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Birds and Bees Getting a Boost from Solar

Audubon Vermont is partnering with solar energy producers to create pollinator and bird habitat around solar arrays.

Audubon Vermont, Bee the Change, Renewable Energy Vermont and several renewable energy companies announced a new project to promote pollinator and bird habitat at solar energy facilities across the state. (See Times Argus article)  

Audubon Vermont worked with the University of Vermont's Gund Institute to create a checklist and scorecard for solar producers to assess if the landscaping around a solar array is pollinator and bird friendly. 

According to Jim Shallow, Audubon Vermon'ts managing director, "Audubon’s research has shown that half of Vermont’s birds are threatened by climate change. We need to both enhance habitat and reduce the amount of carbon we are adding to the atmosphere around us. These sites not only create the clean energy we need but also become part of a collective effort to develop and sustain habitat for birds and other pollinators.”  Nine businesses have already stepped up, committing 24.8 megawatts of pollinator-friendly solar over the next year. 

Learn more about Audubon's pollinator and bird friendly solar project.  

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