Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Sound Bites

Almost there. Only five more weeks of school, then I join the ranks of so many post-graduation MBA’s before me looking to conquer some little piece of the business world. More importantly, we’re gearing up for our third child (a.k.a. Green Baby), who arrives in tee-minus six weeks. Whew!

There are lots of things to ruminate on and get out to the masses. No time for in-depth stories, just sound bites for now:

Wind Power Taking Center Stage (Again)
Over the next few weeks, I’m sure the local papers will start covering Tiverton’s new moves in the pursuit of renewable energy for the town. More information to come but in brief, Tiverton has joined with several other East Bay communities (Little Compton, Portsmouth, Bristol, Warren, Barrington) in a joint venture known as the Easy Bay Energy Consortium. I’ve was asked to be of part of the group (thank you!). We’re just getting started, but the immediate priority is to sign on to the group’s grant proposal to fund a broad-based feasibility study to locate viable wind power locations within our immediate geography. Stay tuned!


Kick-starting the Garden
Well, the seeds are started and already lots of little green shoots are sprouting. We can’t wait to get out there and get the garden going again. This year, we plan to double our growing area and trying all kinds of new things (part of the Green Baby plan). Be sure to follow all the details as the season progresses at my other blog (co-written with Sara): The Gerlach Garden Journal. And with all the recent press on local food, our little patch of food independence feels so good.

Green Baby
I mentioned in an earlier post that we’re trying to minimize our baby-rearing footprint with Number Three – hence, the nickname "Green Baby". It’s been interesting to think about and while a dedicated post will do more justice on the topic, here is what we’re thinking so far: Recycle clothes, furniture, toys and other items where possible; compost as many diapers as we can (we’re going with G Diapers) to limit waste; and grow as much of our baby food as possible (the shift to solids will coincide nicely with the late summer harvest). Lots to think about and we welcome any experience you might have with keeping your baby green and happy.


Until next time, be well.

3 comments:

Tillerman said...

Good news about Tiverton getting involved in that energy consortium. Though I see that Portsmouth have already built their second wind generator. It's huge... but a very welcome sight on the skyline. Best wishes for your graduation and the Green Baby.

BILL GERLACH said...

Thanks, tillerman. I find the newly reshaped Portsmouth skyline to be inspiring, especially when you consider the view coming back into Tiverton from Portsmouth and see the behemoth Brayton Point plant staring you in the eye. I'd much rather see some turbine spires instead!

Tillerman said...

Yeah. Never thought of it that way before. The past and the future in sight together...