But in reality, it can be pretty depressing. Global warming is a lot like my own mortality. I prefer not to think about it. Oh sure, the bigger impacts like the melting of the polar ice caps bothers me, as do larger and more powerful storms and drought in many parts of the world. But I’m really affected at a deeper level when I think about global warming’s personal effects on my life in Gloucester.

I think about how in 15 years we won’t be skating every winter weekend on Magnolia’s West Pond, playing hockey with my kids and grandkids. I think about how we won’t be able to enjoy the beach because sea level rise has wiped out most of it, except at low tide. And I wonder how we’ll deal with the loss of homeowner insurance when the industry decides that we live too close to the coast to insure.

I’m not much of a worrier. But if you ponder the implications too much, you could really get twisted. Think about how climate change and sea level rise could affect Cape Ann. With ten feet of sea level rise – perfectly plausible under current scientific understanding -- Gloucester’s wastewater treatment plant, high school, the boulevard, and most of Rogers Street would nearly be under water. And with warmer ocean temperatures, we’re bound to have bigger and bigger storms. And then there’s the cost of energy – my electricity bill already tops $100 per month.

But I refuse to wallow in my discontent. Just like I exercise and try to eat good foods in an effort to push back my own demise a few years, I’ve been trying to reduce our family’s energy use. We installed a wood-burning stove last winter that cut our oil use and carbon dioxide emissions in half – and saved $900 to boot. We’ve installed 12 energy efficient bulbs, reducing our electricity use helping to keep our bill from rising to stratospheric heights. And I’m trying to stay under 65 mph on 128 – after all, every 5 mph slower you drive reduces fuel consumption and saves you 10 cents per gallon thanks to improved efficiency and lower aerodynamic drag.

And I feeling a bit less glum having just read an article in the July/August issue of MIT’s Technology Review, which says that immediate steps to sharply reduce emissions could still prevent the worst consequences of global warming. So just as I’ll get out to play basketball with a bunch of my buddies this summer -- to stave off the spare tire that wants to grow around my waste -- I’ll be searching for additional ways to reduce my energy use. After all, who could stand for a summer of discontent on Cape Ann – its just too gorgeous around here to mope, or in seamen’s terms, to stay stuck in irons!

Tim Greiner lives and plays pond hockey in Gloucester. He is the coordinator of the Cape Ann Climate Action Network (www.capeannenergy.org). His next My View will detail steps readers can take to to do their part.

“You could just feel the buzz and energy as you walked the floor. People appreciated the diversity of vendors and educational speakers we put together,” said Fair Volunteer Coordinator Tesa Silvestre.

With a wide range of energy professionals – including solar power installers, energy conservation services, appliance and lighting vendors, architects and builders – there was something for anyone looking for the latest technology and cost saving energy ideas. The Green Cinema center, live music, youth painting, the chance to make a solar oven, and much much more made the event more than just a well organized trade show. Indeed, the youth booths and activities added a touch of inspiration, excitement and creativity for everyone to enjoy.

At the Fair, fair organizers unveiled a new campaign called 20/20 by 2012. Motivated by concerns over climate change, energy independence and energy costs, the campaign calls for citizens, government, and business to reduce their energy use by 20% and source 20% of their remaining energy use from renewable sources by 2012.

Seventy-eight businesses and citizens signed the pledge at the Fair and a dozen more in the week following it! In the coming months, Cape Ann Climate Change Network and Sustainable Cape Ann will provide tools and resources to people and organizations that take the pledge. According to Tim Greiner, coordinator of Network, “There really is no other program like this on the North Shore. We will be tapping into the free resources available to people and organizations that take the pledge – from utility energy audits to renewable energy grants. So many of us on Cape Ann want to make a difference in how we use energy. This campaign is a terrific place for people to get started, learn more, and to share their successes.”

