Wind+Turbine+Project

a) Over 85% of our energy demands are met by the combustion of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources because they take millions of years to form, and reserves are being depleted much faster than new ones are being formed. Since fossil fuels, most common being coal, oil, and natural gas, are non-renewable sources of energy and our primary source of energy, we will run into big problems if we continue to almost completely rely on non-renewable sources of energy to power our modernized industrial civilization. Although we do not face immediate dangers of an energy shortage, if we do not do anything to change to cleaner, greener renewable energy we will eventually ruin the Earth. a) First, we were going to attempt to install solar panels on the roof of NKHS, but after extended research we found that the cost of solar panels are too expensive. After much consideration, we have decided, collectively, that instituting a wind turbine would be much more reasonable than the original idea of solar panels. b) Include discussion about which steps were successes and what you may do differently next time a) Limitations- money, installation, area and site of installation, size of wind turbine, and time b) Next steps we need to take are to contact the people who would be in charge of constructing a wind turbine and finding out how much money the instilation and maitnence would cost. a) Each member of the group must submit a reflection which includes their thoughts about: i) what they learned about democracy from participating on this project ii) what they learned about themselves from working on this project iii) what they learned about cooperating with others from working on this project i) __Public Education__ (1) Flyers- (2) Newsletters- ii) __Direct Action__ (1) Picketing- Picketing  On a date soon to be determined we will hold a picketing rally to support alternative energy and show disapproval of the continual use of fossil fuels. We will gather a large group of supportive citizens. The main goal of the picketing would be to raise awareness throughout the community. The more people that know about our cause the more likely someone will step up and help out the cause. The location of this event will be in Wickford.  We will be carrying signs that say provoking statements to join into the rally and to get the idea of alternative energy engraved into the minds of the onlookers. Also, the protesters will be yelling chants to save the environment.  To get this rally in motion, we will most likely educate the public of the date. Flyers, newspaper, and newsletters will be used to spread the news and date of our picketing (2) Demonstrations and Protests-
 * 1) ****Introduction to the problem**
 * 2) ****Strategies employed**
 * 3) ****Outcomes of the project**
 * 4) ****Reflections on the Project**
 * 5) ****Appendix: Ways of Acting**

Demonstrations and Protesting To be able to achieve success, we will need the support of the public and the government. Advocating a violent protest is unnecessary to attain our goal. Also, any kind of boycotting may be unnecessary unless the energy companies, mostly National Grid, fails to comply with our demands we might be able to do an energy ban and use very little energy. I do not believe this will be necessary though. I think the best way to show our cause will be to do a demonstration. The demonstration would probably be held at North Kingstown High School since it would be convenient and that is where we will be trying to build the turbine anyways. The projected time for our demonstration would probably be in the afternoon, like 3:00-4:00. At our demonstration we will have some guest speakers, that know a lot about wind turbines. A good place to find these speakers would be from previous wind turbine projects. The main goal for the demonstration would be to educate the public on how the wind turbine would work, the advantages and disadvantages, and the cost efficiency. Hopefully many people will be able to realize the importance of finding energy efficient alternative energy sources and that wind turbines are a good resource to use. One of the ways we will accomplish this is by passing out pamphlets on the facts, statistics, and charts of wind turbine efficiency, usual energy costs, and the initial installation costs.

iii) __Citizen Lobbying__ (1) Testifying at committee hearings-

Testifying At Committee Hearings In the future, it would be nice to be able to attend a hearing about alternative energy and/wind energy. At this hearing, a lot of information would be present to develop a better understanding on what is being done right now. Also, if given the chance, we may be able to actually participate and give our own ideas and try to persuade the committee on locating a wind turbine at North Kingstown High School. Attending a meeting that’s main subject is alternative energy and especially wind turbines would give us an opportunity to meet with other concerned citizens, environmentalists, and, hopefully, some involved politicians. Some of the ideas brought up at the hearing would most likely consist of such topics like, where the wind turbine would be able to be erected, the cost and funding of the turbine, and the energy output. The best way, or at least most probable, to have a hearing on the institution of a wind turbine would probably be to propose the topic at a local Town Council meeting. A good way to do this might be to contact Town Councilman before a meeting and ask him/her to put it on the schedule. Hopefully, just addressing the subject can cause a chain reaction and more people to join on the cause of reducing fossil fuel usage and promote the use of alternative energy.

