ACape & Islands Energy Information Clearinghouse
AA Community Resource Developed Through The Cape & Islands Renewable Energy Collaborative
  CIREnews
The Hummer/Photo Source:Winnepeg Luxury Cars
   Canal Electric Plant/Photo Source: Richard Judge  
Sinking of the Argo Merchant/Photo Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
   Solar Flare/Photo Source: National Optical Astronomy Observatory  
Race Point Photovoltaic Installation/Photo Source: Cape Cod Chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation
  
Woods Hole Research Center Ordway Campus Green Building Showcase/Photo Source: Cape Cod Center for Sustainability
  
Another Windy Day at Barnstable-West Barnstable Elementary School/Photo Source: Charlie Powicki
  
Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority's Propane-Fueled Bus/Photo Source: Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority

Alternative Futures

A continued near-complete reliance on fossil fuels presents significant risks for Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket:

  • National security challenges associated with dependence on oil and natural gas from the Middle East and elsewhere ... continued instability and conflict!
  • Economic challenges, including skyrocketing prices and capital flight ... we already suffer some of the highest prices in the United States!
  • Depletion of finite resources ... peak oil and gas!
  • Destruction of natural environments due to drilling and mining ...
  • Degradation of air and water quality to spills, groundwater contamination, air pollution, etc. ... we've had massive spills, aquifers are contaminated with gasoline additivies, airborne pollution is one of the top 3 contributors to nutrient loading problems, the Cape has the worst air quality in the state!
  • Public health impacts, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease ... bad air quality harms residents and visitors, especially children and seniors!
  • Harm to wildlife due to pollution and environmental degradation, etc. ... many local ponds are closed to fishing due to mercury contamination!
  • Climate change resulting in sea level rise, storm damage, saltwater contamination of drinking water, disease, disruption, etc. ... this region was formed by previous climatic episodes and is surrounded by rising seas!

A cleaner and green energy future promises substantial benefits for the Cape, Vineyard, and Nantucket:

  • Efficiency gains will make energy dollars go further and free up money for other uses.
  • Increasing reliance on renewable resources will insulate the local economy and individual consumers from global market pressures, stabilize bills, and fuel energy independence.
  • Local communities will stop contributing to global conflicts.
  • Reductions in air and water pollution will improve public health and environmental quality and decrease our carbon footprint.
  • A vibrant clean energy cluster will stimulate economic development.
  • Cape-style homes and traditional villages will inspire a new generation of resource-efficient construction and truly smart growth.
  • Village-centered development will accelerate and help undeveloped lands stay that way.
  • Visitors will come to the region to learn about and be inspired by advanced energy technologies.

Visit the CIGoGreen Guide and start taking action!
Visit CIGoGreen - the Cape & Islands Go Green Guide!
Green Pages
Sustainable Energy Calendar
Energy Action Plans
Forums

Current Fact

Dirty Roof

Conventional asphalt shingles are
the cheapest roofing material around but, as is usually the case, there is a cost: They are manufactured using petroleum by-products and, once they reach the end of their useful life, they must be landfilled as construction debris or “downcycled” as road materials or in other low-value uses. Credit: Houston Advanced Research Center

More Facts

Current Vision

Green Roof

Thatching represents an attractive and sustainable roofing solution. This thatched roof, gracing a barn in Yarmouthport, transforms an invasive wetland plant (Phragmites sp.) into a useful, biodegradable shelter.

More Visions
  CIREnews
The Clearinghouse provides a central location for the collection, classification, and distribution of data, information, and tools addressing energy supply and use in the Cape & Islands region, both now and in the future.
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This website is being developed through the Cape & Islands Renewable Energy Collaborative (CIREC). Its framework was created under a community planning grant award from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC).

Project management and content development: Chris Powicki, Principal, Water Energy & Ecology Information Services
Web design and development: Kathleen Tyger Wright
Graphic design: Elizabeth Hooper
Grant administration: Megan Amsler, Executive Director, Cape & Islands Self-Reliance Corp.