Our communities’ conversations about solar siting, the gas pipeline, wind turbines and tar sands elicit frustrations, concerns and blame — and understandably so. For me, these conversations evoke something additional: a sense of duty.
We are grappling with where the energy we use comes from. For a long time, these realities have been felt somewhere else, in a place distant, by a community unknown. After too many years of other communities bearing our burden, now we are beginning to take responsibility for our own energy decisions.
These issues are complex and tender. The demeanor with which we engage in these conversations is no one’s choice but our own.
It is OK to feel frustrated, worried and exasperated. This is what the early stages of taking responsibility look like. The reins over our energy systems are new in our hands. We will bear calluses and cuts; and develop strength and dexterity. We must remember that only together can we create just power — energy that is cognizant, equitable and responsible.
Jason Kaye
Middlebury