Portsmouth's Newest Turbine: Delivering 110%

John McDaid over at hard deadlines has an excellent post examining what Portsmouth's newest turbine has delivered in the year since becoming operational.

The consensus: It is delivering more than anyone could have expected.

Chew on this quote by Rich Talipsky, chair of the Portsmouth Economic Development Committee:

"The project team members often look up at the wind turbine and say, 'How did we do it?' And, when we thought about it, we came to the realization that we had developed the right chemistry between the citizens, the Town leadership and the project contractor that enabled an honest dialogue. It was the heart of a working relationship that brought potential problems and issues to the forefront early so that they could be resolved."

As Tiverton inches ever-forward on our own renewable energy path, such results should reinforce the potential this technology has.

A small cadre of citizen volunteers are working hard as part of the East Bay Energy Consortium to make renewable wind energy a reality for our area. When it comes time to lend support to such projects, please remember Portsmouth and do your part to make renewable energy happen in Tiverton.

Eco-Industrial Park Presents Its Case

This past Wednesday evening about twenty-five people attended the Tiverton Economic Development Committee’s regularly-scheduled meeting to hear first-hand where the proposed 650-acre “green” development was in its evolution. While the crowd gathered inside the Judson Street Community Center was small, it was far from silent.

Attending on behalf of The Rhode Island Renewable Energy Cooperative (RIREC), the energy systems development wing of the eCo Industrial Park, was CEO Gerald V. Felise, VP of Energy James P. Sweeney, and lead consultant Andrew C. Dzykewicz.

The formal presentation was part vision, part education, but mainly a sales pitch to the town. While prior media coverage of the project has touted the master plan for this development – complete with commercial, residential, and energy production components – the RIREC team focused solely on the latter on Wednesday night. As they put it, if the first phase of the project (energy systems development) can’t move forward, there is no value in the rest.

The driving force behind the RIREC is the allure of what could be a lucrative renewable energy facility boom in the East Bay area thanks to the recently formed East Bay Energy Consortium. Currently comprised of Bristol, Warren, Barrington, East Providence, Portsmouth, Little Compton, Tiverton, Middletown and Newport, the Consortium aims to basically develop renewable energy facilities in bulk, and then reap the resulting energy production benefits by leveraging current net metering laws. Such laws allow municipalities to be paid (by National Grid) the full delivered price for energy produced at town-owned facilities up to a certain limit.

The resulting RIREC business model is relatively simple: Aggregate all Consortium-related development into one location to take advantage of economies of scale and keep development costs at a minimum. Finance, build and maintain the facility for participating EBEC member municipalities at no upfront cost to the towns. National Grid then purchases the energy from the Consortium members at a fixed rate. In turn, Consortium members contract with RIREC and pay a set of monthly fees for lease of the energy equipment, ongoing operations and management of the facility, and an overall management. Some of these fees are fixed, others variable.

What is on the table for this Tiverton location is a multi-faceted energy systems development comprised of approximately twelve 2-megawatt turbines, 24 megawatt’s worth of photovoltaic solar panels, and 96-megawatts of energy storage capability. Spread out over the entire 650-acre footprint, these elements will only occupy about 10 percent of the total land area. According to data gathered by RIREC, these combined energy systems will generate 83,522 megawatts of electricity when fully operational.

The turbines would be built first, aided by on-site manufacturing of the towers in to-be constructed facilities. Of particular note was the claim from RIREC that these towers would be constructed out of a new, lightweight carbon fiber instead of the traditional steel. Details about this were scant, only that RIREC was currently in discussions with a company for licensing this technology.

What does Tiverton get with this deal? According to the high-level financials provided, as host to the project the town stands to gain significant amounts of revenue through annual corporate contributions from RIREC, property taxes, operating income from the energy production units, and indirect income gained through activities related to the construction phase such as jobs and in-town business spending. All total, revenue over the life of the project is slated to be around $23 million. If it also participates as part of the Consortium, Tiverton stands to gain an additional $669,000 in revenue annually for at least twenty years through net metering.

If such dollar signs didn’t make the deal sweet enough, RIREC delivered the equivalent of icing on the green economy cake with the promise of sourcing jobs to Tiverton residents and businesses first. What could not be filled in Tiverton would then be sourced out to participating Consortium members.

