Gardner MA = The Future?

Over the past few months, I've gone back to my semi-hometown of Gardner MA for various family celebrations. Once to see my brother in a play, the other to see my brother-in-law exhibit his prints in an art show. Both events took place at Mount Wachusett Community College. While many things are exactly the same in this town of my childhood, There's a big difference in the landscape by the college.

. They just built two big wind turbines on the campus, which produce enough energy to power the facility!



They're really awesome (like-awe inducing kind of awesome) and kind of intimidating when you first go over the hill and see them in motion. They're huge on the landscape. You can see how they dwarf that smaller crane in the picture.

I also think they're beautiful and super important. Every time I see them I get so excited, they're a symbol of forward thinking and environmental consciousness. It's amazing that Gardner has them!

And I'm not gonna lie, as I sat in the parking lot watching them, windows down, I did hear quite a few negative comments from passers by...be it about aesthetics or their mild noise pollution, or even their aforementioned imposingness. It's good that NIMBY people were overruled here, and this powerful symbol of progress stands. I'd like to think that I'd be IMBY if they proposed them in South Hadley!