1) Increase visibility and safety by reducing glare and light trespass from newly installed outdoor lights and streetlights;

2) Reduce energy waste and pollution by replacing inefficient outdoor fixtures with well-designed, lower-wattage outdoor fixtures that "puts the light where you need it"; and

3) Save Gloucester taxpayers money through reduced street light and public outdoor lighting bills.

For a terrific powerpoint slide show on the benefits of conservation lighting as well as the good, the bad and the ugly of lighting in Gloucester, see:
http://atmob.org/~light/lightpollution.ppt

To learn more, contact Linda Brayton at lbrayton@adelphia.net

Cape Ann is not going to solve the country's energy problems. But the region is doing its part, showing some encouraging initiatives to use renewable energy in its corner of the world.
In Gloucester, the new solar-powered trash compactor known as Big Belly is now in place on Stacy Boulevard, the scenic harbor walkway. The unit, which weighs about 400 pounds, can store three times the amount of trash as a conventional barrel, by crushing 180 gallons into about 46 gallons. Sensors inside the unit, powered by solar energy, trigger the compacting mechanism and also signal when the unit needs to be emptied.

It comes with a vastly bigger price tag than a conventional trash barrel, too, about $4,700. But that cost was covered by residents who signed up for National Grid's GreenUp program by agreeing to add a few dollars to their monthly electric bill. That money was matched by the Clear Energy Choice program.

And it has already been shown to be effective in nearby Manchester, where officials say a Big Belly at Singing Beach has eliminated their trash overflow problems.

And on the renewable front, the Rockport School Committee and Department of Public Works have agreed to erect a 164-foot wind data collection tower near the high school softball field. The yearlong study will let the town know if a wind turbine would be a worthwhile energy investment.

The chances of that look good. According to Sally Wright, of the University of Massachusetts Renewable Energy Research Laboratory, Rockport has some of the most favorable wind speeds in the state.

Of course, there are concerns besides wind speed, noise and aesthetics among them. But with a proposed tower more than 900 feet from the closest residence, officials are hopeful that they will get community support.

Besides saving on the local energy bill - something every community would welcome - it will also offer the chance for students to study wind power right in the school's backyard.

But in reality, it can be pretty depressing. Global warming is a lot like my own mortality. I prefer not to think about it. Oh sure, the bigger impacts like the melting of the polar ice caps bothers me, as do larger and more powerful storms and drought in many parts of the world. But I’m really affected at a deeper level when I think about global warming’s personal effects on my life in Gloucester.

I think about how in 15 years we won’t be skating every winter weekend on Magnolia’s West Pond, playing hockey with my kids and grandkids. I think about how we won’t be able to enjoy the beach because sea level rise has wiped out most of it, except at low tide. And I wonder how we’ll deal with the loss of homeowner insurance when the industry decides that we live too close to the coast to insure.

I’m not much of a worrier. But if you ponder the implications too much, you could really get twisted. Think about how climate change and sea level rise could affect Cape Ann. With ten feet of sea level rise – perfectly plausible under current scientific understanding -- Gloucester’s wastewater treatment plant, high school, the boulevard, and most of Rogers Street would nearly be under water. And with warmer ocean temperatures, we’re bound to have bigger and bigger storms. And then there’s the cost of energy – my electricity bill already tops $100 per month.

But I refuse to wallow in my discontent. Just like I exercise and try to eat good foods in an effort to push back my own demise a few years, I’ve been trying to reduce our family’s energy use. We installed a wood-burning stove last winter that cut our oil use and carbon dioxide emissions in half – and saved $900 to boot. We’ve installed 12 energy efficient bulbs, reducing our electricity use helping to keep our bill from rising to stratospheric heights. And I’m trying to stay under 65 mph on 128 – after all, every 5 mph slower you drive reduces fuel consumption and saves you 10 cents per gallon thanks to improved efficiency and lower aerodynamic drag.