The price tag for all of this: About $120 million according to RIREC. The entire amount will be privately funded and is in place. All that is required to move forward with construction is the review and approval of the Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board (and the subsequent signing of all those contracts and related paperwork). According to RIREC, this decision is slated for April 16, 2010. And while the project does not need the permission of the Town of Tiverton to move forward, having the Town issue a statement of partnership would greatly add to the collaborative model RIREC is hoping to forge with Consortium members. The project has already been endorsed by Governor Carcieri.

All that said, those in attendance peppered the three RIREC executives with plenty of questions. From clarifying wind data to pressing the validity of the stated financials to calling bluff on RIREC’s claim that the entire project could be online and operational by the end of 2010. Not shying away from the robust Q & A, the executives did their best to quell the curiosity. Only the facilitation of Tiverton Economic Development Committee members kept the discussion from lingering on.

At the conclusion of the presentation, members of the Tiverton Economic Development Committee stated that they would deliberate on the discussion and consult with the Town Council on how best to move forward.

My personal thoughts: On paper, it is quite a sell. As a strong proponent of renewable energy development I have a natural bias. But this is big – really big – with the potential for more ups and downs than this small town is used to. But that’s no reason to not continue the exploration and dialogue.

Unanswered questions in my mind include: How will claims by RIREC to keep much of the 650 acres in conservancy play out over the course of the entire multi-phase development? What is the potential impact to the Stafford Pond area on the eastern edge of the acreage? How will the town weigh the potential risk of lower energy prices (which would chip away at the revenue it stands to gain) in its deliberations?

Enough of what I think? What do you have to say?

If you’re interested in PDF copies of the RIREC presentation of business case, email me and I’ll send them to you.

(Photo Credit: Evan McKern via Flikr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/evanmckern/1092730012/)

Want to see if you have enough wind on your property for a turbine?

“There’s an app for that…”

Thanks to Amy over at Mariah Power, manufacturer of the Windspire turbine, for the heads up on Windspire Me, their new (free) iPhone app. I haven't downloaded it (sorry, no iPhone in my pocket), but the feedback at the iTunes Store shows that a few folks have been interested in getting their wind on.

This is a great example of leveraging new(er) consumer engagement technology and trends to connect with potential customers and bolster your business. The Windspire Me app exudes a pretty decent "cool" factor too.

What to do after you thrust your iPhone in the air and find you’re in a sweet spot for wind? You can check out Mariah’s dealer listing for starters. I put “02878” into the zip code finder and the closest dealer was Rhode Island Power in Middletown.

With that in mind, it’s good to remember that federal and state tax credits and rebates are out there for residential renewable energy projects. The federal government provides a tax credit of 30%. Overviews of state-level financial incentives for residential projects are here for Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Are you thinking about renewable energy project for your home? Installed a solar array, solar hot water unit or turbine lately? Leave a comment and tell us about the process and outcomes!

Let Thy Laundry Fly

"If my husband has a right to have guns in the house, I have a right to hang laundry."

So says Carin Froehlich of Perkasie, Pennsylvania, the focal point of this article about the growing tensions between folks who want to save a dime with line-dried laundry and communities who are not so hot-to-trot about seeing their neighbors garb flapping in the breeze.

Give me a break. Can the powers that be find something else much more worthwhile to spend their time on?

We've been line drying for over a year now and I just LOVE it. Call me crazy, but I look forward to getting out there for a few minutes -- often by myself -- and just putting up the wet stuff piece by piece. It's almost meditative for me, especially early in the morning when the sun is just starting to peek through the trees and the bird songs are being carried on the tip of that slight breeze blowing by.

But beyond the psychological benefit (for me anyway), line drying does save money. No doubt about it. Less carbon in the air, more cash in your pocket. Works for me.

Project Laundry List, a non-profit promoting line drying and line drying rights, is quoted in the article with the statement that up to six percent of a home's annual energy usage is tied to the clothes dryer. If your monthly National Grid bill averages about $100, that six percent works out to $72 per year. I can sure find something else to spend that on. I bet you can too.

Here's to exercising our collective "right to hang"!

