 Good morning, everyone. My name is Kate Ogden. I'm the Advocacy and Movement Building Manager at Seventh Generation. I want to start by thanking and welcoming representatives from nearly 30 Vermont businesses, as well as advocates from Vermont Perg and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. Your presence today is a continuation of a proud history of participatory democracy in our state and a recognition that our voices are needed now more than ever to tackle the climate crisis. We know that the climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our time. We also know that the most marginalized and vulnerable populations in the United States, around the world, and here in Vermont, are being hit first and hardest by the impacts of the climate crisis. You cannot live a healthy life on a sick planet, and you cannot have a healthy business on a sick planet. Unchecked, climate change will continue to have a devastating impact on our economy, our health, and our planet. I am joined at the podium by representatives from a diverse range of industries from across the state. These folks are here to share their reasons for traveling to the state house today, to make their voices heard, and to demand that our elected officials take bold and urgent action on the climate crisis. I'd like to start by introducing Christopher Miller, head of Global Activism Strategy at Ben & Jerry's. Thanks, Kate. Good morning, everyone. I want to start by thanking the, I think almost 100 employees from 30 different companies around the state of Vermont for taking time out of your busy day to come here. I come here from time to time, but having folks who have taken the time to come and join us here is super important. And I also want to say I'm really proud to be here representing Ben & Jerry's, a company that has given its employees time off to come and talk about this issue. You know, as someone who grew up in the state of Vermont, I take real pride in our state. And I think many of us fancy Vermont as being a leader on a number of issues, whether it's LGBTQ rights, marriage equality, and the environment. And the truth is on the issue of climate change, Vermont is a laggard. Our emissions have risen 13% since 1990 at a time when our neighboring states' emissions are going down. You know, we're, if I'm honest, blowing it. And that's a problem for our business. We, our single biggest piece of our supply chain is dairy, purchased it from Northwestern Vermont, and climate has a real impact on agriculture. So the issue is personal for us. You know, I guess I would just close by saying there are people that have been coming to this building day after day talking about the need for climate action. And employees from Vermont businesses, you've had youth from all around the state showing up. You know, the time is now to act. There is a sense, I think, under the golden dome that action on climate will cost money. And I think if you look around the world, whether it's, you know, the situation around the fires in California, the utilities had to shut the power off to large swaths of the state costing literally billions and billions of dollars in lost economic opportunity. The cost of inaction far outweighs the cost of action. So on behalf of all of us at Ben & Jerry's, I would urge our leaders here in the state house to act and act now. Thank you. Thanks, Chris. Next, I'd like to welcome Marina Wojahowski, Vice President of Sales and Community Outreach from Vermont Craft Mead. When I was a child, we had winter, true winter, a steady and consistent layer of snow, cold temperatures and heat waves that would only reach the mid-30s. On January 12th, 2020, it was 70 degrees in Boston. While some met the sudden temperature spike with excitement and cheer, I met it with dread. That's not normal and we need to make sure it doesn't become the normal. As a B Corp company, we are constantly striving to better ourselves by meeting the highest level of environmental awareness and consciousness, but we are only able to accomplish so much without the government support. I urge you to think about the consequences of delaying action on climate change any further. Think about our farmers, the communities that depend on seasonal business, along with Vermont business owners and their employees. How will our food system look in 10 years when the farmers only have a fraction of the crop to harvest compared to now? How will those communities look when ski mountains have to close due to bankruptcy? How will Vermont businesses, especially those that depend on a thriving agricultural scene, escape bankruptcy when their only choice will be to export and suffer the consequences of inflation? I want my future loved ones to grow up experiencing Vermont the way I did. Not vicariously through tall tales from long ago. I want them to be able to go to the farmer's market and stand in awe by the beauty of the local produce. I want them to be able to skip the day and go shred on the mountain. I want them to be local vorace like I am, but none of this will be possible if change is not enacted immediately. Thanks, Marina. Next, I would like to invite Zoila Stokes, solar advisor at Sun Common. Good morning, everyone. Forgive my voice, I do have a little cold, but I feel like this is very important and too important to miss. My name is Zoila Stokes, and I have felt the effects of climate change by a first experience. Growing up in Miami Beach, the ocean would come into our home on a daily basis. My husband and I decided to move to Vermont where he's from, and basically because you can't set roots in sand on a shore that's washing away. It's not because of his love of plowing or clearing off the car of snow. I work at Sun Common as a solar advisor because I want to be a part of the climate change solution. The solar industry in Vermont installed 40% less solar in 2019 than it did in 2017. 