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Five years ago, the capital city of Montpelier, Vermont, set a bold and audacious goal: for the city’s municipal buildings and operations to be Net Zero by 2030. What can a small city (under 7,000 people) with a volunteer energy committee do at the municipal scale? Come learn from Montpelier’s progress, challenges, and future plans. Innovative approaches include district heating powered by wood chips; auditing and retro-commissioning existing buildings; using organic waste to produce biogas and create a net positive wastewater treatment plant; municipal solar and renewable alternatives for heating. We’ll also tackle transportation, transitioning a heavy-duty fleet off fossil fuels and traditional buses to on-demand micro-transit. We’ll discuss strategies for tracking municipal energy use and GHG, and share strategies for financing and public outreach.

Skill Level
1 (no prior experience/knowledge needed)
Time Slot
8

Session Chairs

Session Speakers

Room / Location
Marina III
Learning Objectives
Illustrate strategies implemented in Montpelier, VT to make municipal buildings and operations net zero by 2030
Summarize lessons learned and challenges faced in the process
Implement a revolving loan fund to finance energy efficiency improvements in municipal buildings
Describe Montpelier’s process for tracking municipal energy use and GHG emissions
CEU Information

AIA 1.0 LU
AICP (American Planning Association) 1.0 hour

Session ID
BOS20-228
Session Documents
Event Start Time
Event End Time