I vividly remember my last visit to Germany, especially the three hour car ride from the Frankfurt airport to Hannover, my final destination. On a stretch of roughly 200 miles I started counting the wind turbines along the Autobahn. I lost count at around 65 – It’s not easy counting at a speed of 100+ miles per hour (with a car that makes roughly 40 miles to the gallon). The view of these modern windmills so close to the Autobahn is nothing short of majestic, and the demonstration for environmental protection in form of using alternative energy resources is impressive.

It makes you wonder why the United States, and New England in particular, is so reluctant to adopt alternative technologies to produce electricity. Think Teddy Kennedy, who didn’t like the idea of an obstructed view from the family compound on Cape Cod. The proposed wind turbines would be miles away from the shore, but nevertheless clearly visible. It seems to be fashionable and politically correct to support environmental protection, including alternative energy resources, as long as it does not interfere with your personal lifestyle, and that makes me think of the CAVE people.

If you follow my blabbering about the CAVE (= Citizens Against Virtually Everything) people of Greenfield, Massachusetts, you may also have seen my post The CAVE People of Greenfield, Mass. And The Wastewater Issue. In short terms, the town of Greenfield is still struggling with the plans of an already-approved biomass plant (i.e. producing electricity though burning wood, which is not a good example of environmental protection). In a recent development, the biomass plant business had offered to use and pay for the town’s wastewater, an idea that did not sit well with the CAVE people, an aggressive minority within Greenfield, who didn’t want the plant in the first place. A public vote, months after the biomass plant management had retracted their offer, turned out 84% against selling wastewater to anybody, bioplant or not.

If you shake your head in disbelief, and before I address the problem with the use of wind turbines, let me explain:

The CAVE (= Citizens Against Virtually Everything) people of Greenfield, Massachusetts are utterly allergic to changes of their established lifestyle, even if it involves the improvements of a modern society. The Greenfielder, at his heart, is a communist in so far that everybody is equal – with equal voting rights – but with a few ones more equal than the rest. This very aggressive minority (i.e. the CAVE people) is responsible for recent political decisions, including votes and elections, in the form of “If you are not with us, you are against the system, and that is now allowed.” – Politburo comes to mind. So, the Greenfielder is kind of a Soviet communist, including the economic incompetence. In addition, there is the fight against every intrusion of modern life improvements, almost to the degree of the Amish people. In all consequence, the Greenfielder is a Soviet-Communist-Amish people.

Above definition makes it easier to understand the CAVE people’s problem with the use of wind turbines. Don’t get me wrong, the CAVE people’s official opinion is that they approve of the use of alternative energy, unless, of course, it interferes with their established lifestyle. Also, according to official statements, CAVE people, pretending to be as politically correct as possible, are concerned about environmental protection. So, officially: Biomass plant bad! Alternative energy good!

The truth is, the CAVE people of Greenfield, Massachusetts live in poorly insulated houses. They waste staggering amounts of heating oil to keep the interior at somewhat decent temperatures during the harsh New England winters. They set the thermostat to 80 degrees Fahrenheit in order to maintain 70 degrees interior temperature. They use wood stoves, fireplaces, and pellet burners in the winter and pump polluted air unfiltered into the environment. The combined pollution of thousands of households in the neighborhood outperforms that of the bio power plant (with its stringent environmental requirements) several times. So much about environmental protection…

Now let’s think about a hypothetical scenario: Instead of a roughly 200 feet smokestack (the bioplant’s ultimate weapon to suffocate the entire population around Greenfield, Massachusetts) we install between four and eight electricity-producing wind turbines, all of them between 380 and 446 feet high, which would bring in additional tax revenues of roughly $200,000 per year to the town of Greenfield over a 30 year life span of the project.

My prediction is that the potential view of the turbines would enrage the CAVE people, and, while maintaining their image as an environmentally concerned society, they will, in their usual pattern, explore possible problems. Any problem will do, as long as it serves the purpose of preventing the intrusion.

First, we go with the ever popular traffic pattern problem. The project would require building an access road 30 feet wide to bring the turbine components to the site. Here we go! Big diesel trucks congesting traffic and polluting the environment! Remember the times when we sent off our kids to walk to school? That’s not possible anymore. (In truth, the kids went to private schools and we drove them, of course.)

Yes, we all support green energy, but is it worth to destroy our landscape and our way of life? Maybe we should convert the proposed site into a wildlife area. And what about the noise? What about wildlife, i.e. birds and bats? Maybe it would be better if people in the area started reducing their greenhouse gas emissions – I’m sure every house owner in the area can afford the tax-deductible $30,000+ to install solar energy.

And, no, we don’t have any intention looking at similar facilities in New Hampshire. This is a local problem after all.

My take is, I am looking forward to such a possible scenario and observe the CAVE people of Greenfield, Massachusetts at their best: Keeping economical progress away from Greenfield, Massachusetts.