Leaving a carbon footprint
Times Argus, www.timesargus.com 24 December 2011
The forward-thinking environmentalists of 40 years ago, after much on-the-ground research, came to the realization that Vermont’s ridge environments over 2,500 feet in elevation were fragile, rare and sacred ecological wonders and in need of strict protection.
Now comes the modern thinker and writer who couldn’t be bothered to take an up-close look at the precious high elevation ridges like the Lowell ridge before declaring how fine it is to blast apart a ridge like this with 800,000 pounds of explosives for industrial wind generation. As an aside, I wonder if this much explosive was used to build all of Vermont’s ski areas combined.
For these writers, I will describe what I used to see on Lowell ridge. Lowell ridge was a place where cliffs and ledges guarded slow-growing trees. Here could be found ground so beautifully blanketed with flowering trout lilies that there was an urge to lie down in their plush comfort. On this ridge could be found places in the spruces and firs so dark and quiet and mysterious that, if words were spoken at all by the human visitor, they were spoken in hushed tones, like when one enters a cathedral.
I hope we don’t see much more short-sighted destruction of Vermont’s precious ridges in answer to man’s short-sightedly caused global warming. Shockingly, this destruction is being pushed by Vermont leaders who uncaringly create personal carbon footprints higher than the average Vermonter.
Justin Lindholm
Mendon
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/12/24/leaving-a-carbon-footprint/