Looks like a job for a rock climber.
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Wind power may be green but that doesn't mean those turbines don't need a cleaning every now and then. Enter Rope Partner. The Santa Cruz, California company was founded in 2001 by an avid climber named Chris Bley who understood that the job of inspecting, cleaning, and repairing turbines was a natural fit for rock climbers. "I was just amazed to think you could actually make a business out of working on ropes," Bley told The New York Times, adding that he occasionally gets recruits from a Santa Cruz rock-climbing gym in which he invested.
"About half of Rope Partner's technicians double as recreational climbers," explains Kate Galbraith in the Times. "Their job, requiring them to fly around the country for projects that can last up to several months, offers an on-and-off lifestyle that allows them to climb or relax during their weeks off."
Adding to what's already an excellent example of green symbiosis, Rope Partner has developed an environmentally-mindful cleaning approach called GreenClean? that includes "100% containment of all materials used in the process."
Wind Power 101
It starts with solar energy which heats the Earth and ultimately results in wind which, in turn, has kinetic energy. "If you place an object like a rotor blade in the path of that wind, the wind will push on it, transferring some of its own energy of motion to the blade," explains Julia Layton at HowStuffWorks.com. An example of such an object is the wind turbine mentioned above. In our increasingly green society, the idea of wind farm may appear "modern" but I have one word for you: windmills. In fact a "gang" of windmills still stands in the Netherlands (southeast of Rotterdam) and was in use until the 1950s.
WATCH VIDEO: Visit a Texas wind ranch
How to Green Your Climbing
- Respect wildlife
- Use removable protection as much as possible.
- Use fixed protection sparingly. Use earth-colored webbing. Use colored bolt hangers. This will help minimize the visual distractions.
- If you plan to place any bolts, check with local land managers first. It may not be legal or it may be required to use a hand drill rather than motorized drill.
- If you are climbing a new route, avoid lichen-covered rock, vegetated cracks, and areas that require lots of cleaning. Leave the rock as you find it rather than force a route that will leave a noticeable path.
- Stay local whenever possible and when you can't, share a ride.
- Other green climbing options include: recycling your ropes and adopting a crag.
