PBS series E2

peter

<p>This is an interesting find, a continuing american PBS series on sustainabliity innnovation that focusses heavily on architecture.</p>
<p>http://www.pbs.org/e2/</p>

beatriz

<p><span style="font-size: smaller"><span style="font-family: Arial">Fantastic website, great source of information, easy to follow and nice to look at. </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: smaller"><span style="font-family: Arial">After having seen the wind farms extending for miles in </span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span style="font-size: smaller">Austria</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="font-size: smaller">, it feels amazingly uncivilized not to do likewise. How can the pollution and soil/water contamination compare with any (minimum) problem that wind farms can produce? </span></span><span style="font-size: smaller"><span style="font-family: Arial">It is interesting that some people have organised to "protect" their land/views from wind farms—petty and selfish. These lobby groups don't even acknowledge that it is currently the poor who live under or close proximity to power lines and stations, which not only affect their views and the value of their properties, but also their health.</span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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peter

<p>Opposition against wind power isn't hard to find. Just try searching google with "wind farm opposition" to dredge up a few. Most of the ones I turned up are in Australia. An article in the Canberra Times talks about the "visually scarring" of wind turbines. The main point of opposition to the Bungendore wind farm was a tad sad:</p>
<p>"Palerang Council is finalising a detailed objection to the development, claiming the wind farm is not needed because the regional market for green power is over-subscribed."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/fierce-opposition-to-huge-wind-turbines-scarring-bungendore-landscape/487428.aspx">canberratimes.com.au : fierce-opposition-to-huge-wind-turbines-scarring-bungendore-landscape</a></p>
<p>So if the locals don't buy Green Power, they don't need the turbines. I don't think this was the intended effect of Green Power.</p>
<p>A bit more searching on this particular project brings up some mixed results. The turbines have been approved, but they are to supply power to NSW's proposed Kurnell desalination plant. Two steps forward, two steps back.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/energy-smart/wind-farm-vow-to-power-desalination/2008/05/13/1210444436869.html">SMH 13.05.08</a></p>
<p>Expert positive opinion on wind power is a bit harder to find than opposition; here's a good one from <a href="http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/author.asp?id=548">Mark Diesendorf</a> at UNSW, with 20 pages of replies! :</p>
<p><a href="http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=3057">www.onlineopinion.com.au</a></p>

peter

<p>Looks like a spat developing closer to home. Tooborac near Bendigo is the site of a possible wind farm. Transfield have been measuring wind speeds out there. Up pops a very slick website complete with birdsong - Residents Against Wind Turbines in Tooborac.</p>
<p>Discussing tourism fears with the ABC, a spokesperson said, "A lot of the vineyards are horrified because people just won't obviously come to an area that's been desecrated."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/19/2279187.htm">www.abc.net.au 19.06.08</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.rats.org.au/">www.rats.org.au/</a></p>
<p>Worth watching.</p>