Wind In My Roots

My mom sent me this story from the New York Times this summer about the first full size wind farm in Nebraska. It is located in the Middle of Nowhere, aka Ainsworth, where much of my extended family lives. Below is a photo from summer 2007 of Serena and members of my family in front of the wind turbines.


This type of development is significant. Much of rural America is dissolving away as the agricultural industry becomes ever-more mechanized and the economy in general specializes in urban-based service jobs. Renewable energy development infuses money into these communities through land leases, property taxes, and workers who spend their paychecks in local shops and markets. Rather than the status quo of nuclear and dirty coal, renewable energy projects are environmentally friendly and an economic boon for some of America's most vulnerable communities.

The wind in Nebraska keeps blowing, let's harvest it.