LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor:

As a summer intern for Sustainable Nantucket, I am working to help "to preserve the community character of Nantucket while sustaining its economic and environmental vitality." I'd like to tell my fellow community members about an opportunity that the Sustainable Nantucket Green Council is promoting on behalf of our community. This is a chance for us, as individuals, to make a difference in the future of renewable energy on Nantucket.

National Grid has a program underway on behalf of communities across Massachusetts, called Green- Up, which is sponsored by Clean Energy Choice (www.cleanenergychoice. org). This program gives consumers choice over where their energy comes from and, at the same time, raises matching grant money for renewable energy projects in your town.

Right now, Green Up/Clean Energy Choice is helping towns across Massachusetts raise money to fund projects that will support the development of local alternative energy production.

I realize that wallets are tight with the price of gasoline, food, and just about every amenity on Nantucket; but I don't think this burden is going to change any time soon without a little effort and forethought from island residents like us.

Currently our town has a hardworking Planning Department investigating off-shore wind and tidal projects (not Cape Wind) and a volunteer Energy Study Committee working on developing land-based wind energy projects.

The goal is to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, lower the energy bills of Nantucket residents, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sustain Nantucket's energy needs indefinitely.

By investing in Green Up / Clean Energy Choice, in the short-term, we are supporting the development of clean, renewable energy sources offisland by increasing consumer demand. In the long term, we can use the matching grant money (for every consumer dollar spent through this program, Green Up provides a match to our town), to support the development of an energy-producing infrastructure using alternative sources such as solar or wind, on-island. We can also feel good about investing our money away from coal and oil.

I feel confident that GreenUp is more than just a tangle of ideas and promises from National Grid, because other towns in Massachusetts have had success. Falmouth has raised over $40,000; Northampton has raised over $50,000 and has put solar panels on its school buildings; and a handful of other communities, including Gloucester, have raised enough to purchase solar trash compacters for their town. If they, and other towns, can do it- why should we be left behind?

Please take a look at CleanEnergy- Choice.com and ponder the environmental, human health, and long-term economic benefits of renewable energy. Then, please sign up.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Emery

Nantucket resident

Summer Intern, Sustainable Nantucket