[Photo Credit: Sallster via Flikr]

Cape Wind Gets Green Light

Great news for the Cape Wind project. They’ve been given the “super-permit” to develop their 130-turbine wind farm – what would be the first offshore wind farm in the U.S.

What’s staggering is the potential energy that would come out of this farm: Average electricity production would power 200,000 homes; when at max capacity, the number of homes is double that. Check out the Cape Wind website to learn more.

The article also gives a brief but less-than-detailed update on the two proposed off-shore projects here in R.I., stating that the permit process is underway and that the smaller of the two eyes completion sometime in 2012.

Closer to home, each time I drive through Portsmouth and see those turbines spinning it puts a smile on my face. Why? The simplicity and logic of renewable energy. And the technology is getting better -- and for the bean counters, more price competitive -- each and every day. Carbon-based energy is on the down-and-out. Granted, there is a LOT of work to do before we awaken to this Renewable Nirvana, but projects like Cape Wind are definitely putting us on the path.

Curious -- would you support economically viable renewable energy projects here in town? What do you think the general public's position in on these sorts of things?

Tube for Tuesday: A Better Wind Turbine for Your Home?

I came across the Windspire unit a few weeks back and it has intrigued me ever since. Manufactured by Mariah Power, this nine-meter horizontal blade unit looks a bit more home-friendly than its more traditional looking vertical blade cousin. A visit to their website discovers that they are now manufacturing the 1.2 kW version of the Windspire in Michigan. A larger 3.0 kW as well as a direct-to-batter version appear in the works. While this is eligible for tax credits, I couldn't find anything on the base price at the Mariah site. A third-party site stated a cost of $4,000 for the 1.2 kW unit.

I have no idea if and how Mariah would ship the Windspire to our neck of the woods. A possible alternative is someone like Northeast Windpower of Westport Point who installs your more traditional vertical blade units. I've seen at least one unit in Westport put up by this company. In fact, from certain vantage points these "personal" wind turbines seem to dot the Westport horizon.

I don't have time for it now, but it would be interesting to do a full comparison of similar sized units in terms of footprint, energy generation, noise factors, etc.

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.

Portsmouth 2, Tiverton 0

The score is in and it doesn't look good for the home team. A recent email news update from People's Power & Light (where we participate in the New England GreenStart program) highlighted progress at the new wind turbine installation happening in Portsmouth. The first in the state to be owned exclusively by a municipality, this new tower will be located at the high school within gazing distance of its well-known predecessor at Portsmouth Abbey.

According to the newsletter, this installation will save the town more than $4 million over the 20-year lifetime of the turbine. Cha-ching.

It would now be easy to criticize the Tiverton establishment for its lack of action. But the truth is it takes a LOT of work to explore – never mind build -- one of these things (I know, I've tried to kick-start a group). Based on what I know, talk of exploration has been on again, off again for several years. It needs to be made a priority by some entity within town government and the charge made to move forward.

With each passing year, we lose the opportunity to put a stake in the ground and move forward. But with the renewal of the federal production tax credits (to help offset the cost of a project) the time has never been better to build. Yes, we need to investigate whether we have good candidate sites for towers (wind maps show promise); and yes, paying for one (or more) would probably entail a bond. That being said, we need to view all of this as a long-term investment -- from the point of view of both our operational budget and local environment. We need to change the perspective from reactive to pro-active.

Based on the conversation from the last post, maybe the only way this is going to happen is by private investment. I’m not sure. It could be through an eco-village, it could be from an enterprising local farmer, or it could be by our town. Anyone care to wager a bet?

You can read more about the turbine at the Portsmouth town website.

(Photo by Bob Thayer, Providence Journal)

Going My Way? (Part 2)

Back in early April, I wrote a post espousing the value of carpooling in the wake of high gas prices. (Note: I got a chuckle as I re-read how it was $3.15 a gallon that day. Gas is up nearly $1.00 since that post just over three months ago.) Well, I guess carpooling is starting to get a bit cooler as more mainstream media start touting passenger tag-teaming.

This week NPR ran a story about the trend in social networking sites taking up the carpooling cause. This story leads you to goloco.org, a new start-up by the founder of ZipCar. While you might find the site useful for finding folks to share rides with, I found the accompanying blog much more interesting.