And I feeling a bit less glum having just read an article in the July/August issue of MIT’s Technology Review, which says that immediate steps to sharply reduce emissions could still prevent the worst consequences of global warming. So just as I’ll get out to play basketball with a bunch of my buddies this summer -- to stave off the spare tire that wants to grow around my waste -- I’ll be searching for additional ways to reduce my energy use. After all, who could stand for a summer of discontent on Cape Ann – its just too gorgeous around here to mope, or in seamen’s terms, to stay stuck in irons!

Appeared in the Gloucester Daily Times August 8, 2006
Tim Greiner lives and plays pond hockey in Gloucester. He is the coordinator of the Cape Ann Climate Action Network (www.capeannenergy.org). His next My View will detail steps readers can take to to do their part

America needs a new energy policy

To the editor:
Your editorial of Sept. 29 on a "sensible, reasoned energy policy" included a nod to conservation, but that is where the reason seems to end. The policy recommendations focus on increasing supplies of oil and natural gas at the expense of the environment, including drilling in Alaska. The editorial asserts that "modern technology can extract vast quantities of oil from a minimal footprint on the environment," but that this has been opposed by "concerns over caribou living in a wilderness that few will ever see win the day." However, the U.S. Geological Service estimates that only seven months of economically recoverable oil exists in the Arctic National Wildlife refuge, and it would take 10 years to get it. As for a "small footprint," according to the National Resources Defense Council, "U.S. Geological Survey studies have found that oil in the refuge isn't concentrated in a single, large reservoir. Rather, it's spread across the coastal plain in more than 30 small deposits, which would ... fragment the habitat, disturbing and displacing wildlife."

1. Tightened CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards for American cars and trucks (especially SUVs);


2. Additional investments in mass and inter-city transit;


3. Higher energy efficiency building code standards;


4. Stricter energy efficiency appliance standards;


5. Additional financial incentives for weatherization for homes, schools, office buildings and factories;


6. More incentives to develop low-cost renewable energy technologies as wind power and biofuels;


7. More incentives to develop and install technologies that use conventional fuels more efficiently;


8. More thoughtful management of the high-cost fuels we still need, such as strategic storage of natural gas, heating oil and gasoline as well as hedged purchases of natural gas by electric and gas utilities;


9. Strict adherence to environmental rules and regulations, rather than undercutting them as the current Environmental Protection Agency is doing; and


10. Pressure on the oil companies to reopen refineries they shut down when profits were not sufficiently obscene.

Jerrold Oppenheim
Theo MacGregor
Middle Street, Gloucester

A local advocacy group is trying to encourage more of that on Cape Ann.

The Cape Ann Climate Change Network, a group of residents formed three years ago, has been advocating for conservation, awareness of global warming and local solutions to energy dependence.

"It's a group of interested people, some with technical backgrounds, some with a strong interest in climate change and energy efficiency, energy security,looking at how Cape Ann could move toward energy efficiency," said Timothy Greiner, the group's leader. "There's a huge interest in energy efficiency because of Katrina and the recent rise in all kinds of energy prices."

The program is an option for customers to choose electricity that comes from renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines, biomass incinerators or solar power. Those who volunteer for the program will pay between $6 and $12 extra, depending on the options chosen.

"For every dollar that's spent, we get money back for renewable energy projects in our town," said Greiner.

Steve Magoon, an administrator in the planning office, says the city is eligible to receive $3,500 for renewable energy projects or for energy conservation purposes.

"It's available to us, but we haven't taken advantage of it yet because we're hoping to get more people to participate and get more money," said Magoon. "Once you get a substantial amount together, then it's possible to do something more significant."

Greiner said he understands that many people live within tight budgets and could not handle the extra expense.

"It's not for everybody, because you do have to pay more. I signed up for Green Up and what I did in conjunction is I did an energy efficiency audit of my own house and found a couple of places to be more efficient," he said. "It's not for everybody, but it's a way to make a difference if you can. The program's not perfect, but it's a huge step forward."

