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Earth Day Inspires Three Easy Ways to Make a Difference |
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Written by Dee Lynch
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Monday, 21 April 2008 |
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KAIRE “Breathemobile” (our hybrid Ford Escape) has been seen at many
Earth Day events this past week: Earth Day at the University of
Louisville, Louisville Zoo's Party for the Planet and Earth Day at the
Falls of the Ohio. At each location, KAIRE staffers have been signing
up folks for the KAIRE Network and giving out tire gauges and BREATHE
t-shirts. In honor of Earth Day, Matt Stull of the Air Pollution Control District
shares some ideas for all of us to live a little greener.
It’s become quite fashionable
these days to talk about going green. Kroger and even Wal-Mart have
recently followed Whole Foods and begun to offer reusable grocery bags
instead of asking everyone “paper or plastic”. The coal companies are
touting things like FutureGen… a fancy word for some kind of
coal-burning power plant that has fewer harmful emissions. NBC devoted
a week of its programming to environmental issues… complete with
several “The More You Know” segments aimed at encouraging greener
behavior.
And in the number one sign that
green is in… Oprah The Magazine had a 5+ page spread in March on how
you can be kinder to this planet we call home. (Yes, I read Oprah
Magazine. My wife bought it, if you must know. I only picked it up for
the articles. Wait, that’s another magazine.)
Maybe you’re out there saying,
“I’m already making enough changes… trying to drink less, exercise
more, etc.” If you say you don’t have the time to go green… I beg to
differ. Here are three easy things you can do to leave a little lighter
footprint on Ol’ Mother Earth.
1) Light Up Louisville:
I know this might be blasphemy in a town where Thomas Edison once
lived… but it’s time to toss out the incandescent light bulb. Compact
fluorescent lights are the way to go these days. They’re a little more
expensive than the conventional bulbs… but the energy savings make them
pay off over time. And they have some serious environmental benefits.
But don’t trust me… ask the Federal government’s Energy Star people: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls
If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.
2) Care for your car:
Do you know what a tire pressure gauge looks like? You should find out.
If your tires aren’t at the correct pressure, you’re wasting some of
that $3.50 gas… and releasing extra pollution as well. Things like air
filters and oil changes are also important. According to the Federal
Highway Administration,
“a
well-maintained vehicle produces up to 20% less ozone-related emissions
over a 10-year period than a poorly maintained vehicle.”
3) Remember the Three “Rs”: No, Jethro, I’m not talking about readin’, ‘ritin’, and ‘rithmetic. I’m talking about reduce, reuse, recycle.
The point is… we have too
much trash. Our consumer society is throwing away too many things that
can be used again. And not only is that a problem at the landfill and
on the roadside… but it takes energy to make new stuff. And that
energy-making causes pollution that we don’t need. So after your next
Diet Coke or after a more “adult” beverage… reach for the recycling bin.
Now, those tips don’t sound too tough. And they might make you feel a little better in the process.
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Walk to Lunch Solves Parking Dilemma |
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Written by Dee Lynch
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Wednesday, 16 April 2008 |
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 Recently, there’ve been some
drastic changes to our parking lot at work. And by changes, I mean half
the spots are gone. Add to that an increased number of visitors to our
little government headquarters. Unless you’re here before the crack of
dawn, you’re parking in Kamchatka, pretty much. So folks have become a
little, er, territorial about their parking spaces. When
people decide to go out for lunch, that great parking space is not
going to be there when they return. That has lead to strategizing, as
in, “If I leave now, do you think there will be a spot when I get
back?” and an overall resistance to being the driver when we go out to
lunch. Because we may not have fancy offices or big expense accounts,
but for the moment, by golly, we’ve got a parking spot worth bragging
about! Even those with reserved spots are feeling the pinch in the
quest for a slice of concrete.
“Brown bagging it” has gotten old
and this parking problem promises to linger for a while, so a few of us
have discovered a pleasing alternative. We walk to lunch. I know it
sounds a little archaic to some and plain common sense to others, but
if it takes a situation like this to get people out from behind their
desks and onto the sidewalks, well, then, it’s one of those “good
things” Martha Stewart chirps about. I also realize the irony in
walking so that one doesn’t have to walk as far later when the workday
is over, but I’ve accepted that some aspects of human nature are
unexplainable, including the acquisition and care of great parking
spots. Then again, we could all take the bus and avoid the whole
parking dilemma, but I digress . . .
Luckily, we are just a few blocks
from Bardstown Road and have an array of restaurant and fast food
choices. Here’s where I could begin a lecture on what seems so far to
those of us spoiled with driving everywhere is really a short distance,
and then enlighten you on the healthy aspects of walking, but I’ll let
a bazillion media outlets do the talking for me. More likely, I would
launch into an explanation of how this is good for the air, but since
you’re already visiting the KAIRE website, I’m going to assume that you
already know that. And funny thing, the walk is as interesting as and
more fun than reading the menu at the local deli. I’ve noticed
wonderful things, architectural details, a riot of flowers blooming
along a fence line, a pesky squirrel that likes to taunt one of my
colleagues. One day we looked down and saw the coolest pattern on the
sidewalk formed from nothing more than fallen leaves and the footfalls
of pedestrians like us. None of this would get a glance if we were
flying by in a vehicle.
So, even if you aren’t playing
the “circle the parking lot” game at your office, you might try walking
the neighborhood at lunch. Keep safety in mind, dress for the weather
and consider going as a group. You never know what you might see. And
you won’t have to give up your prized parking space.
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Garden Show Prize Donated to Local Charity |
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Written by Dee Lynch
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Tuesday, 08 April 2008 |
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 On a snowy day in March, KAIRE gave away a serviceberry tree at the
Trend Appliances Home, Garden & Remodeling Show. The winner of that
tree graciously donated it to the Home of the Innocents. Shane Corbin
with the Air Pollution Control District and Andy Smart from Plant
Kingdom took advantage of Tuesday’s sunny, dry weather to plant the
tree on the Home of the Innocents campus. The serviceberry tree is an
excellent small yard tree which provides natural habitat for birds and
other wildlife along with shade, beauty and air quality
benefits. Thanks to Andy and Plant Kingdom for donating the tree and
the installation.
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Ironman Stresses Importance of Local Air Quality |
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Written by Dee Lynch
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Thursday, 03 April 2008 |
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As a
life-long athlete and resident of Louisville, I feel the air quality in
our city is so much better than it was when I was growing up. As a
matter of fact, the other day I was talking to an out of town client
and I told him, “Fifteen years ago one would not have been able to see
the stars because of the pollution in the air. Now, however, it's
refreshing to look up and see the twinkles in the stars.”
As
the person who brought Ford Ironman Louisville to the city, and as a
competitor in that same event, I can say without reservation that I
heard of no air quality issues among my competitors. With Louisville
becoming one of the most popular destinations in the United States for
cyclists (Louisville has one of the oldest cycling clubs in the U.S.
dating to 1840), continued improvement of the city’s air quality is
important. With so many outdoor events that are interested in
Louisville, we'd hate for our air to be an issue.
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