Every single post on the first page was eye-opening for me. From the silver lining of $4/gallon gas to some true cost of driving analysis (extrapolating the rough math, I’m shelling out way over $10K a year – I need to work closer to home!) to the real connection between carbon emissions and humanity’s fate.

Closer to home, I continue to see a small increase in the amount of cars parked at the Park & Ride on Fish Road. This past week – and on the heels of seeing No Impact Man – my thoughts drifted to how to do even better than just carpooling. I landed at riding my bike to and from the Park & Ride. The problem? No bike racks. Then I thought: I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a bike rack anywhere in town.


Hmmm. This is interesting. I’m going to drop a line to our town planner and DPW director to inquire. Even in the midst of suburbia, a bike rack here or there (and the physical and environmental benefits of riding a bike) couldn’t be a bad thing. Stay tuned on this one.

If anyone out there works in the Quincy, MA, area and is looking for a carpool opportunity, drop me a line. Happy trails.

[Images: A Google Image search popped up all sorts of things. I found these WWII propaganda posters to be slightly ironic given our current situation in the Middle East (Should we slide in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?). Also check out the one on the GoLoco blog. Credits: Wagon/Car -- Oregon State Archives image, Folder 9, Box 14, Defense Council; Ride with Hitler – EV World (original source unknown)]

Wind and Recyclables: The New Cash Cows?

In cased you missed it, last week saw some decent activity and discussion on the sustainability front here in Tiverton.

First, last Tuesday the Town Council held another workshop on the possibility of wind power here in town. Lots of local turbine celebrities from Portsmouth helped paint a realistic picture of what it takes to make a municipal investment in wind a reality. I wasn’t there, but the Newport Daily News had good coverage. My understanding is that next steps is to have our Planning Office do some due diligence around scoping out a feasibility study.

With the right conditions and turbine/infrastructure set-up, wind is just about as cost effective as coal or natural gas. Where people get caught up is the cost. Yes, turbines don’t come cheap at a couple of million dollars a piece, but government incentives do exist (for the time being at least) And by the way folks at the State House are moving, a whole new slew of pro-renewable energy legislation is about to make it easier to develop these kinds of projects.

And if that wasn’t good enough, we have the Council also debating the idea of leveraging our curbside recyclable materials as a revenue stream. That thinking is so refreshing. Why pay a contractor to haul all of this stuff to the Central Landfill in Johnston, when you could try to sell it as source material to a local or regional manufacturer for profit. Thank you Councilman Edwards for being so proactive. Let’s see where this one leads.

What does all of this illustrate? In these difficult economic times (man, that last financial town meeting was a bruiser) we need to think beyond slash and burn budget tactics. We need to get our heads out of the trenches and try to see above the din of day-to-day dismay and think about ways we can make investments to either reduce core operating expenses like energy and/or generate revenue in out-of-the-box ways. (Note: I did not say big-box ways…)

I’d love to have the opportunity to spend a week observing day-to-day operations of our various town offices. I might be going out on a limb here, but I’m willing to bet that the opportunities to make proactive investments in technology and/or other operational features of the corporate world could payoff with a decent amount of ROI. Maybe the town could partner with a local business school to get some MBA students in there to do some free consulting for credit. That would be a fascinating exercise.

Change Agents

Why does one person feel compelled to do their part to lessen their footprint while another does not? The answer represents something of a holy grail to the environmental movement as a whole (myself included). The developing field of “conservation psychology” is devoted to it exclusively. Trying to get others to change their behavior – whether the dynamic is parent/child, boss/subordinate, teacher/student, or peer/peer – is a fascinating process all around (to me anyway).

“Change agent” is a popular term nowadays in the world of corporate-speak. It describes someone who is leading the charge to literally change behavior whether it is at the team, division, company, or industry level. Most often, the change is necessary – the result of some sort of burning platform – with the end result leading to significant improvements in performance.

For our topic of interest, I like to think of the change agent as a thing and not necessarily a person (unless you’re Al Gore, of course). That “thing” is slightly different for each person with the resulting change in behavior varying in intensity. You have your “light greens” installing a CFL bulb or using a reusable bag to your “deep greens” who are taking a hard look at how to fundamentally alter every aspect of their day-to-day.

