North Adams – Since 11 turbine windmills popped up in Searsburg, Vermont in 1997 they’ve been growing in popularity. There’s talk of putting them up in the oceans surrounding Cape Cod and on Equinox Mountain in Manchester, Vermont.
Even the Massachusetts towns of Florida, Monroe, and East Haven have contemplated adding wind farms to the landscape. Greg Dahlman of WAMC – Northeast Public Radio will host Wind Salon, a panel of citizens and scientists in favor of modern windmills at MASS MoCA on Thursday, March 18, at 7 P.M.
Opposing points of view from the audience will be welcome.
Held in conjunction with Kidspace’s spring exhibition, Wind Farm, the panelists will include Hank Art, director of Williams College’s Hopkins Memorial Forest; Stan Brown, owner of Brown’s Garage and lifelong Florida, Massachusetts resident; and Carrie Baker, the photographer whose large-scale images of wind turbines are included in the Kidspace exhibition.
Wind power was harnessed as early as 5000 BC by the ancient Egyptians. The Dutch made the windmill a quintessential part of their landscape.
Since man’s mastery of electricity, the windmill, which harnesses wind for mechanical energy, has been replaced by the wind turbine, which transforms it into electrical energy. In modern times Denmark has perfected the wind farm, poised to provide 10% of the world’s energy by 2017, but only recently have they become the rage in the United States Some wind farms in California and Texas include more than 100 wind turbines. Originally resisted in the East, the first was actually installed in central Vermont in 1941 but was destroyed by weather in just a few years.
Today’s wind turbines come in a variety of sizes from residential one-home systems of 5 to 15 kilowatts to utility scale systems from 300 to 1,000 kilowatts.
They utilize blades designed after airplane wings and propellers fitted atop 160 foot -- 40-story tall -- towers. The towers are typically tubular which eliminates bird mortality since birds were attracted to earlier towers for perching and often got too close to the blades. They require wind speeds of at least 10 mph to function but are outfitted with mechanisms to keep the blades spinning at a specific and steady pace even if the wind is moving faster. One of the largest wind farms in the east, the Searsburg turbines produce 6 megawatts and provide enough power for 2,000 Vermont homes.
Greg Dahlmann is the national productions reporter for WAMC Northeast Public Radio, where he covers health, science and education issues. Greg also hosts The Science Forum, a call-in program featuring a panel of scientists from area universities and research institutions.
Montpelier, Vermont-based photographer Carrie Baker has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She has experience as an artistic director for the Perlata Hacienda Historical Park in Oakland, California where she oversaw art and history programs for at-risk youth. Carrie also was a teaching assistant for RISD’s photography and illustration courses for adults and high school students and an arts educator at RISD’s art museum. Her work has been exhibited in alternative spaces in several group shows in the Bay Area.
Hank Art is chairman of the biology department of Williams College and director of the Hopkins Memorial Forest, part of the college's Center for Environmental Studies. Art received a doctorate in Forest Ecology from Yale University and has written several books and articles including A Garden of Wildflowers and The Wildflower Gardener's Guide: California, Desert Southwest, and Northern Mexico Edition, which was the top Home and Garden Book in the 91st annual American Booksellers Association Convention in New York City. Art’s current research involves the investigation of long-term changes in relationships among species comprising the various communities in Hopkins Forest, and the extent to which natural and human-use disturbances have played a role in shaping the present patterns of communities and ecosystems.
For the second half of the Earth, Wind, and Desire series, Kidspace at MASS MoCA morphs into a Wind Farm complete with a sea of metallic, wood, and feathered kinetic sculptures against a backdrop of large photos of wind turbines. The group exhibition features photographs by Carrie Baker and kinetic sculptures by Tim Prentice, Pedro S. De Movellan, and William R. Bergman. Visitors to Kidspace will harvest new ideas about wind and wind energy as they walk through the exhibit. The artwork offers myriad perspectives on wind and movement. A resource area for children of all ages will feature books, music, and videos about wind energy, and examples of work by other artists, poets, and storybook writers. And, visitors will be invited to make “moving madness†artwork at tables that offer wonderful views of the Wind Farm art.