(3) Persuading Legislators- To persuade legislature to except our proposal to have a new wind turbine built on the property of NKHS in North Kingstown, RI we would start with how the project would be funded. First stating what a success the Portsmouth Turbine has been, and how Rhode Islands Renewable Energy Fund was accountable for making that turbine possible. There are many ways we would be able to find funding for this expensive project because there are so many advantages to the proposal. Some advantages include that wind energy it is the cheapest renewable energy source, and also it reduces toxic gas emissions. Wind energy is getting cheaper and cheaper to produce and is soon thought to be the most cost effective way to produce energy on a large scale. Some may find the noise the wind turbines create to be a great disadvantage to wind energy, though its noisy turbines may be a small price to pay for an energy source which produces no pollution whatsoever. Also it is known that wind is not exactly a dependable resource considering it cannot always be predicted, but it is also known that the knowledge of the weather is becoming more and more advanced. This knowledge will make it easier to find practical locations for wind turbines. These are just a few reasons to why Rhode Island needs another wind turbine. We need to set a trend and show the rest of New England and the U.S. that renewable energy sources are the way to go.

iv) __The Media__ (1) Letters to the Editor-

Dear Editor, Two students and I have been researching the installment of a wind turbine on the grounds of NK High School. At first we were interested in solar panels on the roof of the High School, but, as research has indicated, they would be very costly. As of 2009, not including hydroelectric power, only a mere .9% of the world’s energy is from alternative sources such as, wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels. The biggest reason that we are still living in a society with almost all of its energy coming from fossil fuels is because it has not presented many problems in the past. Fossil fuels have generated energy at a low cost with a high efficiency since the beginning of the technological age. But, the time to change our ways is approaching. Researchers are not sure how much fossil fuels are left, but we are sure that they are nonrenewable so when we run out we will be in dire need of an alternative way of attaining efficient energy. I believe that if we can institute a wind turbine at our school, then we will be a step ahead of the game. If we continue to waste our sources we will go through a steep decline in our society, since we live in the Industrial Age and completely rely on energy for everyday life. There are already several turbines throughout the state of Rhode Island, and there are several groups and organizations that also advocate the establishment of wind turbines in Rhode Island.  You can contact groups such as RI Renewable Energy Fund, RI Wind Alliance, the Office of Energy Resources, and RIWINDS.

(2) PSA- Good evening North Kingstown residents. I would like to bring your attention to the issue of fossil fuels and alternate energy sources. At the moment our primary source of energy is from the process of turning fossil fuels into energy, however we do not have an endless suply of these fossil fuels which have been created over thousands of years. Eventually we will run out and if actions are not taken now in finding ways to replace these fossil fuels our town and nation will be faced with serveral problems. It is for this reason we would like to begin the process for creating and maintaining alternante energy source projects such as the wind turbine we plan on creating at North Kingstown High School. Our goal is to create a wind turbine in North Kingstown while making you more educated and involved in this important issue. 

**6) ****Format of the portfolio** a) Please compile the portfolio in a professional manner i) Title & Date ii) Credits: Jackson MacMillan, Jessica Brown, Michael Matczak, Day 1, Period 4, Tuesday January 12, 2010 iii) __Introduction to the problem__ iv) __Strategies employed__ v) __Outcomes of the project__ vi) __Reflections on the Project__ vii) __Appendix: Ways of Acting__ b) All entries should be typed, double spaced, 1” margins, and Times New Roman c) All media productions (audio or video) should be saved on a CD/DVD and should have descriptions entered into the Appendix d) All contributors to your project should be credited
 * e) **** All portfolios should be uploaded to: http://nkdemocracyproject.wikispaces.com **