The following stories offer some insight into these different drivers of change and the resulting shades of green:


• Kill-Two-Birds-With-One-Stone Green – “Atlanta Family Slashes Carbon Footprint” (NPR)

• Mainstream Green – “Shopping to (literally) help save the world” (MSNBC)

• Armageddon Green – “Energy fears looming, new survivalists prepare” (AP/Yahoo)


I like to think that here in Sakonnet our change agents are the patches of woods, the little streams, the beaches, the ponds, the neighborhoods, the farms, the conservation land, and all those other elements of our local environment that make our home so special.

So, what gets your green motor running? What shade are you?

Clothesline Saves $20 in One Month

I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since the last post. Things have been extremely busy with the warmer weather and school. The former can be summed up in one word: GARDEN. More on that in the next few days as I take a mini-vacation.

But to kick things off, I just had to pass this along. In the posts about getting a clothesline up and running I mentioned that I’d report back on the electricity savings. Well, the NationalGrid bill came today and lo’ and behold, it’s almost $21 less than last month! Granted, the days are a bit longer so we’re using less lighting, but compared to the same time period last year (that grid on the back of the first page of your bill), we’re down 159 kilowatt hours. A quick carbon calculation shows that we saved 179 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Small amount, yes, but imagine if 100, 1000, or 1,000,000 more homes strung up a line.

Now, we used the clothesline about 75 percent of the time due to the rain we’ve had in past weeks. Our outlay in hardware and rope was about $25, so we’re just shy of realizing a full 100 percent return on our investment (ROI) in one month. With the savings had from here on out, that’s just money in our pocket (and less carbon hitting the atmosphere).

Here’s what I’ve learned through this “experiment”: Small changes in behavior can lead to substantial savings, both in terms of money and environmental impact. We should sweat the small stuff – it REALLY does matter.

I hope to see more clotheslines up over the coming months. Feel free to shoot a comment over if you’ve realized any savings yourself. Now, I’m off to pull some clothes off the line before the rain…

National Hanging Out Day

Well, what do you know? The earlier post on clotheslines drew some great comments from a few readers. Since then, I've had more conversation about the benefits of clotheslines than I can shake a stick at. Some reveled in nostalgia; some planted a seed of interest; still yet others expounded on all those reasons why you couldn't hang one.
On this, National Hanging Out Day, I'm pleased to say that we've finally taken the plunge into the world of clotheslines. My wife and kids surprised me this week with not one, but two -- one for the kids and one for mom and dad. I tell you, it doesn't take much to bring a smile to my face and these things did. Especially when it's something else we can do as a family.


According to Project Laundry List, the sponsor of the Hanging Out Day, clothes dryers are responsible for 6-10% of home energy consumption. So, I'm going to start monitoring the monthly bill and let everyone know what kind of difference I see. It's just another example of a small step we can all take to lessen our footprint AND save some money in the process. What a great win-win.

Happy Hanging.

Speak Out for Renewable Energy & Take the Poll

For the last couple years, talk of Tiverton embracing renewable energy in earnest has waxed and waned; on again, off again, following the ebb and flow of public interest. As Portsmouth trucks ahead, we seem to be stuck in neutral. Even when the pros of pursuing a renewable energy project gain momentum, they seem to be quickly stopped in their tracks by the ever-present cons on cost and applicability.

Well, right now, there are two bills being debated at the Rhode Island State House that could change all of this making it easier for towns to leverage all that sunshine and wind.

In last Sunday’s Projo, an Op-Ed piece by Matt Auten of Environment Rhode Island, and Jim Seveney, Vice President of Portsmouth’s Town Council, nicely explained the legislation, as well as why it is imperative that they pass. One would change the laws surrounding 'net metering' – the ability to take energy produced in one location and apply it to another – and the other would move forward in creating a new municipal energy fund to help cities and towns offset the implementation costs. Passage of these bills would certainly sweeten the pot and remove some major obstacles for more municipalities – including Tiverton and Little Compton – to move from discussion to action.

Take a read through, then take a moment to reach out to our state legislators to voice your support for these bills:

• State Senator June N. Gibbs (info, email)
• State Representative John J. Loughlin II (info, email)


The renewable energy train is moving ahead and we’re at risk of not being a stop along the way. Consider some recent coverage about Coventry, Jamestown, and Portsmouth (again). The environmental and economic benefits of these projects cannot be disputed. We must move forward.

