Time to take three small steps for climate change?

by Karen Cooper

We have lots of good advice on this blog about how you can reduce your impact on climate change. Things like driving your car less, carpooling, and riding your bike are things you can act on. 

But what if you  feel  the need to  better informed or even listened to about your opinions on climate change? How do you do that? What can you do if you want to begin to feel empowered and be part of the conversation? 

Below are some ways you can test the waters. Your action doesn't have to be a big commitment. But there's a chance you could get hooked.  Many of us don't even have 20 minutes a day to spend on this... yet. Take a chance and try one of these small steps. See how it makes you feel and then you may be ready for another: 

STEP ONE

5 minutes (one time): Tell Congress It's Time to Address Climate Change - Use this form that you can personalize to send a message to  your Members of Congress  to let them know how you feel about climate change.  Go to https://secure2.edf.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2051

STEP TWO

10 minutes (read at least one time):  Subscribe to this newsletter about environmental issues, including climate change. Read it when it arrives: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/sign-up/

STEP THREE

15 minutes (one time, but maybe more?): Peruse this bio page of the bloggers  who write for "MOMS clean air FORCE", and are part of the fight for clean air. Pick one of them you identify with and drop them a line on their blog. Go to http://www.momscleanairforce.org/about-us/

 

Something else to suck the life out of you in good time

Blog Series: Climate Change and your Health

something else to suck the life out of you in Good time

 by Karen Cooper

It was a bad day at work. You were late, missed the early bird parking, fed the meter, then worked until lunchtime before you realized it was your furlough day. That's ok, you're Zen. It's an unseasonably warm and hazy day. You walk out to the warmth and take deep cleansing breath. You cough... a lot. Sadly Zen's not enough when it's smoggy.

Climate change and smog

Climate change brings extremes in weather. Smog (or as the geeks call it: ground-level ozone)  formation is highly dependent on the weather. It's likely the more hot days we have due to climate change, the more smog we'll have. Heat and light react with pollutants (such as PM2.5) to form smog.  A huge part of the pollutants in smog come from cars. Smog isn't usually such a big problem on cool days.

The PM2.5 story

PM2.5 is fine "particulate matter" in smog that's also known as particle pollution. Cars and industrial processes generate a lot of this pollution. PM2.5 contains very small particles and liquid droplets measuring less than 2.5 micrometers (about 1/30th the diameter of a human hair). The smaller the particles are the more damaging they are to your health.  Overall it would be best if we could avoid breathing in particles that are 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller. These are the ones that can enter your lungs. This cocktail of acids, organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles can play havoc on your heart and lung health. Learn more about PM2.5.

Life-sucking smog study

The Harvard School of Public Health published a study that covered 545 counties across the U.S. that found that between 2000 and 2007, a drop in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) corresponded with an average rise in life expectancy of 0.35 of a year. That's about four months. You can get a lot done in four months.

What health effects might you face due to smog?

• Premature death due to cardiovascular effects
• Strokes
• Asthma and smog: watch a video (1.5 min)
• Coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath
• Some studies suggest long-term PM2.5 exposure may be linked to cancer, infant mortality, and low birth weight.

Bad news then the good news... If you were to talk to a research geek at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about smog they would tell you that brows there are furrowing. That's because the feds are looking at the latest scientific   research surrounding the health of people who are exposed to what's considered low levels of smog. They've been diligently sifting through thousands of studies that keep coming to the same conclusion: smog's more harmful than previously thought.  The good news is that the feds have announced they may be tightening the health-based federal standard for ground-level ozone in 2013. Find out what they're doing.

 

Will you do at least one thing (see below) to reduce smog? Guaranteed to help your Zen.

• Use air-friendly products: avoid aerosol sprays, oil-based paints and insect repellents.
•  Decrease energy use: 
•   Cool your home using fans instead of air conditioning units. 
•  Turn off lights and appliances when not in use. 
•  Maintain your vehicle so it gets the best possible fuel efficiency (properly inflate tires and get regular tune-ups).
  
•  Leave your car at home and consider alternative transportation:
•  Also, ask your employer if they have an incentive program for not driving to work.
• Work in Northwest, Oregon (including Portland)? Take advantage of employer incentives for employees taking the bus or carpooling. See Employee Commute Options some employers must provide.
• If you're an Oregon state employee, apply for the Smart Commuter Program that gives incentives to those who don't drive to work.

Sources:

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/04/science/la-sci-sn-fine-particle-pollution-20121204

http://www.epa.gov/airquality/particlepollution/2012/decfshealth.pdf

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/04/science/la-sci-sn-fine-particle-pollution-20121204

http://www.epa.gov/pm/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1379159/Hot-weather-smog-alert-Air-pollution-gets-worse-hottest-Easter-weekend-EVER.html#axzz2K4Af9LhY

http://www.ehow.com/list_6149985_ways-reduce-smog.html

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/ozone-air-pollution-smog-0706

Having Fun With Electric Cars

Electric can be fun. It really can be.

There’s a lot of information going around about the electric car, and it can be difficult to get a grasp of an unfamiliar technology and how it works. All that mental work can be very draining after a while. It’s important to settle down once in a while and recharge. Lean back, relax and enjoy this video of They Might be Giants’ “Electric car” from their fourth children’s album Here comes the Science (2009).

It’s good for the children. It’s good for the environment.

When you think of electricity, think of friendship. Then think of Tom Hanks.