By Kelly Muellman

Didn’t your momma teach you to pick up after yourself?

It was great to see the article in the May 4 Northeastern News (“We are the world”) about the WBOS EarthFest. It demonstrates that a healthy planet is a dream shared by the masses. This dream can also be seen in the new Wind Turbine Dorchester installed on the Southeast Expressway. The turbine was installed to generate power for the Electrical Union Hall and Training School, as well as teach the Union members about renewable energy technology. The community is happy and proud of their new clean energy source. Then why is it that this past Saturday, Mashpee residents voted 60 percent against a wind farm in the Nantucket Sound? Granted one turbine for commuters to look at on the morning commute is a lot different than a farm of larger turbines off the coast of the Cape, but isn’t it better when it comes to clean and renewable energy? The conclusion I come away with is that the Cape voters have no regards to their health or wallets as pollution and energy costs soar. They have yet to see the asthma rates experienced by local Boston communities like Roxbury, but for their sake, I hope they get their priorities straightened out before it comes to that. The earth needs to see some major house cleaning, and every new wind turbine is a sweet step in the right direction.

— Kelly Muellman is a sophomore double major in Spanish and environmental studies.