In my Chemistry class this semester, we had to give a
presentation about environmental chemistry.
The topic my group members and I chose was renewable resources and
energy efficiency. This is something
that I have always been passionate about.
I love the outdoors and I believe it is important to keep the earth a
healthy place for everyone and everything to be able to grow, thrive and live!
(This particular mind set could also have been molded by my mother….a
sustainability teacher.) The reason I
bring this up, is because our earth is under attack, and we are the ones
killing it. Greenhouse gasses, climate
change, and ozone depletion are words that have been thrown around in the news
a lot over the past few years. There are
ways we can fix these problems, and my chemistry group and I went on a mission
to find these solutions.
Back in my home town, there has been a recent addition to the
landscape. Eight or so windmills have
been installed to make electricity and reduce our town’s carbon footprint. When I go home and see these wind giants, I
smile a little, knowing that slowly we are saving our planet. Other residents do not feel the same way I
do. All throughout town, there are yard
signs protesting the installation of the wind turbines. People say that they reduce the property
value, are big and annoying, and that they even make them sick. After seeing these frightening and disturbing
signs, I did a little bit of homework. I
found a video that had the testimonial of 6 families in Glenmore, Wisconsin,
near my home town, that have experienced health problems with the wind
turbines. Thisvideo really made me wonder if wind turbines were safe or not for
surrounding families.
On my journey to prove these people wrong, I did a lot of
digging. There are a lot of websites put
up by anti-wind people, but they have no resources or actual facts to back up
what they are saying. Finally, I
stumbled upon an article by the Huffington Post that really broke down the issue. They explained that there was a doctor, Nina
Pierpont that coined a term ‘Wind Turbine Syndrome’. This new medical condition scared people, and
the paranoia spread like wild fire. The
study that she conducted only consisted of 38 people, so there are thousands of
other people living by turbines that experience no symptoms. This article debunked a lot of the myths about the harm wind turbines cause. Because ‘Wind Turbine Syndrome’ has scared a
lot of people in the Glenmore area, are they actually suffering from this
newfound medical condition?
In the article that was mentioned before, it said that 94
percent of people that live near wind turbines actually favor them. By doing some easy calculations, that means
that 6 percent do not like them near their homes. I am not saying that the people having health
problems in the video above are making it up, I am saying that I believe that
there are more reasons that people do not want to install them.
Some disadvantages of wind turbines (that are actually
scientifically based) are noise disturbances.
Turbines, at full operational capacity, can have the same decibel level
as a car going 70 mph. This is the main
complaint from residents that live near the turbines. The Threat to wildlife is also an issue. Wind turbines collectively kill 30,000-50,000
birds and bats every year. This sounds
like a big reason to not build these turbines.
In comparison, Buildings kill approximately 1 billion birds a year, and
power lines kill tens of millions of bird a year. Another disadvantage is that wind direction
cannot be detected, so it is not always working, and the visual impact of the
wind giants are intimidating and ugly. I
am able to see these planet-saving giants from my driveway, and I see them as a
sign, symbolizing a step in the right direction.
In my opinion, the advantages of wind turbines outweigh the
annoyances that they cause. The number
one reason, and the reason that is closest to my heart is that there are no CO2
emissions from wind power! (To
learn more about CO2 emissions click here). The little amount of space that they take up
make them more versatile too. They can
virtually be set up anywhere. Also, wind
is free, and there is no way that we will ever run out, it is truly a renewable
resource.
We are Americans,
and as Americans, we are energy hogs. We
need to find ways to create energy, and at the same time, preserve our
planet. The comment my mom made about
this issue really made me thing. If
people are against the wind turbines, what would they rather have in their
backyards? Would they rather have a
huge, pollution causing coal plant that causes proven health problems a mile
away from their homes? At least wind
turbines are environmentally friendly and are widely accepted by the neighbors
of these gentle giants. My mom’s words
really hit this topic deep into my brain, and I am a supporter of wind
turbines, and all forms of green technology; I hope her words hit home with you
as well.
