U nited States Congressman Steve Israel (D-NY) visited the Green Mountain College campus Monday November 30. Students, faculty, and community members all gathered into the East Room to hear Israel’s speech and participate in the Question and Answer segment. Israel is a leading proponent of reducing the United State’s dependence on foreign oil and funding alternative energy research.
The Congressman is credited with passing the Solar Villages Initiative, an energy program built on the belief that to raise our standard of living, communities in developing areas must empower women, have access to light, and operate on a sustainable economic model.
Several GMC students and staff contributed to the Q and A with interesting and relevant questions regarding issues of privacy, taxation, peak oil, and transportation including the lack of Congressional funding for public transportation initiatives. Israel explained that the country’s infrastructure is in need of major restructuring and believes that if changes like maintaining public parks and improving our water systems are made, than these repairs will pay for themselves in the long run.
