“Harnessing the wind is one of the cleanest, most sustainable ways to
generate electricity. It produces no toxic emissions and none of the
carbon dioxide pollution that is driving global warming. At the same
time, the wind sector stands ready to employ millions of Americans and
finally provide the country with real energy independence,” said Nicole
Granacki, Greenpeace’s Illinois field organizer.
The time is ripe to make a transition to wind. The president’s stimulus
package provides much needed incentives to spark development in clean
energy technology like wind and solar. What’s more, House Democrats
recently released a draft energy bill that would finally reduce global
warming pollution from coal and other dirty energies and level the
playing field for clean energy sources like wind and solar.
Innovations in wind technology and production have made it the country’s new growth industry:
• According to the U.S. Department of Energy, wind power could
meet 20 percent of the country’s electricity needs by 2030. See:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/pdfs/41869.pdf
• According to the Global Wind Energy Council, in 2008 the US
wind sector broke all previous records with new installations of 8.5
GW, making America the world’s top wind energy producer. See:
http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=30&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=139
• According to CNNMoney.com, the wind sector now employs more Americans than the coal industry. See:
http://greenwombat.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/01/28/wind-jobs-outstrip-the-coal-industry/
“On Earth Day we want people to begin to imagine renewable energy built
into the architectural fabric of America’s great cities and ask
themselves ‘Why not? Why don’t we have this already?’,” said Carroll
Muffett, Greenpeace’s deputy campaigns director. “Clean energy is the
energy of the future. But the best part is it’s available today.”
Last month, Greenpeace released its U.S. roadmap for slowing climate
change. In the report, called the Energy [R]evolution, Greenpeace
supports a strong cap on global warming pollution, an end to fossil
fuel and nuclear subsidies, mandatory efficiency standards for
vehicles, buildings and appliances, binding targets for renewable
energy generation and strong financial support for clean energy in
developing countries. To read the full-report, visit:
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/press-center/reports4/energy-r-evolution-a-bluepr
For images and video of the wind installation go to
http://usaphoto.greenpeace.org/20090422_windycity/ contact Daniel Kessler,
dkessler@greenpeace.org, 970.690.2728
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