Energy enthusiasm at VECAN conference (from the Williston Observer)
On a grey Saturday in early November, when much of the news is anything but cheery and discord runs rampant throughout our society, one doesn’t expect to find a groundswell of enthusiasm in an old Vermont inn. But that was just the case when over 200 Vermonters representing 78 energy committees from across our state gathered at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee for the 18th Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN) conference.
VECAN (www.vecan.net) is a network of over 100 volunteer town energy committees and supporting organizations, including the Vermont Natural Resource Council (VNRC), Efficiency Vermont, nonprofit and for-profit energy-focused organizations, and many of our state’s utility companies. While most energy committees are focused on local or county issues, VECAN is the glue that enables us to connect and share ideas across the state.
The Lake Morey Resort was the traditional place for the VECAN conference for many years until Covid halted the gathering. Now, five years later and after a year of planning, the conference was back and in full force!
Even in our small state, we can easily get disconnected from people who live a couple of hours away. From the very beginning of the conference, you could feel the enthusiasm as attendees shook hands and shared hugs with people they might not have seen for several years.
The VECAN conference has always focused on sharing ideas, presenting new information and hearing from state and national experts in the fields of energy conservation and climate action. And this conference did not disappoint.
Opening with presentations by members of the Vermont Climate Council, attendees heard some things that we knew (large floods are more common and Vermonters pay too much for our energy as a percentage of income) and things we may not have realized (the 2025 Vermont Climate Action Plan is just the starting point).
