http://www.windaction.org/ facts, analysis, exposure of wind energy's real impacts en-us Windaction hourly 1 http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.windaction.org/articles/16414 Thu, 19 Jun 2008 02:44:39 GMT A spokesman for the residents' group, Peter Russell-Clarke, says the wind farms are inefficient and will ruin the landscape. He says tourism will also be affected. "A lot of the people in the McHarg range area were putting up B&Bs well those that started have now stopped and those that we're going to apply are now not going to apply," he said. http://www.windaction.org/articles/16414 http://www.windaction.org/articles/14898 Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:50:30 GMT Raglan anti-wind farm activists feel vindicated by new Scottish research which suggests such projects tend to blow tourists away to more unspoilt locations. That's the same conclusion Raglan market research company Customer Value Management New Zealand reached with its own controversial survey, which was used in evidence to counter Wel Networks' application to build a 28-turbine wind farm at Te Uku. But Wel Networks says it is difficult to compare the Scottish situation with Raglan because of significant differences, particularly location. ...Scottish newspapers concluded wind farms could cost the tourism industry millions of pounds and hundreds of lost jobs in a "worst case scenario". http://www.windaction.org/articles/14898 http://www.windaction.org/articles/14178 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 05:03:10 GMT Mr Gallagher's research underpinned by interviews with 85 tourists, selected at random on Raglan streets in January and February suggests visitor numbers would plunge from the current upward trend into decline, with most accommodation providers, tourism activities or attractions hit by the wind farm. ...The company found Raglan would go from a position of having "net word-of-mouth" of 75 per cent positive feedback from visitors to having a net word-of-mouth of 84 per cent negative. "In other words visitors would tell their friends to stay away. http://www.windaction.org/articles/14178 http://www.windaction.org/articles/13402 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 10:38:32 GMT Greenhouse gas emissions generated by visitors air travel to New Zealand are far greater than commonly quoted, according to new research by University of Otago scientists. Physics researchers Dr Inga Smith and Dr Craig Rodger say their findings on the sheer size of the emissions and difficulties in offsetting them have far-reaching implications for both the tourism industry and efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. ...The researchers then went on to evaluate the feasibility of potential measures to offset the emissions to make the visitors travel carbon-neutral. We investigated several domestically-based offsetting scenarios involving either increased reliance on sustainable energy sources or reducing emissions. Unfortunately, none of the scenarios currently appear to be economically or technically feasible, Dr Smith says. http://www.windaction.org/articles/13402 http://www.windaction.org/articles/13216 Mon, 17 Dec 2007 04:25:00 GMT Installing renewable energy is economically viable for tourist accommodation despite being considered too expensive and inefficient, according to the first Australian study of renewable energy in tourism accommodation. ...Dr Dalton found 50 percent of tourists were willing to pay at least five percent more to stay at a hotel with renewable energy but the other half, were not willing to pay any more. ...He found most types of renewable energy installations near a hotel were visually acceptable, with the exception of some wind turbines. ..."Wind seems to be a political hotcake that no one really seems willing to address and as a result doesn't seem to be promoted," he said. http://www.windaction.org/articles/13216 http://www.windaction.org/articles/11800 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:38:46 GMT ... although the Government encouraged wind energy developments to reduce green house gas emissions sensitive areas would be protected. "A special set of planning guidelines for wind energy developments has been introduced to ensure wind farms do not impact negatively on the environment,'' he said. "They exclude wind energy developments from Wilsons Promontory, the Grampians, the Great Ocean Road and other environmentally sensitive areas.'' http://www.windaction.org/articles/11800 http://www.windaction.org/articles/10911 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:38:06 GMT The federal Tourism Minister has joined the fight to stop the proposed Smeaton wind farm going ahead in central Victoria. Fran Bailey met the opponents in Hepburn Springs last night. She says wind farms need to be located away from tourism areas and other alternate energy forms like solar need to be considered instead. "I am very concerned about this and I do join with local residents. I do not think wind farms are appropriate in iconic tourist areas and I think that the Hepburn Springs area is one such area," she said. http://www.windaction.org/articles/10911 http://www.windaction.org/articles/10920 Tue, 24 Jul 2007 03:53:16 GMT Mr Guy said while the Liberal Party supported wind farms, there was significant community opposition to the proposal. "The Liberal Party is supportive of wind energy in areas with broad community support and not major destruction of environmental or aesthetic grounds," Mr Guy said. "We are talking about a proposal in Spa Country Australia, one of our biggest tourist attractions and this is clearly going to impact on that area - the Minister for Planning needs to consider that." http://www.windaction.org/articles/10920 http://www.windaction.org/articles/4564 Mon, 21 Aug 2006 12:11:19 GMT A WIND farm at Cape Bridgewater approved in the 1990s would not gain approval today because of its impact on the natural tourism asset, a local resident who fought the first proposal in the late 1990s has claimed. Portland consultant and Cape Bridgewater resident Bruce Campbell said Bridgewater had the second highest scenic landscape values in Victoria, behind the Twelve Apostles, as rated by the National Trust, and was the Glenelg Shire Council's best tourism asset. http://www.windaction.org/articles/4564 http://www.windaction.org/articles/1948 Thu, 09 Mar 2006 18:06:44 GMT Compliments of Andrew Chapman, the attached pdf files contain extensive documentation particularly with respect to the impact of wind turbines on wildlife as part of an ongoing effort to prevent the construction of the Bald Hills Wind Farm, South Gippsland, Victoria. While it has been approved by the Victorian State Government the presence in the Bald Hills area of migratory species of national and international significance that are protected by treaties with Japan and China in the Bald Hills has placed the final decision in the hands of the Federal Government. This decision is pending. http://www.windaction.org/articles/1948