The KAIRE Blog
Earth Day Inspires Three Easy Ways to Make a Difference PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dee Lynch   
Monday, 21 April 2008
earthday.jpgThe 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 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dee Lynch   
Wednesday, 16 April 2008

walk.jpg 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 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dee Lynch   
Tuesday, 08 April 2008

pkuplrwooi.jpgOn 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 PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dee Lynch   
Thursday, 03 April 2008

schneider.jpg 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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