Sailing On The Seas of Knowledge

This is a letter I sent to the publisher of a newsletter dealing with some cutting edge developments involving energy procurement from waves on the high seas. You can visit the newsletter by -
http://www.waveenergytoday.com/

Hello Ian,
I appreciate your newsletter and hope we can eventually tie in with projects from the Great Lakes areas of North America. My name is Jim Bates, I am a renewable energy contractor and electrician. As president of Southern Exposure Renewable Energy Co.(see www.seenergyco.com.) I have been also been attempting to increase the potential of working in the marine environment to capture the natural energies such as the wind through the use of Vertical Axis Wind turbines. Although we are just starting down that road by developing some collaboration with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) (see http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/ ).
Not seeing these endeavors simply as "power projects", we are also working to foster changes in how students view themselves in regards to their opportunities regarding these natural energies and life in general. As you know, we don't know the answers. So rather than continue to have the students and society study to give half answers to what we don't know... It makes more sense to empower them to learn how to think and then come up with the innovation necessary to solve all these questions of how to harness these natural energies in ways that do no harm and foster intelligent growth in all areas of life. A great example would be to create similar projects to the following coral reef building projects http://www.globalcoral.org/Reef%20Restoration%20and%20Coastal%20Protection%20Project.htm. Every where you turn and look (including places you don't) these kinds of innovations should be fostered.
These energies that people are so want to describe as "alternative energies" are actually natural energies and they are part and parcel of an environment that did, should and could support life in the seas and above them. The real "alternative" energies are the nuclear, coal and fossil fuels that have been misapplied and have interrupted and sometimes killed off the circles of life's natural energies that supported all life in the seas (yes, and above them too). So that would be the true measure of sustainability and education, that is to the extent humanity has developed the capacity to utilize these natural energies for not only electricity but to comprehend and use it to support and repair life's natural growth processes. So our children will have a future. (It sure as hell makes life more interesting too!)You are also welcome to visit one of our blogs at www.sendenergy.blogspot.com to learn more of that activity.
In closing a long winded response letter here I want to add that my mother was a Murphy, the family being from the City of Cork in the County of Cork, Ireland and my namesake of course being English I hope to visit your part of the world someday and would like very much to see some of the projects you've highlighted there in the newsletters.
Have a great life over there!
Sincerely,
James W. Bates
Southern Exposure
Renewable Energy Co.
455 Kearsley Creek Court
Ortonville, Mich. 48462
Website; www.seenergyco.com
Email-renewablesjim@gmail.com
Cell 248-245-7114
Fax 248-627-9501