Falmouth MA In the News

Now Racine WI is on the lake and we have a browns field that would be great to place a good three turbines. Will we? I think not very poor thinking from the City Leadership

Mass. Town Installs Turbine

by NAW Staff on Monday 23 November 2009


The Town of Falmouth, Mass., has installed a single Vestas 1.65 MW wind turbine on an 80-meter tower at its wastewater treatment facility. According to the Falmouth Energy Committee, the project is the first in the state owned by a municipality (but not a municipal utility).

The turbine will provide about 33% of the municipal electrical load, and a second 1.5 MW turbine is scheduled to be installed in 2010, which will help the town generate more than half of its own electricity from wind.

A general obligation bond has been issued and the project revenue will cover the debt and operating costs.

In 2002, Falmouth joined the ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection program and committed to reducing its dependence on fossil fuel and associated greenhouse gas emissions by 10% by 2010.

SOURCE: Town of Falmouth, Mass., Energy Committee

South Carolina sees win of Cost

From North America Wind

Wind Turbine Visibility On The Coast
in News Departments > FYI
by NAW Staff on Monday 16 November 2009
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Residents of the South Carolina shoreline could see an offshore wind farm eight miles or more out in the Atlantic Ocean, according to a photo simulation conducted for utility company Santee Cooper by Clemson University's South Carolina Institute for Energy Studies (SCIES).

Typical summer haze would reduce the visibility by about half, according to the simulation. The photo simulation is part of Santee Cooper's ongoing research into the viability of a potential offshore wind farm that would generate renewable electricity for the state-owned utility system. Santee Cooper has set a goal of generating 40% of its electricity by 2020 from non-greenhouse gas emitting resources.

In addition to researching available wind, transmission capabilities, anticipated costs and other factors, Santee Cooper is considering visibility and how that will impact existing onshore land use and tourism considerations.

Offshore wind farms have proven to be tourist attractions in parts of Europe, fostering chartered boat tours to the farms, notes Marc Tye, Santee Cooper's vice president of conservation and renewable energy.

"Other experience does show that an offshore wind farm in South Carolina could complement existing tourism attractions in the area we are studying," he says.

In the simulation, SCIES photographed ocean views from various coastal points along Horry and Georgetown counties, roughly matching the two areas hosting an ongoing wind buoy study by Santee Cooper and Coastal Carolina University.

SOURCE: Santee Cooper

Green Racine

Fact its not the City Government that is moving forward with real Green efforts. The City is far too busy IMHO destroying Farmer's Markets.
The real effort is by folks like you and me ideas like Racine County Compost Co-op, Racine Urban Gardening Network, and Eat Right Racine, are efforts of grassroots groups.

Sure some members of the groups might be looking to City Government for leadership (HA!)but they will soon find that the leadership does not care. When thay happens my thought is the groups will simply do it.

True change comes from the Grassroots. Be part of that change what can we do TODAY?

WTF

New York like Racine WI would rather have lots gather garbage. IMHO Racine rather have kids live on snack food then support a Farmer's Market why? The Mayor can fight 2 million to have a new "program" for recycling, the one we have now works just but claim a City Composting( even when the cost be very very small.) site is too much. Update Myself and others have started to form a Composting site.
We have an alderman who hates the idea of a neighborhood taking ownership of a troubled area that would become a garden. Do not worry he should not be reelected.
The Mayor wants a spashpad in the inner city but not food gardens.
Why is so much hate and control focused on the inner city? I will explore this

Cuba we need to help NOW reprint of Reuters

Cuba's energy situation termed "critical" * Some factories, workshops to be closed through December * Most other economic activities to be reduced By Marc Frank HAVANA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Cuba has ordered all state enterprises to adopt "extreme measures" to cut energy usage through the end of the year in hopes of avoiding the dreaded blackouts that plagued the country following the 1991 collapse of its then-top ally, the Soviet Union. In documents seen by Reuters, government officials have been warned that the island is facing a "critical" energy shortage that requires the closing of non-essential factories and workshops and the shutting down of air conditioners and refrigerators not needed to preserve food and medicine. Cuba has cut government spending and slashed imports after being hit hard by the global financial crisis and the cost of recovering from three hurricanes that struck last year. "The energy situation we face is critical and if we do not adopt extreme measures we will have to revert to planned blackouts affecting the population," said a recently circulated message from the Council of Ministers. "Company directors will analyze the activities that will be stopped and others reduced, leaving only those that guarantee exports, substitution of imports and basic services for the population," according to another distributed by the light industry sector. President Raul Castro is said to be intent on not repeating the experience of the 1990s, when the demise of the Soviet Union and the loss of its steady oil supply caused frequent electricity blackouts and hardship for the Cuban public. The directives follow government warnings in the summer that too much energy was being used and blackouts would follow if consumption was not reduced. All provincial governments and most state-run offices and factories, which encompasses 90 percent of Cuba's economic activity, were ordered in June to reduce energy use by a minimum of 12 percent or face mandatory electricity cuts. The measures appeared to resolve the crisis as state-run press published stories about the amount of energy that had been saved and the dire warnings died down. The only explanation given for the earlier warnings was that Cuba was consuming more fuel than the government had money to pay for. The situation is not as dire as in the 1990s because Cuba receives 93,000 barrels per day of crude oil, almost two-thirds of what it consumes, from Venezuela. It pays for the oil by providing its energy-rich ally with medical personnel and other professionals. Cuba has been grappling with the global economic downturn, which has slashed revenues from key exports, dried up credit and reduced foreign investment. The communist-run Caribbean nation also faces stiff U.S. sanctions that include cutting access to international lending institutions, and it is still rebuilding from last year's trio of hurricanes that caused an estimated $10 billion in damages. In response, the government has cut spending, slashed imports, suspended many debt payments and frozen bank accounts of foreign businesses. It reported last week that trade was down 36 percent so far this year due mainly to a more than 30 percent reduction in imports.(Editing by Jeff Franks and Eric Beech)


As you know I have called for the end of the embargo, thinking now that MTV and Coke would have a huge impact on Goverment change in Cuba and trade would help both counties. Big bunis do a number on Chavez in Venezuela. Please write/call/Email your reps in Washington

Thank you

Composting

So far this week working with Racine County Composting Co-op. We have placed over 150 lbs of composted manure in area food gardens to include The Capt. Jones Victory Garden and the West 6th st Kids garden.
In the few days of this operation we have also reached out to others in the City of Racine to educate them on why composting rocks.

Racine County Compost Co-Op Green Racine Farmers Markert

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=188183415768 Is the facebook group location.

THe idea is since The CAA of Racine and Kenosha County have no clue on how to get work done but love to have meeting to have meeting to plan idea that need more meetings.
I thought if this was going to happen it be up to me and other locals not government or NGO's are not going to do it. IMHO the goals that CAA about food networks can not be met with the silliness.

So that means I got to do it. Had one false start that I blame the Town of Mt. Pleasant for, either The town leadership is dumb (Organic crops cause run off) or My guy in Racine got to them to refuse my idea. Thank God that I was able to find a farmer in another area who believes in what I am trying to do. So at this time I have an acre for the composting pile and a few hundred squre yards for a truck garden.
So after the land is tilled we will be planing crops to over winter mostly Garlic. Will also use lots of dung on my truck garden area, best of all the truck garden is very close to good running water.
The crops grown in the Truck Garden will be sold at a Farmers Market that I will form to be located I hope at the school near my home or an area near a group of churches. The Market will run on Sundays.

We can do this