Friday, June 15, 2012

June 15th: Global Wind Day

There's an Irish blessing that I always find poignant and powerful.
Given today is Global Wind Day, it seems even more so.

Global Wind Day is one of those environmental holidays that falls annually on June 15th.  It's mission:  "It is a day for discovering wind, its power and the possibilities it holds to change our world."

Just like Earth Hour started locally (in Sydney Australia). and grew globally, Global Wind Day did as well. It first coordinated by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) in 2007, going global in 2009.  Now both the EWEA and the GWEC (Global Wind Energy Council) serve as the global umbrella for public events world -wide.  Interesting, when you look at the map of events, which countries value wind energy the most!  Last year, 230 events were organized throughout 40 countries. More than 75 countries around the world are homes to operational wind farms. 

There's amazing power in the breezes that surround us, invisible to our eyes, each day. As I discovered in the Global Wind Day Website's FAQ's (which is a wealth of information), approximately 26% of all of Denmark's energy needs currently come from wind power.  Their goal by 2025 is 50%.  Hmmm.... makes you wonder what the United States' goals are on this front, and what they're doing to get us there.

[It's 20% by 2030, by the way, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's report: 20% Wind Energy by 2030--Increasing Wind Energy’s Contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply ...  Looks like Denmark already has us beat by a mile!]

I'm drawn back to the Irish blessing image above. I think one of the reasons I like it so much is because through the sunflower, the potential of the power of alternative energy is encapsulated perfectly there!  The sunflower is gleaming with the sun and promise of solar power.  The petals seem light around the flower's center--you can almost feel the breeze and the whisper of what wind power can hold.  Not to mention the blessing's other guides: the power of the positive, friendship, and the divine, to get you where you need to go!

Go outside, feel the wind, and imagine the possibilities!

 


Irish Blessing image from http://www.zazzle.com/irish_blessing_postcard-239921655782026697, last pic & logo from http://www.globalwindday.org/about-wind-day/

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