Tickets to Wind Salon are $5 (members save 10%) and are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M. Wednesday through Monday (closed Tuesdays). Reservations can also be made over the phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or made online at www.massmoca.org .
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State Fire Marshal Offers Cold Snap Heating Safety Tips
STOW, Mass. —With temperatures expected to dip into the teens overnight this week, Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine is reminding residents to stay warm safely and protect their loved ones from some of the most common home heating fires.
"We're expecting very cold weather in the nights ahead, and home heating appliances will be working overtime," said State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine. "Heating equipment is the leading cause of carbon monoxide at home and the second leading cause of residential fires. Whether you're using gas, oil, solid fuel, or space heaters to keep warm, be sure you keep safe, too."
State Fire Marshal Davine said there were nearly 6,000 heating fires in Massachusetts from 2019 to 2023. These fires claimed eight lives, caused 139 injuries to firefighters and residents, and contributed to over $42 million in damage. And in 2023 alone, Massachusetts fire departments reported finding carbon monoxide at nearly 5,000 non-fire incidents.
Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms
Every household needs working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every level of their home. Check the manufacturing date on the back of your alarms so you know when to replace them: smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years, and carbon monoxide alarms should be replaced after 5 to 10 years depending on the model. If your alarms take alkaline batteries, put in fresh batteries twice a year when you change your clocks. If it's time to replace your alarms, choose new ones from a well-known, national brand. Select smoke alarms with a sealed, long-life battery and a hush feature.
Natural Gas and Oil Heat
If you have a furnace, water heater, or oil burner, have it professionally checked and serviced each year. This will help it run more efficiently, which will save you money and could save your life. Always keep a three-foot "circle of safety" around the appliance clear of anything that could catch fire. Never store painting supplies, aerosol cans, or other flammable items near these appliances. If you smell gas, don't use any electrical switches or devices: get out, stay out, and call 9-1-1 right away.
Residents struggling to pay for heating bills or maintenance may be eligible for assistance through the Massachusetts home energy assistance program (HEAP). No matter what type of heating equipment you use, HEAP may be able to help you pay your winter heating bills or maintain your heating system. All Massachusetts residents are encouraged to explore eligibility for this free program and apply for assistance.
Solid Fuel Heating
If you use a fireplace or a stove that burns wood, pellets, or coal, always keep the area around it clear for three feet in all directions. This circle of safety should be free of furniture, drapery, rugs, books and papers, fuel, and any other flammable items. To prevent sparks and embers from escaping, use a fireplace screen or keep the stove door closed while burning. Use only dry, seasoned hardwood and don't use flammable liquids to start the fire. To dispose of ashes, wait until they are cool and shovel them into a metal bucket with a lid and place it outside at least 10 feet away from the building.
Have your chimney and flue professionally inspected and cleaned each year. Most chimney fires are caused by burning creosote, a tarry substance that builds up as the fireplace, wood stove, or pellet stove is used. If burning creosote, sparks, embers, or hot gases escape through cracks in the flue or chimney, they can cause a fire that spreads to the rest of the structure. Annual cleaning and inspection can minimize this risk. Contact the Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild or Chimney Safety Institute of America to identify reputable local companies.
Space Heaters
Keep space heaters at least three feet from curtains, bedding, and anything else that can burn. Plug them directly into a wall socket, not an extension cord or a power strip, and remember that they're for temporary use. Always turn a space heater off when you leave the room or go to sleep.
When purchasing a space heater, select one that's been tested and labeled by a nationally recognized testing company, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Intertek (ETL). Newer space heaters should have an automatic shut-off switch that turns the device off if it tips over. Unvented kerosene space heaters and portable propane space heaters are not permitted for residential use in Massachusetts, State Fire Marshal Davine said: the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning that they pose is too great.
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