Jake Marin: Bringing the Heat

Vermont Commons School senior Miles Lamberson leads us on an exploration into the world of heat pumps, a sustainable heating solution for homes and businesses.  Jake Marin of the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation is a leading expert and advocate.

Read Miles' Solutionary essay.

Biodiversity in Chikangawa Forest: The Introduction

This is a podcast produced by Runyararo Manoto, Atlay Mwenifumbo, Emma Banda, Dominic Mbobe and Steve Kawamba. In their podcast, the three simply introduce the brief history behind Chikangawa Forest and the impact that deforestation has had on the Biodiversity and Ecosystems of the area. 

SunCommon: Creating a Solar Future

In this podcast, Vermont Commons School student Aidan Villani-Holland introduces us to Duane Peterson of SunCommon.  SunCommon is a residential solar business that actually makes the implementation of solar technology affordable and, in many cases, cheaper than the alternatives. Co-president Duane Peterson describes SunCommon's origin, mission, and process.

You can visit their website at suncommon.com
Read Aidan's Solutionary Essay.

Raiply Takes the Lead in Saving Chikangawa

This podcast has been produced by Lusubiro Mwalilino, Emma Banda, Atlay Mwenifumbo and Steve Kawamba. In this podcast they highlight the solutionary company Raiply Malawi which has taken the lead in reforesting the forest. They interviewed Mr. Meher Prasad, factory manager of the company on the various strategies that the company follows in order to protect the biodiversity and ecosystems of the forest.

GPI: Measuring True Progress

In this podcast, Emil Koenig presents Sam Carlson a University of Vermont graduate student and solutionary, who proposes a better way to measure economic growth. Carlson first describes the flaws of the current system of economic measurement (GDP) and offers a new system called GPI, which he argues more accurately measures the living standards of the average citizen.  
Learn more about Sam Carlson and the Genuine Progress Indicator.
Read Emil's Solutionary essay.

Deforestation of Chikangawa: The Impact on Climate Change

This podcast by Runyararo Manoto, Tanaka Chirombo and Chimwemwe Banda looks at the impact that the loss of trees has had on the livelihood of people surrounding the Chikangawa Forest and on the climate. It has interviews that they had with the local villagers from around the forest who shared their views with them.

CarShare Vermont: Creating the Sharing Economy

Seth Evans-Diffenderfer of Vermont Commons School tells what he learned about the good work of CarShare Vermont from their program manager, Alicia Taylor. The not-for-profit company serves the community by providing short term rental cars to those who can’t afford to own a car, want to lower their expenditures, or want to lower their carbon footprint. Car sharing is part of a larger trend of shared economies in which communities all share a stake in the use of a resource.  
Learn more about CarShare Vermont
Read Seth's Solutionary essay.

Mitch Wertlieb: Building Community Through Local Public Radio

In this podcast, Spencer Reed guides us through a conversation with Vermont Public Radio host Mitch Wertlieb.  Wertlieb and VPR are a prime example of the power of local public radio to strengthen communities and build democracy.  
Read Spencer's Solutionary essay.

Amy Seidl: Three Solutions to Climate Change

Peter Larsen, a senior at Vermont Commons School, interviewed Amy Seidl, the best-selling  author and Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont. She has written two books, Finding Higher Ground and Early Spring. The podcast focuses on climate change and Amy's Solutionary proposal for three routes to battle climate change.
See Amy's website at amyseidl.com 
Read Peter's Solutionary essay.

Bonnie Acker: Art, Agriculture & Activism

In this podcast, Maggie Homer introduces us to Bonnie Acker, a local artist and volunteer in Vermont. Bonnie is a solutionary working to get organic, healthy food into the public school systems. She wants all kids to be getting balanced meals and exercise, and she has volunteered years of her life to making that happen.
Read Maggie's Solutionary essay.

Kathryn Blume: Making Climate Activism Fun

In this podcast, Vermont Commons School student Amber Quinlan highlights Kathryn Blume, an actress  and climate activist. Kathryn created Vermontivate, a game played in Vermont schools and communities to make people think more about the impact of their daily actions on the environment while having fun. Kathryn shares the details in this podcast. 
Learn more about Kathryn Blume

InstruMart: Raising Awareness about Energy Use

Americans tend to use more water and energy than they should simply by not having a clear and understandable way to measure it. Vermont Commons School student Mitch Leffler interviews John Bartholomew, an application engineer at InstruMart Inc., about how this problem can be easily fixed through technology like flow meters.
Read Mitchell's Solutionary essay.

Ginny Sassaman: Healing the World with Happiness

Isabella Carrara brings us Ginny Sassaman, an experienced mediator and founder of the Happiness Paradigm.  Sassaman, a co-founder of Gross National Happiness USA, opened a first-of-its-kind of store focused on genuine well being for people and the planet. The store features recycled, re-purposed and/or sustainably made art, craft, books and more.
Read Isabella's Solutionary essay.

Rick Peyser: Making Global Trade Fair

This podcast, hosted by Vermont Commons School student Corbin Hill, is about the fair trade movement and how Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Rick Peyser pioneered fair trade with their coffee farmers in developing nations.  Fair trade is a way for farmers to receive fair pay for their goods and is one of several ways that can help to reduce poverty within developing countries.  Learn more about Rick and his book 

Brewing Change: Behind the Bean at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.