THE ANSWER, MY FRIEND.

Ever have those days where listening to the morning news is like having a tooth pulled without an anaesthetic? Housing affordability crisis plunging nation further into debt; 1 in 8 mammals in danger of extinction by 2050; severe drought predicted for coming Australian summer; world’s oil supplies due to dry up by 2047; Paris Hilton set to release a new album. Well, I made the last one up – but you know what I mean. The facts crowd in on you and you feel like shouting out that old mantra from the ’60s

STOP THE WORLD, I WANNA GET OFF!

Maple syrup saved my sanity. I was online looking for recipes using maple syrup (hubby loves the stuff,) when I came across the Maple Ridge Wind Farm in upstate New York. Named in honor of Lewis County, the leading maple syrup producing county in New York, it was established in 2006 and is now the largest alternative energy project on the East Coast. 195 wind turbines, each larger than the Statue of Liberty, produce 320 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power 98,000 homes. Now that is inspiring.

Did you know that Denmark is the largest user of wind energy in the world? 20% of their total energy usage is attributable to wind power. Here in Sydney we have our own wind farm. It’s called Kirribilli House. Our Prime Minister, John Howard, lives there. The wind energy generated from Kirribilli House doesn’t rely on turbines; it’s entirely produced by hot air.

One of my favourite kids shows ever – The Teletubbies – was way ahead of its time. In Teletubbyland, everything is powered by a magic windmill. This show is so cool – if you’ve never seen it I urge you to watch it. It’s the only kids show where the writers are obviously taking copious amounts of LSD. The colours in the landscape are psychedelic. There are enormous teapots and a huge baby’s head in the sky. When I watch, I like to turn the sound down, put on a Jefferson Airplane CD and eat some of my homemade, organic fudge brownies (if you know what I mean.)

There are some people who oppose wind energy, claiming the turbines are noisy and that the sheer amount of land needed to house them degrades the environment. Well, look, it’s got to be a damn sight better than putting an even bigger hole in the ozone layer and increasing the temperature so much we feel like we’re sitting in a microwave on high during the summer.

Wind power. I think there’s something in it. The Teletubbies were right. So was Bob Dylan. The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.