Destruction
This job site once hosted a modest home built in the mid 1980s. Due to its marshfront location, the nicely
appointed home was short-lived. It was torn down by its new owners in fall 2008, to be replaced by a wasteful
expression of consumer preferences that will cast a substantial carbon shadow for as long as it lasts. Justice
would have it inundated by rising sea levels!
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Dirty Roof
Conventional asphalt shingles are the cheapest roofing material around but, as is usually the case, there is
a cost: They are manufactured using petroleum by-products and, once they reach the end of their useful life,
they must be landfilled as construction debris or "downcycled" as road materials or in other low-value uses.
Credit:
Houston Advanced Research Center
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Underutilized Asset
The Cape's remaining rail line is used to entertain tourists and haul trash, rather than to deliver goods and
transport people. It is, however, a key element in the Cape & Islands region's most significant renewable energy
project: Municipal solid waste is conveyed from local communities to the SEMASS Resource Recovery Facility,
where this bioenergy source is "downcycled" into electricity.
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Sources of Exhaustion
Exhaust from tailpipes, smokestacks, and other fossil-fueled sources contains nitrogen oxides, among other
things. Atmospheric deposition of nitrogen represents the second largest contributor to nutrient enrichment
problems in local waters - one more rationale for increased efficiency and expanded reliance on renewables. |
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Mindless Emissions
Brush fires pollute the air, and they transform carbon stored as biomass into carbon dioxide, contributing
to the rising atmospheric accumulations of this greenhouse gas. Allowing organic materials to decompose naturally
may
be slower and less enjoyable, but it's a simple way to reduce your emissions footprint. |
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Pending Disaster
Coastal tear-downs and re-builds are great for those privileged to live in them, but they will represent societal
liabilities unless global emissions of greenhousegases are dramatically reduced. |
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Rising Prices
Skyrocketing power supply prices for local residents are an indicator of New England's over-reliance on natural
gas: An 81% increase for Cape Light Compact consumers and an increase of more than 50% for NStar and National
Grid consumers.
Residents that rely on natural gas for home heating and other uses are getting a double-strength lesson in
the importance of a diverse fuel supply portfolio.
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Spoiled Wake
A wake is not the only thing left behind by pleasure boats - some engines spew a significant percentage of
their fuel directly into local waters, while all engines release air pollutants. (Local dealers participating
in the Massachusetts Clean Marine Engine
Initiative are helping to address these problems.)
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Postcard from the Cape
The Canal Generating Station in Sandwich presents visitors with a singular backdrop - and a clear picture of
the present energy situation in the Cape & Islands region. |
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Burning Brush
Burning brush may be a time-honored tradition in local communities, but it releases pollutants and greenhouse
gases without generating useful energy. |
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The Hummer
The Hummer is a telling indicator of the energy present in the United States - highly inefficient yet encouraged
by existing energy and tax policy.
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Credit: Automotive Buzz
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The Canal Power Plant
The Canal Electric Station in Sandwich produces almost all of the electricity consumed on Cape Cod, Martha's
Vineyard, and Nantucket. On cold days, the plant generates a prominent plume - but it is the emissions
you can't see that degrade local air and water quality and contribute to public health and climate change risks.
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Credit: Richard Judge
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The Argo Merchant
In 1976, the Argo Merchant ran aground off Nantucket, introducing more than 7 million gallons of fuel oil into
local waters. Shorelines and beaches were saved by prevailing currents that swept the oil out to sea. In April
2003, a barge headed toward the Canal Electric Station leaked tens of thousands of gallons of fuel oil into
Buzzards Bay. This much smaller spill soiled shorelines, killed wildlife, closed beaches and shellfishing beds,
and harmed the local economy - just imagine if the next big spill is in the wrong place.
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Credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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The Solar Engine
The Sun is the ultimate source of the Earth's energy, including its fossil fuel reserves, which are believed
to have originated from ancient plant matter. Greenhouse gases produced by fossil fuel combustion and other
sources are trapping more of the Sun's heat in the upper atmosphere, changing the global energy balance. Indicators
of local climate change may already be here - witness the eroding shorelines, invading species, arriving diseases,
and fleeing insurers.
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Credit: National Optical Astronomy Observatory
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