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Sustainable Options & Activities
Numerous cleaner and green options for energy supply and use exist in
and around communities on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. Some
options are already seeing increasing application:
- More efficient light bulbs, heating systems, appliances, and other
equipment are being used in residential, commercial, municipal, industrial,
and institutional settings.
- Solar energy systems and additional cleaner and green technologies
are helping meet on-site energy needs in a growing number of locations.
- Green homes and buildings are generating much of their own energy,
and sustainable design practices are being applied by institutions,
communities, and homeowners.
- The number of hybrid vehicles is growing, biodiesel is available
for purchase on the Cape and Vineyard, and cleaner-fueled buses are
being used for public transit.
- On local roadways, highly efficient light-emitting diodes are replacing
conventional traffic signals, and small, off-grid solar photovoltaic
systems are powering signs, lights, and call boxes.
These applications are likely precursors of things to come. Consider
the following examples:
- Wind energy projects are being pursued throughout the region, promising
to begin to reduce local reliance on fossil fuels for electricity supply.
- Cleaner and green technology installations are drawing in investments
from state and federal funding agencies and from the private sector.
- Communities are looking at energy from an integrated perspective,
with the towns of Barnstable and Falmouth setting the pace by trying
to reduce their bills and control emissions of pollutants and greenhouse
gases.
- Martha's Vineyard is pursuing organized efforts to become "a renewable
energy island," and coordinated efforts are under way to get the entire
region to look "Beyond Cape Wind" toward a sustainable energy future.
For each of the cleaner and green options listed below, an overview is
provided, along with information on the potential of the local resource
and on existing and proposed projects in the Cape & Islands region:
Click here if you would like to
contribute information to these pages or to be notified when their content
has been updated.
Last updated 01.15.06
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