Steve Michel's Journal of Lateral Modernism********************** Vol. VI No.10 October. 2006

Wind Energy - Ohio

by Rick Chapo

Every time you open up your utility bill, you realize something needs to be done about out oil reliance. Here is a guide to wind energy in Ohio, where something is starting to be done about it.

Wind Energy - Ohio

Most of the states in the United States have the capacity to harness some sort of wind energy. The three largest wind energy producing states, Texas, North Dakota and Kansas, all produce major amounts of electricity for their population, but other states still manage to satisfy some of their energy needs through wind energy. The amount of wind energy Ohio produces is one example of this.

When it comes to wind energy, Ohio ranks 36th in the US in amount of wind energy produced. This may be because wind energy in Ohio is a relatively new phenomenon, with the first wind farm being built in the state in 2003. There are just seven wind farms installed in Ohio, with only three of these farms being commercial wind energy areas. This does not mean that the state of Ohio is lacking in wind energy capacity, however, as there is the potential to produce up to 410 MW of electricity per year throughout the area.

The first wind farm built in Ohio was the Bowling Green Municipal wind energy project, with the energy here purchased by Bowling Green Municipal. This project was constructed in 2003, and it is small - with only two turbines located here. The total amount of electricity production per year at this farm is 3.6 MW. The next wind farm built in Ohio was the AMP-Ohio/ Green Mt Energy Wind Farm, which was built in 2004. This farm was both constructed by and is run by American Municipal Energy - Ohio. This wind farm also has the same amount of turbines (two) and produces the same amount of electricity (3.6 MW) as the Bowling Green Municipal wind energy project.

The newest place for wind energy Ohio has to offer is located at the Cleveland Great Lakes Science Center, and it's part of the Leadership Cleveland and Sustainable Cleveland projects. Producing just .222 MW per year (and having only one small turbine) this new wind farm (built in 2006) is more of a pilot project than a fully functional wind farm.

While Ohio may not be the world's (or even the country's) largest producer of wind energy, it is still on its way to supplying many of its households with electricity created with wind energy. The potential for wind energy production is much higher in some of the other states in the United States - the energy found in Texas and North Dakota alone, if properly harnessed, would be enough to energy the entire country.

About the Author:Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com - providing wind farm information.

Is Europe bringing pollution up to the next level?

I was surprised to hear, at this year's European Summit, that Tony Blair and other European leaders are looking to nuclear energy as their answer to combat global warming and lower their dependence on foreign oil.

While obviously lowering greenhouse emissions and causing less air pollution than coal fored plants, nuclear energy creates another pollution form: spent nuclear fuel wastes.

In a recent issue of New Scientist, an article featured design proposals for monuments to house the quantities of nuclear wastes in the coming centuries: vast tracts of no man's land ringed with Stonehenge like stone markers with warnings to future generations of the waste stored below. Monuments to folly perhaps. Time will tell.

Another disturbing recent event, was the dumping of 400 tons of toxic wastes by a European marked vessel illegally in a populated Ivory Coast city port. These toxic wastes were left over oil processing wastes believed to originate from Autralia or the U.S. This act contravened international laws, made thousands sick and will cost millions of dollars in environmental cleanup. (sm06).

A call for a UN Environmental Protection Force by Marco Schiess

I am passionate about our environment and concerned with the health of our planet. With the latest crisis in Israel and Lebanon, I cannot help but notice that if the UN through UNEP (United World Environmental Programme) applied the same vigor in protecting our environment as they do to keeping world peace, imagine what could be achieved in the struggle against "Global Warming".
We could be in a far better position than we presently are.

A UN peace keeping force will soon be in place in an attempt to bring about a lasting and sustainable peace for Israel and Lebanon. I whole heartedly support this action to preserve human life and bring back quality life to all concerned.

However there is another disaster looming which can and will cause a lot more human misery and death if not kept in check i.e. the destruction of our Rain Forests through their inappropriate use. Rain Forest regions of our planet, which provide most of the world's oxygen, are systematically being destroyed by logging operations and slash and burn farming techniques.

The World's Nations, through the UN, seem to mainly focus on the current humanitarian crises and forget that we are slowly being robbed of the earth's oxygen supply. This should be addressed immediately to preserve quality of life on the planet for us all.

We as individuals and organizations need to start lobbying the UN body, the UNEP, to take more drastic action in this regard.

Could you imagine what can be achieved if Environmental Scientists got together on a global scale in order to determine which areas need the most protection, and if the UNEP actively monitored the all crucial life sustaining planetary elements on an ongoing basis to determine which need protection for the sake of all living beings?

The countries who depend on the utilization of these essential natural resources should be approached, and through a process of negotiation, adequately compensated for the not being able use the essential Resource. This could be funded by means of an Environmental tax system which should be worked out according to how much carbon monoxide each highly industrialized nation emits annually.

As different environmental challenges present themselves we would then have a "Environmental Protection Force" necessary to adequately protect these areas from misuse.

In cases of non-compliance, the organization should have the teeth necessary to do the job of protecting any critical Life Sustaining Element from inappropriate use, preventing irreversible environmental damage and averting a global humanitarian crisis.
About the Author

Marco Schiess and his wife, Marie-Louise, founded the Umlani Bushcamp in 1989 in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, now part of the Kruger National Park. Marco and Marie-Louise's wish is to encapsulate their vision of a true African Adventure in the very spirit and experience of the camp itself. They are committed to the preservation of our natural heritage and feel strongly about conservation.

Good News Dept.

Green Belt Movement and Basque Government Reach Agreement on Planting Trees September 13, 2006

Spain's Basque Government will plant 232,000 trees to neutralize carbon monoxide emissions, under an agreement where Green Belt Movement will carry out a three-year re-afforestation project in Kenya.

Dalani News, the monthly E-zine that treads the fine line between the actual and a better world just around the corner..

The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach and the Experience

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