Energy Bulletin points us to a really interesting exercise in reframing from Peak Oil NYC:
I’ve been reading about the potential for wind turbines to replace the need to rely completely on coal and gas fired electrical power plants for our electrical system. There are great strides being made, such that a modern wind turbine can generate enough electricity at peak times (usually at night) to power hundreds of homes. However, I’m starting to get really irritated at all the people complaining how tall they are and how they block their view of the natural landscape. The most irritating argument that get used is that the windmills are “taller than the Statue of Liberty”. As if by couching the comparison to something as patriotic and wholesome as the Statue of Liberty, they can seem like they are defend their right to not have to live with windmills. How about “as tall as a smokestack” or “as tall as a pile of nuclear waste”? I could go on and on…
But this gave me another idea. What if we could power the Statue of Liberty with just Wind and Solar power? A Statue of Liberty that is energy independent and produces no harmful emissions into the atmosphere. This would be the best type of positive symbolism to assert America’s path to energy independence.
We progressives have failed miserably in drawing on the traditional symbols of America in making our arguments — thus, the Right seems to have a lock on the flag, the Statue of Liberty, etc. Such a step would not only provide a fitting symbol of American ingenuity (I know, I’m beating that one to death), but also be almost immune from criticism: “Oh, so you don’t want the Statue of Liberty to stand for energy independence…?”
Technorati tags: wind power, solar power, Statue of Liberty