Earlier this week, Montpelier officials announced their goal of becoming the country’s first “Net Zero capitol city”.
The idea is to minimize the use of fossil fuels by investing in renewable energy alternatives such as wind, solar, hydro and biofuels.
The city has partnered with Green Mountain Power, Efficiency Vermont and a number of other groups and businesses.
The chair of the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee, Dan Jones, says Vermonters will no longer be able to support the fossil fuel infrastructure they're used to.
He says the Net Zero goal is to make the number of energy BTU’s that we consume equal to the amount that we’re producing locally.
Jones believes the initial investment in renewable energy will be worth it in the long term, and that state and federal agencies can be enticed to help finance the experiment.
