Eye Opener.

Recently, I moved from a small town in North Carolina to the urban sprawl outside the Washington D.C. Moving here wasn’t something I chose to do, but was required to do by accepting a promotion at my job. I am an easy going, outdoorsy kind of guy that has experienced a serious change of pace with the D.C. area. I was a rookie when it came to driving in congested traffic prior to my move. The gridlock on our roads is unbelievable, to see the stats click here. I empathize with newcomers to the area trying to navigate with a map. Most Washingtonians drive 10 miles per hour or more over the speed limit and don’t be the poor soul that gets in their way. The number of vehicles on the road in the D.C. area is staggering. It didn’t hit me until I was jogging one morning how much carbon monoxide is being pumped into the air by automobiles. I inhaled more car exhaust on my 3 mile jog than I have probably experienced in my lifetime. This and an article I recently read in Time Magazine "Global Warming, Be Worried, Be Very Worried," has prompted me take an interest in pollution and how it contributes to global warming.
I believe one person can make a difference in our world, and former Vice President Al Gore is bringing his struggle for the environment to DVD November 21st. Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth," is his way of spreading the word about Global Warming. Even if you are skeptical towards Global Warming, I encourage you to view the movie trailer here. I hope my weekly posts will encourage others to take a stand toward making our world a cleaner place to live and breathe.

Pollution and Global Warming

Greenhouse gases are changing our environment and putting our children’s future at risk. Very little is being done to reduce greenhouse gases and we Americans are by and large either turning a blind eye to global warming or ignore the impact our lifestyle has on the Earth. In the U.S. our greenhouse gas emissions come mostly from energy use. Currently 75% of human made carbon dioxide emissions come from burning fossil fuels. To learn more about Global Warming click here.
The United States currently spends billions of dollars to fight an unpopular war in Iraq. See the running total here. If we, as Americans really want to sever the ties with terrorism, we need to quit funding it through the purchase of crude oil from the Middle East. When we eventually pull out of Iraq, we could have will have an opportunity to redirect our tax dollars to correct years of abuse to our environment. However, the odds of this happening are slim. Given the choice, I would prefer to see my tax dollars spent toward making the United States independant of fossil fuels which predominately come from the Middle East. In order for us to gain independance we have to explore non traditional means.
The alternatives to Fossil fuels are promising, but costly and in some instances unsightly. The U.S. has ample open land (BLM, National Forests, State Forests, etc.) upon which windmills could be placed to generate electricity. Although windmills do not make for a picturesque landscape, they generate electric power that is clean for the environment and is a limitless resource. Another under-utilized alternative is solar power. Just like wind power, once power companies bite the bullet and invest in solar power, this power supply is a renewable resource with no impact on our environment. There are some issues with solar power though. Some areas of our country have the propensity to produce more solar power than others (meaning cloudy places like Seattle and the Great Lakes Region would produce less power than say California. Finally, hydroelectric power is used throughout the U.S. to generate electricity. However, hydro power isn't popular with a lot of Americans due to disruption of migratory fish spawning sites. To see an example of the battle between hydroelectricity and migratory fish click here. Finally, it is high time our government takes a real look at incentives for automakers to pursue hydrogen powered cars. Hydrogen powered cars are a viable solution to reduce air pollution. However, I am afraid it will take years (hopefully in my lifetime,) to phase out petroleum burning cars and convert completely to hydrogen.

Needed a gasmask

I went for a jog today ( I am getting to old to run anymore,) and struggled due to carbon monoxide fumes. To start with, it was a contest of wills for me to force myself to trot down the sidewalk half out of breath for 3 miles and then it happened- I get hit with a dirty bomb. Eyes watering, stomach rolling, I just got blasted by a old clunker car doing a drive by on me burning oil and leaving a smoke trail that poisons the air. I feel like the housefly hit by a can of Raid. I scramble away from the contaminated area and wish I was a policeman. I would impound the car until the owner could pay to repair his urban assault vehicle. In the meantime I need to decide is it healthier to give up jogging or inhale exhaust fumes?