Chasing Clean Air

Moving

Moving is more work than I remember. I had two friends help yesterday. My plan is store furniture, and bring clothes for more than one season, and work materials (computer, research and marketing). It's a lot of details to think about. I'm up for the challenge, expecially in light of...

What did YOU breathe today?

Please share your clean air/dirty air stories. I'm genuinely interested in what it's like to breathe in your part of the world. What do you smell when you walk outside?  Car exhaust?  Grass?  Pine?  How does that feel?

When I walk outside my front door, I smell grass, or cigarettes from neighbors on their balcony, car exhaut, or smells from a neighbor cooking. Then I frequently go to the garage because L.A. is a driving city. So if a car recently left my building, I smell exhaust big time. So then I run to my car.

It's Smoggy In Here

Is it normal to grow black soot on my windowsills? My windows overlook Palm trees and colorful flowers, which means, if I don't look down, I have a great view. But how can I look beyond the soot, and deny that-- agh!-- I'm breathing it! I'm breathing what?

 

Collapse by Jared Diamond

The sun shines, flowers bloom, but not everywhere. The world is in decline. There are many reasons for our decline, most of which trace back to overconsumption by first world societies, and the advent of the third-world societies catching up. According to Jared Diamond, author of the best-selling book, Collapse, "The decline of societies tend to follow swiftly on their peaks. The reason is simple: maximum population, wealth, resource consumption, and waste production mean maximum environmental impact, approaching the limit where impact outstrips resources." Mr. Diamond, a professor of geography at UCLA, analyzes the collapse of ancient civilizations to gain insight into our own modern world. His book shares lessons learned from the collapses of the Maya, Anasazi, Easter Islanders, and more. If I were to summarize what I've learned so far: Our world society is on a non-sustainable course, with several contributing factors that if left uncontolled will limit our lifestyles (happening now in LA for those of us unable to maneuver the choked freeways) and within fifty years poses a potential time bomb. According to one of my favorite authors, John Robbins, The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World, if people gave up eating meat, or even ate less meat, they'd not only be healthier, but the vast majority of the public lands in the western U.S. could be put to valuable, environmentally sustainable, use. Globally, less rainforests would be flattened--exterminating species--which is going on now in order to graze cattle for beef production. Speaking of exterminating species. I live in California where our state's symbol--The California Golden Bear--is now extinct. We, the people, are at the top of the food chain, and we have a brain to comprehend such information. So shouldn't the fact that half the world's forests are gone, contributing to extinctions of the animals and ecosystems we rely on to live, be our wake up call to live and eat more sensibly? I think reading John Robbins and Jared Diamond may be eye-openers and give you/all of us hope and ideas to make a positive difference, contributing to our world. Oh, and while I'm recommending, another great book to read is by Anita Roddick (founder of The Body Shop) Take It Personally. And one last note, according to Mr. Jared, if I think L.A. is bad regarding overpopulation and traffic, he cites a friend in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, who keeps a small chemical toilet in his car because travel can be prolonged. One day his friend set out on a trip, and after 17 hours on the road, he'd advanced only three miles so returned home exhausted. Oh my! I'd suggest we do our best to tread minimally on the earth, and consider having less children because small families will be more sustainable for the earth now and in the long run.

Los Angeles Hiking Above Black Smog

 

I'm coming around the corner with that distinguished COUGH, COUGH, COUGH. I went to the doctor last week. He said I may have mild asthma. In the past, I was told I may have bronchitis. A friend's mother was told her cough was nothing. Six months later revision. Terminal lung cancer. Yes, my high school best friend, Tina, has a mom named Annette, who never smoked and has inoperable lung cancer. She is a sweet woman who wants to garden. Okay. I have been researching clean indoor and outdoor air for some time now. Last week, I interviewed the former executive director of the Clean Air Duct Association. I cough more when the air conditioner goes on, therefore I always have it off. But I was curious what's circulating in those ducts. I have decided to write a quarterly CLEAN AIR NEWSLETTER (Update: newsletter didn't happen, this blog did) to report my salient findings with resources and links for interested readers.

I went hiking this late afternoon. Experience the beauty of L.A. nature set against BLACK, and I mean BLACK smog. We're breathing it.

Santa Barbara is a great get-away for Los Angeles-residents.

It's an upscale beach town with UC Santa Barbara, sitting like a crown jewel up the main road with Pacific Ocean vistas.

Felice and I spent eight hours in Santa Barbara. I was in town to interview for an adjunct teaching job at UC Santa Barbara.  It was hot and humid, pollens trapped in heavy moisture. Felice and I alternately coughed and sneezed our way toward U.C. Santa Barbara where I interviewed for the job. I'll save you the details, let's just say, the so-called job that may, or may not have funding for the fall, was not for me. Lucky for me, though, Felice is a dream traveling companion. Here's Felice's famous smile under the red umbrella. Felice and I experienced serious smog along the 101 on our way to Santa Barbara. Most people think that Santa Barbara has clean air. It's cleaner than Los Angeles, by far but...

Summers are always smog challenged throughout Southern California.

The American Lung Association http://www.lungusa.org gave Santa Barbara an F for ozone pollution. And many homes in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties have higher than normal radon levels, so if you live there, or may buy, it's a good idea to have your place tested.

According to a ALA press release: Ozone acts as a powerful respiratory irritant at the levels frequently found in most of the nation's urban areas during summer months. Ozone exposure may lead to:
premature death
shortness of breath
chest pain when inhaling deeply, and wheezing and coughing

A few miles before we reached S.B. in nearby Ventura, the smog covered the mountains. Not as bad as LA., but close. We're having very hot days and this contributes to the problem.

At the UC Santa Barbara campus I noted this recycle bin.

A few miles before we reached S.B. in nearby Ventura, the smog covered the mountains. Not as bad as LA., but close. We're having very hot days and this contributes to the problem.

At the UC Santa Barbara campus I noted this recycle bin.