40%. And trust me when I tell you that we actually do work, it's not for lack of interest and it's not for lack of trying. My team is pushing hard, we're pushing hard as fast as we can, but the policy changes have hampered our efforts. Vermont should be setting the pace. We need bold climate change action now. We need to set the bar where we need to have it at 100% renewable by 2030. What are we worried about? Creating cool new jobs or enjoying the benefits of lots of energy money in our local economy? I speak to Vermonters on a daily basis and one of the stories that sticks out the most is from this gentleman in Hardwick. At 80 years old, he decided to go solar, not for himself, but for the benefit of his grandchildren. If an 80 year old Vermonter can invest in solar, I ask you, all of our state's elected leaders to do the same, lean in, be brave and be bold for our future. Thank you. Next I'd like to invite Tony Hemmelgarn, financial planner with the Wealth Management Division of Brattleboro Savings and Loans. Thank you. I first moved to Vermont a little over 20 years ago and I quickly realized that our communities and natural resources make this a unique and wonderful place to call home. Back then we used to talk about the epic ski seasons. Nowadays it seems like we talk more and more if there's going to be a ski season and if so, what is it gonna be like? In 2003 I threw hike the long trail and never once did I ever encounter a tick. Now I can hardly work in my backyard, go for a hike or walk my dog without pulling off a tick. The reality is we are all experiencing the impacts of climate change all the time. As a representative of Brattleboro Savings and Loan, I can say we believe all of us individuals, businesses and importantly government have an obligation to do more to reduce carbon emissions. As a community bank that has served the residents of Wyndham County for more than 100 years, we feel a responsibility to take a leadership role in our community, to move from aspiration to action. To that end, in 2015, we purchased a solar array that produces enough electricity to meet more than 97% of our consumption needs. In December of 2018, we became the ninth bank in the nation to become a certified B Corp. The second in New England along with Mascoma Bank. We believe or we view being one of 37 certified B Corps in Vermont as an affirmation of our efforts to continue to do more. Moving from aspiration to action is important, but we must ultimately move to accountability. We all aspire to live in a world that is not ravaged by the impacts of climate change. Many of us have taken and are taking action, big and small, to make a difference. But real and lasting change comes from action with accountability. In the words of Jeremy Grantham was recently quoted as saying, when it comes to climate change, we are in the race of our lives. We couldn't agree more. That is why I and my colleagues from Browderboro Savings and Loan are here today and proud to be a part of this group. Thank you. And last, I would like to invite Jen Swain, Global Senior Sustainability Manager at Burton Snowboards. Burton Snowboards was founded in 1977 in a barn in London Derry and Vermont has remained our home base since. We now have 400 employees at our headquarters in Burlington, Vermont and 1,000 around the world. These roots and our shared values with the Green Mountain State are a proud part of our company culture and it's part of our identity as well. But Vermont has fallen behind on its existing climate commitments and we're concerned about the outlook for the environment and equity in this state. Burton pioneered the sport of snowboarding. It still remains core to our business and climate change is a direct threat to both the sport that we love and that we built and the mountain lifestyle that we and our customers lead. That's why the climate crisis is a priority issue for us. There are clear signs of climate change seen through the lens of a snowboarder, decreased snow accumulation, melting glaciers. In the Northeast US, the number of days with snow cover has decreased by one to two weeks since just 1970. It's estimated that by the year 2100, only four out of the 14 major ski resorts in the Northeast US will still be profitable. This is under a higher carbon emission scenario and that's the scenario that we're tracking toward today. We need action now. If shrinking snowpack and water scarcity aren't concerning enough, let's think about the implications for the economy. Low snow years in the US see $1 billion less value for snow industries and lead to 17,400 fewer jobs. Consider the even larger implications for the outdoor recreation community and tourism more broadly. For Vermont, outdoor recreation fuels Vermont's economy. It generates $5.5 billion and directly provides 51,000 jobs. That's one of seven jobs in this state. We can't afford to put this integral part of our economy, our communities and Vermont's tourism brand at risk. As a state that touts its environmental legacy, a strong outdoor brand, it's well past time to take meaningful action on climate. Burden urges Vermont lawmakers to pass systemic policy solutions that are equal to the severity of the climate crisis that all of us face. Thank you very much. I'd like to thank all of our speakers and also everyone who came out from the Vermont business community today. This group of folks has dozens of meetings set up over the next two hours and unfortunately it is a very tight schedule so we're not going to be able to take questions but I do wanna direct any follow up to Samantha Sheehan. Thank you so much for coming.