To that end, I'd like to introduce a new feature at Sustainable Sakonnet – the monthly poll. We're a couple days early for an April start, but what the heck. This month’s poll aims to gauge the community's support of renewable energy projects from the funding point of view. Please take a moment to share your views. We'll take the results to our elected officials to help further the discussion. Thanks.

Hang a Line, Save a Dime

At some point last summer, a few months into writing the blog, I was thinking about topics to write about in future posts. As I was driving down Lake Road, I happened to look over at one of the houses and what did I see looming in the backyard? A clothesline. And yep, and there was a fresh load out there blowing in the breeze drying away.

It got me thinking: That’s a real simple thing to do to conserve energy at home. Dryers have to be one of the biggest energy hogs in your house (I’ve never seen an Energy Star-rated one). So why don’t we see more clotheslines out there anymore? It seemed like a throwback to yesteryear.

So I filed that thought away, figuring I’d bring it out sometime this summer. Well lo and behold, I stumbled across this New York Times article today and what do you know? The topic of clotheslines is a big thing (relatively speaking, of course). It seems that more and more people out there recognize that letting their clothes dry outside is a simple thing that not only helps the planet, it helps their wallet. But alas, the Jones' aren’t who they used to be and most folks wouldn’t be caught dead letting their tee shirts, let alone underwear, be seen by their neighbors. (Maybe if we talked to our neighbors more and actually knew them, this wouldn’t be such a big deal…)

The Times article, led me to Project Laundry List, a NH-based non-profit dedicated to promoting air drying of clothes as a means for reducing household energy use. Get a load of that. Off their homepage you can link to a slew of stories all about the growing movement and obstacles that many face (both self-induced and community influenced) in throwing up a line. You can also link to their retail partner for a whole host of air drying paraphernalia.

I’ll be the first to say that it is not just as easy as putting up a T-bar, stringing some line, and (first finding, then) buying some clothespins. You need to make sure everyone in your household is on board with you, which is not always the case (personally speaking). But I’m going to try to come at it again this year and start small – maybe the blankets or towels or other non-gender-based items – and take it from there.

How about you? Do you dry your stuff outside? Would you? Why not?

Event Notice: "Escape From Suburbia" Showing

Thanks to John over at hard deadlines and Kelly from Step It Up | Aquidneck Island for this notice.

Firehouse Theater in Newport is hosting a social and environmental issues documentary film series during the entire month of January. Of particular interest is the January 13 showing of "Escape From Suburbia". According to the teaser, this documentary "places the issue of Peak Oil and its consequences squarely on the world stage and connects the dots between the unsustainable suburban lifestyle and perilous issues of the 21st century, such as food production, population die-off and economic meltdown."

Peak Oil is the theory that the world's oil supplies have "peaked" or reached the maximum level of production given current known supplies. With that, we are in the proverbial sunset of our petroleum-based energy world. More information on peak oil can be found here.

Event Details:

"Escape From Suburbia"
Sunday, January 13, 7:00PM
Firehouse Theater, Newport (Google Map)

Event Notice: Wind Power Workshop in Tiverton

Great news on the local sustainable energy front! At the December 10th Town Council meeting it was decided to hold a second dedicated workshop on wind power in Tiverton. Helping to drive the decision was the announcement of the new Sustainable Energy Group we have formed in town. Given this new group, I was contacted and asked to attend. But I need your help.

This is a great opportunity to come out and show your support for sustainable energy. There is good potential for wind power in Tiverton. We just need the town to make the commitment to take the next step and begin gathering all the relevant facts and information. Hopefully this session puts that good foot forward.

Tiverton Town Council Wind Power Workshop
Tuesday, January 22, 7:00PM
Tiverton Town Hall, Highland Road

Hope to see you there! Feel free to pass this on to friends and family. The meeting is open to the public.

Sustainable Energy Group to Meet; Thoughts on ALLCO

In an earlier post, we talked about the fantastic kick-off meeting of a new community group focused on creating and driving a new sustainable energy agenda in town.

