Category: Around the Web

Around the Web

Wind Over Water

Wind Over Water is a documentary chronicling the debate over the Cape Wind Project, an offshore wind farm proposed for off the southern coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. With similar facilities spreading throughout Europe, many people were excited at the prospect of the first offshore wind project ever to be proposed for American shores.
However, since its plans were revealed in November 2001, many residents of the Cape have banded together to stop the project and prevent its developers from turning Nantucket Sound into what they categorize as an industrial energy complex. With a colorful cast of characters that includes Sen. Edward Kennedy and Walter Cronkite, this story has developed into an intriguing representation of people’s attitudes toward land, energy, politics and NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard).
Supporters of the project maintain that the promise of wind energy is that it can produce clean, renewable power while helping to stem some of the 2.5 billion tons of pollution released into the atmosphere by traditional fossil fuel plants in the US. While this facet of wind energy appears appealing, its greatest liability is that exposed hilltops and shallow offshore waters, areas once immune to development, are now being sited as ideal locations for wind energy facilities.
Wind Over Water will attempt to address the question: Is the American public willing to grant the wind industry access to these lands in exchange for clean, renewable energy?

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Around the Web

Tribute Orchard Trees at FortWhyte Alive

This spring, FortWhyte is embarking on a whole new ambitious venture as part of its expanding FortWhyte Farms program that will generate lasting social and economic benefits for our community. Adding to its product mix of vegetables, raspberries, herbs, honey, beeswax candles, worm castings, and Shiitake mushrooms, the first phase of a planned 1500-tree Tribute Orchard will be planted in a deer-proof, 13-acre enclosure just north of our Bison Prairie. Our intent is to not only involve FortWhyte Farms’ at-risk youth in the care of Winnipeg’s first orchard, but offer its hardy plum, apple, and pear trees as a way for you to commemorate a life-event or pay lasting tribute to a loved one… a birth, death, wedding, graduation, retirement, anniversary… the choice is yours, and so is the fruit! A portion of your tree’s annual bounty would be your option to harvest and enjoy, while reflecting upon its special meaning to you and your family. A practical, lasting mode of inscription for each tree is currently being explored.

FortWhyte has been consulting with professional nurserymen at Shelmerdines, Aubin, and Jefferies Nurseries, to ensure we include only the hardiest of proven fruit tree varieties. We are also looking forward to having the ongoing advice of the ‘best practicing orchardist in Manitoba’ from the Baker Colony north of MacGregor!

Tribute Orchard trees are now available for a fully tax-deductible gift of $500, with $300 allocated to the critical early stages of nurturing. The remaining $200 balance of your gift will be endowed in perpetuity to cover yearly maintenance of the mature orchard. Fully subscribed, this one-of-a-kind living tribute project will have established a $300,000 Community Tribute Orchard Endowment, bearing annual ‘fruit’ for such maintenance… forever.

We sincerely hope that you and our extended FortWhyte Family embrace this project and join in the annual harvest of fruit and your memories of this special place.

If you would like to support this project today, please check out the FortWhyte Alive website: http://www.fortwhyte.org/

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