Looking out the window from my writing desk, I have been admiring the graduation poster proudly displayed on our neighbor’s front lawn. All across the Pine Belt hopes and dreams are being realized, and plans that have been in the works for years are now unfolding for another group of young people. It’s an exciting time!
If there is one thing for certain in life, it’s that change is inevitable. Our children grow taller and more opinionated, and eventually they move away from home. The weather changes from cool back to hot, and our hair gets a little greyer. Consistency can be comfortable in life and we like to get settled in our ways, but change is always just around the corner.
Change can be scary, like moving away from home for the first time and trying to make it on our own. Sometimes we are afraid of the unknown and avoid the unfamiliar, but change also brings opportunities for learning new things and improving our future.
Take the expansion of renewable energy production, such as the 90-megawatt solar project planned for Lamar County. We live in a region that has been blessed with abundant fossil fuel supplies, and many Pine Belt residents work in the oil fields, some even for generations. The idea of building a solar farm may seem foreign to our heritage, maybe even threatening, and that is totally understandable if we aren’t given the best info.
Speaking not as a Democrat or Republican, but simply as a Capitalist, when I think about a private landowner investing in a renewable energy project on their own property, I see liberty and the pursuit of the American Dream. Of course this investment will bring a profitable lease agreement for the landowner, but it also will create hundreds of construction jobs in our community as well as long-term management and maintenance positions. And it will bring a significant influx of tax revenue for County budgets that can be used for school and infrastructure improvements.
When partnered with a responsible company, a solar farm regenerates soils, fosters pollinator habitats, and protects watersheds with the best land use practices. Modern solar farms create no problems with pollution and will contribute to healthier air and a more stable atmosphere. And even at the end of their lifecycle, panels can be recycled rather than buried in a landfill.
Looking to a future powered only with the familiar fossil fuels, the young people that we celebrate as new graduates will face increasing hardships with stronger storms and more frequent flooding. But by arming ourselves with accurate information, maybe we can learn to embrace some change and welcome local investments in renewable energy. It’s these types of projects that will reduce carbon pollution and give a better chance for those who come after us.
In last week’s issue of the Pine Belt News, I enjoyed a column with some excellent advice for new graduates; rather than being hyper-focused on life’s “mountain top moments”, we can work on smaller goals right here and now, making life more enjoyable and possibly even accomplishing more in the process. Sure I’m hopeful that our nation can become a global leader in sustainable energy production and ensure a stable future for my children’s children. But focusing on the present, I am excited to think about 30,000 Pine Belt homes being powered with clean energy from this one solar project, as well as the benefits it will bring to our local economy and schools. But most of all I am excited to think that we as a community are willing to embrace change and face whatever challenges come our way.
Chris Werle of Lamar County is Mississippi state coordinator for Citizens’ Climate Education. Write him at chriswerle@cclvolunteer.org.
