Man wants to put wind turbines on his ailing farm 9

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1. 

   Erik Hoffner Posted 6:59 am
   29 May 2007

   Whiners?Sorry to hear this guy's story. Wonder if it was indeed the anti-s that put him over the edge in the end.
   I assume you meant to type "whiners" re: the well-heeled set on Cape Cod fighting the wind project offshore? Pick up a copy of the new book CAPE WIND - Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantuket Sound if you want a sense for whom these folks are...Walter Cronkite, all those Kennedys, Mellons, etc etc.
   
   The Orion Grassroots Network: 1000+ grassroots groups working for conservation & more
   
   

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2. 

   Ron Steenblik Posted 7:08 am
   29 May 2007

   Nope, whingersIn defense of David, whingers is an acceptable spelling, though it is more anglo than American.

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3. 

   David Roberts Posted 7:11 am
   29 May 2007

   'whingers'To whinge -- it's a Britishism I picked up from some friends from London. I've always been fond of it.
   
   grist.org

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4. 

   spaceshaper Posted 1:01 pm
   29 May 2007

   Sad story,even before the suicide.
   
   The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

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5. 

   caniscandida Posted 4:31 pm
   29 May 2007

   death, and courageWell, it is hard to know just yet what lay behind the death of Richard Herbert.  Suicide seems a not impossible cause of death, motivated perhaps by the increasing threats of neighbors, having to do with Herbert's approval of the wind turbine operation.
   But obviously, there are so many complications here, of which we know little, especially we in the US.  The alleged opposition to the late Richard Herbert's support of a wind turbine farm on his land in Essex is not clearly analogous to the opposition of property owners on Nantucket Sound to the Cape Wind project.  It might be, but we do not know enough yet.
   To some extent, judging this death a suicide depends on the circumstances in which the body was found.  And needless to say, we do not know those circumstances.
   It strikes me that the typical motivations for suicide involve much more than bad words, even threats, from neighbors.
   Anyway, however he died, Richard Herbert should be praised for the courage with which he defended what he thought was a good cause.
   
   Chickens are our cousins!
   
   So are other sensitive animals!
   
   Enough is enough!
   
   No more factory farms!

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6. 

   amazingdrx Posted 12:15 am
   30 May 2007

   A positive noteYep canis it is hard to decipher what really caused this tragedy.
   Supplementing small farm and small business income by making them the recipients of the cash flow that now goes to big fossil energy companies,  that would be a great energy policy change.
   With renewable electricity for a distributed power grid from wind, solar, and biogas from manure and farm waste it is a very practical change.  Plugin vehicles running on this power as well would reinject capital being drained by big oil.
   Imagine the money you pay at the gas pump being reduced to more than a third of present prices and going to a local farm or business instead of the exxon mob.  With a fraction of the GHG.
   
   http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

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7. 

   SustainableGreen Posted 1:18 am
   30 May 2007

   ComparisonsHey, all:
   Without diminishing the man's death, it seems there are differences between this case and the Cape Wind issue.  Richard Herbert had a farm of long-standing in the area, who saw an opportunity to add income, and was excoriated for his support of the plan, and probably died as a result.  Depression aside, the emotional impact of the conflict would be tremendous.  I find nothing  comparable in MA.  
   Amazing is right, there is a more egalitarian distribution of wealth when wind power and PV is distributed, but still the lion's share goes to the utility.  Far better to invest in energy sustainability yourself, even better when there are real financial incentives.  No reason, however, why someone would turn down a utility if it meant economic survival.  
   It would be easy to compare the situation there with conditions in the U.S. (and anywhere else for that matter).   Small farmers, with only a few hundred acres or less, have a hard time making a living.  Prices for farm produce fall or stagnate while all other prices rise.  Knowing of an opportunity to make a much more stable, certain, long-term income from an activity that only causes a very small loss of cultivable land is very compelling.  
   Two other things come to mind:  I have a small (very small by utility standards) wind turbine, but I put it up before anyone else bought property where I live so they had no recourse, since they knew what was visible.  Yet I have had complaints.  And you have to know precisely where to look to even see it.  At the same time there is a huge transmission line marching across the land that might as well be from the Cretaceous for all the comments it receives.  
   It really is hard to understand the thought processes that people employ, or that occur spontaneously in their heads.  I sympathize with Richard Herbert and his family and friends, and I hope this has a beneficial result for the area's future.  
   David
   
   Sustainability For Life
   Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!

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8. 

   caniscandida Posted 3:48 am
   30 May 2007

   the CretaceousOf course, if a herd of, say, Parasaurolophus went marching through your back yard, that might elicit a comment or two ...
   
   Chickens are our cousins!
   
   So are other sensitive animals!
   
   Enough is enough!
   
   No more factory farms!

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9. 

   SustainableGreen Posted 4:41 am
   30 May 2007

   ParasauroholycrapolophusHey, all:
   Hey, Canis:
   Yeah, "a comment or two...."  Like from my back end when I crap on the wildflowers and bluestem.  Yeah!   And then of course I would submit a name change for the genus, as above.  Fortunately, the power line I refer to is far enough away that I only rarely see it.
   There is an interesting contrast between what some entities can do under the guise of some contrived and ill-considered "good", such as the right to construct powerlines and pipelines across the countryside, by claiming 'national security', which by law and by attitude trumps ALL other concerns.  At the same time, widely spaced wind turbines (which should be, but aren't, also operated to avoid significant avian/chiropteran impacts) have no such preemptory protection.  Since our legal system is based on the English, I expect the U.K. treats such projects the same as in the U.S.A.  
   Excuse while I go look what's outside.
   David
   
   Sustainability For Life
   Messages done with sustainable energy, with Wind and Sun!
   
   

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