THE DARK SIDE OF WINDFARMS...

Energy is the key word of our times. The world is coming to a turning point: oil is not enough anymore, unless we venture to our last treasured wilderness areas (Alaska and the Amazon) and we are already doing that; carbon will eventually fade too, and most of the processes for producing this energy is just filling the air with contaminants that lead us to these climate changes we are already experiencing.

So if you could support renewable energy sources (wind, water, solar, even nuclear...), why wouldn't you?

The dark truth is that with or without renewable energy sources, everything we do has an impact on environment and for many people it is just too easy to decide between better energy/less pollution and wildlife conservation.

Endless impact studies are done on the sites where the construction of windfarms is planned. But how real is the data that comes out of them? Are the protocols even valid? What amount of energy are people even putting into producing good/acceptable scientific data? And, finally who says what is and what isn't significant data on impacts? How can you decide that? And how can the public get that information and actually decide for itself?

More or less impact is just too relative, isn't it? Because there is always an impact...

For those of you who have never heard about the problems caused by windfarms on birds, here is a list of various information sources:

Article by Marc Duchamp - very informative
Barracuda - spanish newsletter
Country Guardian
Washington Post article - effect of windfarms on bats
Effects of wind turbines on birds - U. Birmingham, report
RSPB on windfarms - the view of the british NGO on windfarms


At the end we just have to wonder how we will ever decide on our energy sources...

While windfarms are growing all over the world, like cornfields, ornithologists, conservationists, environmentalists, and other -ists, are now discussing endlessly and furiously on this subject. And no one seems to have the answer. "Environmental friendly energy" just doesn't seem to be an accurate expression for any of the energy production processes we have created.

The only solution is to trust the good judgement and the knowledge of our scientists on creating new alternatives and also on giving us reliable data on the impact of these alternatives, hopefully with no pressure from the power companies involved. Which I realize is a happy, irrealistic thought...

...THERE'S A LOT OF WALKING TO DO, STILL

Here are some texts from one of my favorite books of all times...

Enjoy...

Las huellas digitales

Yo nací y crecí bajo las estrellas de la Cruz del Sur.

Vaya donde vaya, ellas me persiguen. Bajo la cruz del sur, cruz de fulgores, yo voy viviendo las estaciones de mi suerte.

No tengo ningún dios. Si lo hubiera, le pediría que no me deje llegar a la muerte; no todavía. Mucho me falta andar. Hay lunas a las que todavía no ladré y soles en los que todavía no me incendié. Todavía no me sumergí en todos los mares de este mundo, que dicen que son siete, ni en todos los ríos del Paraíso, que dicen que son cuatro.

En Montevideo, hay un niño que explica:

- Yo no quiero morirme nunca, porque quiero jugar siempre.

In El Libro de los Abrazos

Eduardo Galeano

El Mundo

Un hombre del pueblo de Neguá, en la costa de Colombia, pudo subir al alto cielo.

A la vuelta, contó. Dijo que había contemplado, desde allá arriba, la vida humana. Y dijo que somos un mar de fueguitos.

- El mundo es eso – reveló – Un montón de gente, un mar de fueguitos.

Cada persona brilla con luz propia entre todas las demás. No hay dos fuegos iguales. Hay fuegos grandes y fuegos chicos y fuegos de todos los colores. Hay gente de fuego sereno, que ni se entera del viento, y gente de fuego loco, que llena el aire de chispas. Algunos fuegos, fuegos bobos, no alumbran ni queman; pero otros arden la vida con tantas ganas que no se puede mirarlos sin parpadear, y quien se acerca, se enciende.

In El Libro de los Abrazos

Eduardo Galeano

LAST PHOTOS OF TALAMANCA

... This post is dedicated to everyone who shared their time with me at Kèköldi!...

Sadness filled the landscape as I looked at the mountains of Talamanca one last time... Sepia is the perfect color for my state of mind...

The Black Beach... Playa Negra. The sand sticks to your feet as you stare at the ocean and hear the waves calling! I will never forget this place...

These are the last pictures I took at the Kèköldi Indigenous Reserve, where I worked for the past 2 years and a half...

Cocoa fruits

Salomé!

With a friend like you I am able to enjoy these sad times! Thank you for spending this time with me, for the good times and for giving me a job! Hahaha! We are also learning how NOT to speak portuguese, by mixing in spanish expressions... it is so much fun!

Deyedi, Iriana, Weymer y yo!

My little great friends from Kèköldi! When I am with them I am a little kid again! Great time I will never forget... the simple games of life!

Maggie!

What would I do without you??? I wish you only hapiness and good luck on your new job at San Francisco!

My dear, dear friend Rudy!

How many hours did we spend together at the tower? Watching the migration, enjoying cups of coffee and building a strong friendship that I hope will never end, wherever we are! I will never forget you!

My last five minutes at the Kèköldi observation tower!

Days, nights, a big and important part of my life, of my growth as a person, I spent them right here... sitting on these benches, watching the mountains or the ocean. And all around me, the imense green forest, the enormous clouds! And so much laughter, so many friends, good people I met right here... My thoughts are with you always!Until my next post... and enjoy the small great moments of your life!

Kèköldi forever!