While we are still in the early formation stage, our second exploratory meeting will be taking place next Monday, December 10, from 7:00 – 8:00 PM at the Tiverton Community Center on Judson Street (off Main Road, past Holy Ghost Church). Our agenda will focus on reviewing the initial scope of the group that we formulated last time and talk about how best to align ourselves with the town for maximum impact. If you’re interested in being a part of this exploratory discussion please join us. Questions? Email me.

While we’re talking about sustainable energy, I can’t help but pass along a few thoughts on the recent news regarding the potential ALLCO project off Little Compton’s coast. I’ve hung back to observe initial reaction from the community and local papers. All-in-all, it’s been mixed.

I admit that I’m biased, but this matter requires a strong and thorough discourse by everyone involved. What makes the stakes even higher is that this project – possibly the first offshore wind farm in the U.S. -- could have the eyes of the nation on it (assuming that Cape Wind does not progress). We have an opportunity to create the model, not only for the rest of Rhode Island’s offshore projects, but nationally as well.

Admittedly, I understand both sides of the table. Cut our dependence on carbon-based fuels or disrupt wildlife? Dig deep to pay for ever-increasing oil prices or “jeopardize” the pristine view (and the real estate prices they command)? Compromise a new sustainable energy-based economic model at the expense of a well-established local sea-based one?

These are difficult questions with no easy answers. A logical place to start could be by benchmarking all the offshore European wind farms. They’ve been operational for some time. What have they learned? How have their lives and environment changed (if at all)? We need to hear directly from those who have gone before us. The lessons they have learned could shine some much-needed light on the discussion. Closer to home, there are well-informed individuals who could carry a big flashlight here. Let's get the right people at the table before we start a round-robin of misinformation.

ALLCO’s website describes its community-based approach to wind farm development. At the surface, this appears to offer some relief from immediate concerns of Mr. Big-Time Developer coming in and tearing up our neighborhood. Hearing from some of the Midwest ranchers they’ve worked with would also be enlightening.

At the end of the day though, we need to do something to change course. I’d hate to position it as picking the lesser of the two evils, because there’s nothing bad about any of this. But as citizens of Sakonnet (and the Earth for that matter), we need to decide on what kind of future we want to have. Think only in the short-term and we are bound miss out and wonder how future generations will think of us. Think long-term and we have a wonderful opportunity to help set a new course and find comfort knowing that future generations will look back with admiration at the courage we had to think and act progressively.

Sustainable Energy Takes the First Step

On Thursday night, I had the pleasure of meeting a new group of friends and neighbors. We gathered to discuss what we could do to help create, drive, and see the execution of a new sustainable energy agenda here in Tiverton. The atmosphere was charged (positively, of course) and the discussion progressive. As the hour sped by the possibilities for our little town became more apparent. From energy conservation efforts to wind power projects to enhancing the town’s master planning document. People smiled.

Three or four of us were confirmed. But when we totaled twelve at the start of the meeting, I knew we had that spark that connects like-minded people and binds them together for a common cause. “Where there is a will, there’s a way,” so the saying goes. I left the Community Center that night knowing we had both.

It’s going to take a month or two to get everything in order organizationally, but just you wait. In the coming weeks, we’ll have messages out to let everyone know where and when we’ll meet next and how they can bring a friend or three in the process. There will be lots of work, but with a team approach, we’ll get it done. We have to.

If you’re interested in getting on a distribution list for our next meeting, email me.

Help Bring Renewable Energy to Tiverton

Congratulations to our neighbors in Portsmouth for voting to fund the 1.5 megawatt wind turbine slated to be sited at their middle school (story). That is a huge nod to the importance of turning the tide when it comes to creating a new energy future for us.

It's our turn now. On Thursday, November 15, I will be joining with some other like-minded neighbors to sit down and explore the feasibility of creating our very own Renewable Energy Committee here in town. While wind is an obvious opportunity, we also believe other energy sources such as solar, tidal, biomass, etc. are worthy of exploration too.

The meeting will start at 7:00PM at the Tiverton Community Center on Judson Street (off Main Road, past Holy Ghost Church). This initial discussion will focus on whether we have the personal and professional resources to form a dedicated group and pursue an aggressive agenda. If you're interested in being a part of this exploratory discussion please join us. Questions? Email me.