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DCL

I saw my first wind turbines when traveling through the Aran islands back in 2004. Though Inis Meain is a small outpost with a few homes, many rocks, and some wandering sheep, the island is powered entirely by a handful of turbines, which guard the southern coast like modern sentinels. As the wind sent the long thin blades whirling, I thought, man, this is so cool. A little more eloquent, poet Dara Beag

Boise Thomas of Alter Eco had a similar, if not as flowery, reaction to the wind farm in the deserts outside Palm Springs, on his way to Coachella. The farm, a destination in its own right, is one of many across the country providing clean, renewable energy, and more are cropping up every day.

Getting in on this clean, renewable energy source just this past week was Kern County, California, which just announced it will build its own farm in the desert and expect the mere 100-300 turbines will provide enough energy to power 90,000 Southern California Edison customers. It's nice to know the howling Santa Anas will be put to good use.

On the other side of the country, British Petroleum recently announced plans for wind farms in Cape Vincent, New York and has joined with Clipper Windpower to develop one of the world's largest wind farm projects in South Dakota.

Cape Wind, a proposal for America's first offshore wind farm off the coast of Cape Cod, has been in the works for sometime. Recent rulings have been in the project's favor, however, and the hearings will conclude in October, after which a final decision will be made.

While wind farms and home turbines are popping up all over our increasingly windy planet and America is only behind Germany in our use of wind energy, it seems no story about proposed wind farms in America comes without a piece about people in opposition who fear the turbines will only bring terrible noise, unsightliness, and the mass slaughter of unwitting birds, myths that have been put to rest before.

But if you're still not a believer, find a nearby wind farm and go see what they're like for yourself. Enjoy their majestic beauty and awesome power, and then go weigh the pros and cons. It?s up to you to make an informed decision before you decide if Ms.

Are you a green hipster looking for all things green and cool? Then you'll love actor and eco-activist Adrian Grenier and his team of environmental experts, who live it up with sustainable style on Planet Green TV's Alter Eco.