongue-in-cheek description of the weather these days — she calls it charismatic. Others would say it’s downright frightening.
In just the past few months we’ve witnessed flooding of downtown Montpelier and adjacent farm fields, droughts in the Midwest, forest fires in Arizona, the Joplin, Mo., tornados and the cluster of violent storms that ravaged Tennessee. Understandably, we worry about our ability to recover from the abuses of nature on a carbon high. And many of us are concerned about our future.

State Groundwater law a powerful tool, but only if we use it   March 26, 2011
The disasters underscore the broad safety threat posed by the aging Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, a plant that shares certain similar design characteristics with the Fukushima plant.
While Vermonters are rightfully shocked by the release of radioactivity from the damaged Japanese reactors, let’s not forget that Vermont Yankee (VY) has already leaked – and may be continuing to leak – radioactive material into Vermont’s groundwater — your groundwater.

A Complete Street is a Safe, Smart Street   February 27, 2011 
A complete street is a safe, smart, street.  With today’s economy and the price of keeping a car exceeding the cost of food, many folks are choosing to get around by other means. That translates to more ride sharing and public transit patrons, and a growing number of pedestrians and cyclists. But with the ranks of bikers and walkers increasing in Vermont, we’re beginning to realize how unfriendly some roads can be for those who choose non-motorized forms of transportation.

A Midwinter’s Day Dream   January 9, 2011
The holiday season is so predictable that I usually don’t remember one year from the rest. But I will remember this as the year I encountered — like Dickens’ Scrooge — the three ghosts of the seasons past, present and future. It all started, strangely enough, with a smart phone. Feeling the cold dark isolation of the winter solstice, I broke down and bought myself the latest in intelligent technology. 

Power to the People: A structural fight?   November 28, 2010
Vermonters, and many other citizens of this nation, have been justifiably angry about the gridlock in Washington and in state capitols around the country, as this fall's election results attest. On the energy issue, for instance, many of us have been deeply disappointed to find that even our favorite elected officials are unable to enact the legislation necessary to move us out of the oil age and into a new energy future. Herman Scheer, the German parliamentarian who was responsible for the passage in 2000 of the Law for the Priority of Renewable Energies didn't call it gridlock. He called it a structural fight....

The Secret to a Long Life   October 17, 2010
I once read that the secret to a long life is to contract a chronic disease and then take care of it. I’m banking on that unconventional wisdom, with not one but two chronic illnesses — lymphoma and Parkinson’s disease. These days I’m much more likely to take exercise seriously; eat with an emphasis on nutritional content; enjoy nature, poetry, art, friends and family; get enough sleep and follow the advice of my doctors...

The Bears and the Bees and Climate Change   September 5, 2010
It’s summertime and the livin’ is easy, right?  Our family’s vacation this summer was another staycation in Vermont. Much of it involved getting into water, as we had the hottest three months on record in May, June and July.  The summer also found us glued to our vegetable garden. We started it on the first of April, with snow peas, carrots and chard...

The Either/Or Myth of Jobs and the Environment   July 25, 2010
Our economic crisis lingers, and environmental and social disasters continue to occur – from urban runoff to tritium leaks and from underemployment to childhood hunger.  In these times many Vermont leaders are tempted to pit one worry against the other, with the refrain, "Do we want to grow good jobs or protect the environment?"...

Letting a Crisis Go to Waste?   June 13, 2010
There is certainly a lot to worry about these days. The catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico — which is devastating the livelihoods of thousands, drowning wildlife in oil and irrevocably ravaging ecosystems — is the most recent and deeply disturbing of our nation's worrisome events.... 

Scrambling to Meet Challenges   April 18 2010
Change, as the old expression goes, is inevitable. But let's hope that the Douglas administration's proposed policy shifts contained in the so-called "Challenges for Change" are,actually, avoidable.  "Challenges for Change" is a good idea gone bad.... 

