Getting windy at the Opera
Glyndebourne Opera House, one of the most prestigious venues for the artform in the world, has been given the go-ahead to install a wind turbine to generate its own power. The decision has come after a public enquiry, protests from various groups like the Campaign to Protect Rural England and much wrangling over whether the wind turbine would be detrimental to the beauty of the South Downs.
I’m pleased that they’ve been given the go-ahead, as I’m a big fan of wind turbines. Not only do they represent a step towards a more sustainable method of energy production (England is, after all, quite windy) but they are also things of beauty. The first time I went to Cornwall, they were just starting to construct a wind farm on the road to Camelford and it was fascinating to see the huge blades lying on the ground like some weird, grounded bird. Then further on, at Delabole, a fully built windfarm – which also now has an information centre that is well worth a visit – that I would visit for hours at a time just to feel the peace and serenity of these mighty things moving in the wind. For me, it’s a form of meditation to go and sit close to a wind turbine and just watch the blades spin; time stands still and the cares and troubles of the world fall away. An unknown amount of time you come back to yourself and you feel renewed.
Which is why I can’t understand all those people who object to them, saying they’re noisy and ugly and not suitable for siting in areas of natural beauty. The Cornish countryside is amongst the most beautiful and striking in England – much more so than the South Downs – yet the wind turbines are not a blight on the landscape. They enhance it, they add to the beauty. And they serve a useful function at the same time.
Paying lip-service
The BBC is reporting a new proposed scheme from the Environmental Audit Committee. They’re suggesting the introduction of “personal carbon credit” system, in an attempt to limit the amount of energy that we all use.
The big hole in the plan is the same one that effects carbon offsetting; people who exceed their limit will be able to buy more credits from people who use less than their limit. The problem is that there’s no reduction in the amount of carbon being used, so there’s no reduction to the pollutants being pumped into the atmosphere.
From different ends of the scale
Whatever your take on global warming (whether you see it as all a big pile of nonsense made up to frighten the natives, or whether you accept that humankind is hastening its own demise through its wasteful habits*), you’ll probably accept that with the rising cost of energy, it makes sense to try and use less. That way you’ll still be able to afford to feed your kids!
Over at Once Around The Blog, Skimmer’s talking about a new Green web-based community called Do The Green Thing. I took a quick look (I’m going back later for a better look round) and it looks like fun. Each month, they’ll set you energy saving tasks to do, to reduce your own carbon footprint and – if enough people get involved – make a major difference to the planet’s carbon usage. This month’s task is to “Do it in the dark” – whatever you’re doing, do you really need to put an electric light on?
You’ll also find lots of interesting little facts and figures, suggestions of things to do that don’t use as much (or any) energy and you can check up on how everyone else is achieving the current task. And if that piques your interest, you could also check out Skimmer’s Go Green for Gratis – 20 Tops Tips to see other easy ways to go green.
From the opposite end of the global energy spectrum comes news (via O’Reilly Radar, but I imagine its been covered elsewhere as well) that Google are to invest heavily (“tens of millions” apparently) in research into renewable energy sources in 2008. They are seeking to make renewable energy (wind power, solar, geothermal, etc) viable on a large scale and to do it at a cost that is less than coal. Their capital planning includes “investing hundreds of millions… in projects that generate positive returns”.
Alright, they will be focusing on US efforts – at least at first – but for a company with the reach and resources of Google to decide that the time has come to put our energy house in order makes the lip-serving attempts of Government’s across the world look somewhat less than impressive. Yes, they probably have an ulterior motive (but lets face it, they use a lot of energy so at the end of the day they may just want to keep their bills down) but with the rate we’re using up a finite supply of fossil fuels, we need someone to take a major stand. Google have volunteered.
*see Stephen Fry’s excellent article Getting Overheated for more on this debate.
Brief notes
1. You’ve got to feel sorry for Paul Robinson after last night’s England vs. Germany match. He got caught out by a cross that turned into a shot that turned into a goal and this morning he’s got David James leaping to his defence. That’s David James, possibly the worst goalkeeper the English national side have ever had.
2. Did you know an iMac can resurrect your CD’s? I’ve got an original (1995) copy of the Pulse double CD set by Pink Floyd (you know, the one that had the little flashing light in it) and some while ago the last three tracks of disc two became unplayable. No obvious damage to the disc – just wouldn’t play, in whatever machine I used. Just tried importing it into iTunes and it did it with no problems. What’s more, I’ve been able to use iTunes to make a new CD to replace the one that doesn’t work anymore. Just another reason to buy a Mac!
3. If you’re a woman of 40 or over and live or work in the New York Metropolitan area, head on over to Marianna’s blog; she’s looking for people to help her with a survey as part of her Masters degree. It’s all online and will only take about 10 minutes to complete. Tell your friends.
4. For all you environmentalists out there, check out Skimmer’s blog for 20 top tips for going greener. Some of them you’ll probably already know, but others will not be so obvious. And some of the facts and figures he presents will scare you. Seriously!
5. Eastbourne Borough FC remain unbeaten so far this season, throughout all the pre-season friendlies and the league matches they’ve played. Go Borough!
I Count – and so should you
“Together we are irresistible – together we count. Taking steps together we can do almost anything we choose.
Just as we have polluted our world to the edge of climate chaos we also have the resources and knowledge to save it. It comes down to what we want, what we dream of. If we choose we can make our politicians take the action needed.”
89,835 and counting – the planet needs your support!
Wolfs Helpers
