ENVS 401 Project with Energy Action Network – Created in collaboration with fellow students Maya Saterson, Sachi Howson, and William Robertson

Personal responsibility: New and Used Car Dealership Survey and Write-Up

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Published to Middlebury College Website in May 2021

Presented during Middlebury College Environmental Colloquium on May 20, 2021

Abstract

Currently, 40% of Vermont state’s carbon emissions come from the transportation sector, and transportation amounts to 45% of the total energy burden for Vermont. As the climate crisis becomes more urgent, efficient and effective carbon solutions, as well as environmental equity are key to reach our nation’s environmental goals. Replace Your Ride (RYR) is a Vermont state funded program to provide up to $3,000 cash incentives for clean transportation options for those who qualify as low-income Vermont residents. As part of the Middlebury College Environmental Studies Community Engagement Practicum, we were tasked to help identify and analyze gaps in the existing format of the program. As our final deliverables, we created GIS maps to show visual representations of relationships between existing charging stations, income, car dealerships, and vehicle model year, presented the results from a phone survey with new and used car dealerships focused on assessing the effectiveness to sell electric vehicles with RYR incentives, and created another survey for possible participants as well as an accompanying outreach plan in partnership with community action organizations to be implemented in summer 2021. A core pillar of RYR is climate equity and justice which cannot be achieved unless programs listen to and support marginalized groups. The goal of the participant survey is to create an open dialogue with eligible Vermonters to assess any issues and voice concerns about the program, making RYR an inclusive climate and economic effort. By identifying potential barriers and community visions for this project, RYR will be able to adjust the existing structure in order to help Vermont significantly reduce its carbon footprint from transportation while also being more inclusive of marginalized communities in the fight against climate change. The results of this project show that outreach should be focused on bridging the gap between technology and awareness in the 4 southern counties of Vermont, particularly Rutland and Windham counties.