An Environmental Foundation for Sustainable Economic Prosperity   March 14, 2010
Last week, in honor of the 25^th Anniversary of her inauguration as Governor of the State of Vermont, Madeleine Kunin and the University of Vermont held a symposium on the role of government. I was asked to participate on a panel discussing whether and how economic prosperity and environmental quality can coexist in Vermont.... 

Why Risk Our Economy for Vermont Yankee?   January 25, 2010
The Vermont seal of quality carries with it a cachet that few other states can claim. Over the years we've done a great job leading the country on issues that affect the common good, such as land stewardship, energy efficiency and environmental conservation.... 

Vermont Fails to Meet Its Own Carbon Reduction Goals   December 13, 2009
Today is the sixth day of the Copenhagen Climate Summit. This summit follows decades of scientists' climate change warnings dating well before 1989, when Bill McKibben chronicled the implications of rising atmospheric carbon levels in his book "The End of Nature...." 

The Gift of Sharing   September 1, 2009
Vermonters recently experienced an impressive global public display of activism on the issue of climate change.  Oct. 24, the International Day of Climate Action spurred a tidal wave of activity in Vermont and literally all over the planet....

A Vermont Staycation   August 9, 2009
This summer my husband and I are treating ourselves to a stay-in-Vermont vacation in the Green Mountain state. Our decision to "staycation" was pretty easy, given the uncertain economy, climate change considerations and energy costs discouraging much travel, a daughter in college and a gorgeous Vermont town and countryside at our doorstep....

Getting There  June 28, 2009
Question: If you had to go from your home in, let’s say, Williamstown, 20 miles to Randolph for a dentist appointment — without your car — how would you get there?  Of course, the challenge here in this very rural state is the without-your-car part....

The Value of Building Consensus  May 17, 2009
As we look back over the 2009 legislative session, we witness a familiar pattern of behavior in Montpelier – one that reflects the inevitable, excruciating endgame in a highly competitive, high-stakes contest to create the laws of the land in Vermont.  What happens under the gold dome has been called sausage-making at worst and, at best, messy democracy in action....

The Great Transition?  April 12, 2009
Last month I read with interest a New York Times commentary by Thomas Friedman where he reflected on the economic crisis: “What if it’s telling us that the whole growth model that we’ve created over the past 50 years is simply unsustainable economically and ecologically and that 2008 was when we hit the wall – when Mother Nature and the market both said: ‘No more’....” 

What's Your Watershed Address?  Mar 9, 2009
Most folks who live in Vermont have a Lake Champlain watershed address, as waterways in 11 of the state's 14 counties drain into the big lake. Many people who visit Vermont are drawn here because of this stunning natural resource....

Beware of the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy  January 26, 2009 

In an editorial I wrote recently, I cautioned about the temptation we have in economic hard times to make shortsighted policy decisions that risk sacrificing our core values over the long haul....

A Wal-Mart Déjà-Vu?  December 2008

I’ve been in the environmental field for some 35 years now.  And sometimes I have to laugh (or cry) when I realize that an issue we’re currently working on is the same or similar to one that we’ve struggled with years earlier.... 

Ethic Makes for Bright Path Ahead  December 21, 2008
At this time of year, when the landscape is going to rest in the dark of winter, we tend to reflect. We give thanks, celebrate the bounty of summer and resolve to take certain actions in the coming New Year....

Vermont, Let's Get Serious About Climate Change  October 2008
October 2008 marks the first anniversary of the release of the Vermont Governor’s Climate Change Commission’s much heralded report. At that time, the six-member commission summarized its findings and those of its 31 member plenary group with these words: “The time for debate over the realities of global climate change is over...."

Is Vermont Crafting an Energy Plan for Success?  September 1, 2008
These are challenging times, marked by skyrocketing fuel costs, surging food prices and a planet increasingly threatened by the brutal vagaries of climate change. Vermont, and the world, must employ the best tools possible to meet these challenges....