August 9, 2013
Massachusetts

Windwise makes video to put human face on turbines

By Ariel Wittenberg | August 09, 2013 | www.southcoasttoday.com

FAIRHAVEN – In an effort to humanize what has become a political and polarized issue in town, turbine opposition group Windwise has produced a video compilation of interviews with residents living near the turbines.

So far the group has only released a four-minute preview of the video, which will be posted in its entirety in coming weeks.

In the preview, residents describe their experiences with the turbine noise keeping their children from sleeping at night and giving them headaches.

Windwise member Louise Barteau said the group decided to make the video to “get beyond the political signs on people’s lawns and show the faces of the issue.”

She and fellow Windwise members Kenneth Pottel and John Methia knocked on doors in the neighborhoods near the turbines to find interview subjects, many of whom, Barteau said, have not previously described their experiences publicly.

“A lot of these people told us we were the first people to ask how they were feeling,” Barteau said. “We wanted to give a voice to the people no one was asking about.”

One such person was Donald Cardinal, 80, who lives on Little Bay Road. He had not spoken out against the turbines until Barteau stopped by his street looking for interviews.

He told The Standard-Times Thursday he decided to participate in the video because the turbines have “completely changed the way I live,” and noted that he has kept his storm windows closed year-round in order to safeguard against the noise from the turbines.

He said he has had to install air conditioning units and also now sleeps in his living room instead of his upstairs bedroom, all because of the turbines.

“The ironic thing is the ‘green energy’ has made me use more electricity because of the air conditioning,” he said. “The problem is 98 percent of people stop by and say they don’t hear anything. But they don’t live here, it’s not the same.”

Dan Freitas of Friends of Fairhaven Wind said he did not have an opinion on the video yet because he has not seen it.

“It certainly is their prerogative to make it if they want to,” he said.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/08/09/windwise-makes-video-to-put-human-face-on-turbines/