Anyone who lives on Cape Cod year-round has got to be wondering how things got this way. Our streets in the off-season are like ghost towns. Young families are leaving in search of affordable housing. Secure year-round employment with benefits is almost impossible to find. Our school population is drying up while our drug problems are soaring. Many of our watersheds continue to overflow with excessive nitrogen that leaches into our coastal waters.
While there’s no lack of solutions, we often find that they pull in different directions, case in point 15 different towns trying to solve the problems of wastewater pollution on their own; and zoning laws that are designed to protect the environment while make housing too expensive for anyone but affluent retirees. Clearly we all want a vibrant year-round economy and a clean environment, but we’re going to have to get a lot smarter about it.
My guest today is Bert Jackson, a composer and jazz guitarist who works with The SmarterCape Partnership, a diverse group of business, government, and professional people who are trying to figure out how to do things “smarter” on Cape Cod. Their 5th Annual summit is about to take place in Hyannis on May 6 and today we’ll be talking about why it’s important and why you might want be there.
The Lowdown with Ira Wood, Tuesdays at 12:30 PM and Saturdays at 5:30 AM on WOMR-FM, a Pacifica Radio affiliate station. Streaming and podcasts on WOMR.ORG.
