Following ten years of planning last week, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved a controversial offshore wind project off the coast of Cape Cod. This project will provide 420 megawatts of clean, renewable energy.  In average winds, this project known as  Cape Wind will provide three quarters of the cape and islands electricity needs.

Of course with every project their are vocal critics and this one no doubt will be caught up in the courts for some time.  With many locals decrying the potential loss of view along with a tribe of Native American's  citing sacred grounds, I am sure this project is dead in the water.   While I can see both sides, I’d much rather see wind turbines than oil rigs.
As a native of Santa Barbara, a small town 90 miles north of Los Angeles that experienced a large oil spill 40 years ago that inspired the birth of Earth Day a year later, oil derricks still dot our shoreline.  We see them every time we drive in town, visit the beach, kayak, sail or take a trip to the Channel Islands.  While the lights at night are nice, I’d love to see a moon lit ocean than these beasts working 24/7 to quench our thirst for oil.  Not to mention that the quality from our coast isn’t pure enough to fuel cars, just clean enough to make water bottles and plastic bags.

Our lapse in memory to the risks of offshore drilling was awoken late last month with the horrific BP blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.  It is well known that all off-shore wells are not the same.  At depths below 30,000 feet, such as the drill site in the gulf, extremely high pressure and high temperatures make drilling a considerably high risk and a blow-out’s ticking time bomb.  

While the cost of clean up is BP’s responsibility to a certain extent, no where near the cost of clean up or restoration.  The minimal amount of cash from the oil company and the associates, can’t possibly cover the cost on the environment, clean up, loss of jobs as well as the quality of life for years to come..  We can no longer depend on the status quo of our current energy supplies.  

While implementation of clean energy projects will take time, I hope that we start now and not look back in 5 years after another horrific  event takes place and we wonder why again accidents like this have happened again.
I challenge us all to to conserve energy, fight for policy change and think of creative solutions to our dependence on the status quo for our energy needs.

I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Community Environmental Council this past weekend at Earth Day and had a wonderful experience. In honor of the 40th year, and due to the increased showing over the years, the city of Santa Barbara decided to move the event to Alameda Park and hold it over two days. There were so many booths and people there that at some points it was overwhelming. In the end however it proved to be a wonderful experience that truly highlighted how committed people were to change.

From the first teach-in put together by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970, Earth Day has been a symbol for the environmental movement. Santa Barbara in particular has been very progressive in the green front since the oil spill in 1969 from Platform Holly. This year's event brought people from all sectors, including local farmers, general contractors, architects, publications, media stations, and non-profit groups just to name a few. All were concerned with the direction the world was headed and wanted to make a difference through their own efforts. One notable standout among many was the Green Homes Pavilion, a replica home built on park grounds that reflected different building techniques and environmental measures. Inside each visitor could learn about subjects such as insulation, lighting control, building envelope, low-flow fixtures, low- to no-VOC paints and much, much more. It was very impressive to see such a structure built as they started on Thursday of this past week! Some of the main contributors to the project were Allen Associates, Ward Building, and the Santa Barbara Contractors Association. What struck me the most however was the reception by people visiting the event. My girlfriend and I could hardly walk through the building without bumping into people, dogs or little children!