The group will string a banner across Main Street this week to encourage support for Green Up. If 3 percent of the city's population signs up, Gloucester will receive a one-time payment of just under $21,000 from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.

In the last three years, the Cape Ann Climate Change Network has worked with the city to promote wind turbines for spot projects, such as a water treatment facility or a school, and to make municipal buildings more energy efficient.
"We campaigned to Mayor (John) Bell to establish a renewable energy committee, which he did," said Greiner. "It now allows the city to get up to $25,000 in services from a quasi-state organization that can look at possible sites for windmills and that's an important development. There are a number of communities along the shore that are looking at renewable energy. Hull has a turbine, Lynn is looking at two turbines to power their wastewater treatment plant."
Bell said that the Mayor's Renewable Energy Committee is an advisory group and will soon advise the City Council as well.

"The mandate of the committee was to do quite a bit of talking to bring new ideas, but also to come up with solutions to implement in the short term to help," he said.

The committee is working with Varian to consider two wind turbines at the Blackburn Industrial Park.

"At the same time, the committee has asked me to have the (Massachusetts Technology Collaborative) take a look at our industrial parks, at Fuller School and O'Maley School and the feasibility of recommending alternative wind energy for those sites," said Bell.

Greiner said the group will focus on promoting Green Up for the remainder of the year. It is premature to discuss plans for next year, he added.

The Cape Ann Climate Change Network
Year Started: 2002
Number of members: About 25
Goals: Increase use of renewable energy sources, encourage energy conservation, initiate business and government projects to reduce greenhouse emissions

Local Communities Benefit from the Program!

For every dollar a spent on renewable energy, the Massachusetts Technology Colaborative will match it in two ways:

• Up to one dollar will go to the town or city for renewable energy educational materials or projects.
• Up to one additional dollar will go to low-income renewable and energy efficiency projects.

How Much Will A Town Receive?

If, for example, a consumer pays $12 per month for renewable electricity and MTC matches 50%, MTC will provide $6 per month or $72 per year to that consumers community and an additional $6 per month for low-income projects. As you can see below, this can quickly add up: If there are 10 participants each of whose purchases is matched $6 monthly, MTC will provide $720 each year to the community.

• If there are 25 participants, MTC will provide $1,800.
• If there are 100 participants, MTC will provide $7,200.
• If there are 300 participants, MTC will provide $21,600.

Sign Up Before December 31st 2005!!!

If the town gets 3% of households to sign up by January 1, 2006, it gets a one time payment for renewable energy education & projects:

Town	# Households Needed for Bonus (3%)	Currently Signed Up	# Needed to Sign Up	One Time Payment if 3% Goal is Met
Gloucester	419	74	345	$20,950
Rockport	126	19	107	$6,300
Manchester	70	10	60	$3,500
Essex	43	15	28	$2,150

How Much Will it Cost Me?

For a typical Massachusetts home that uses 500 kilowatt-hours per month, participating in GreenUp with Community Energy will add $6 to $12 per month to your electric bill, depending on which option you choose. Please note this cost is tax deductible.

How do I sign up?

Signing up is easy. Look in your October Bill for an enrolement form or download a pdf of the form here. Cape Ann Climate Change Network thanks you for your support of the GreenUp program. We can make a difference!

Many of us on Cape Ann are aware that our dependence on fossil fuels is causing air and water pollution and health problems as well as forcing us to build pipelines that degrade the ecological systems that support life. At the same time, fossil fuel dependence means reliance and political ties to many non-democratic régimes. The Cape Ann Climate Change Network (C3 Network) is a network of Cape Ann residents, businesses, and government officials working to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and minimize our emissions of greenhouse gas emissions.

Our goals are to:

• educate the community on the perils of global warming and the impacts of US dependence on fossil fuel energy;


• initiate business and government projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions;


• promote strategies to mitigate our personal contributions to global warming;


• increase the affordability of energy services (heat, electricity) through conservation and efficiency efforts; and


• increase our use of renewable resources.