Chasing Clean Air

The 10% Energy Challenge in Singapore

Singapore blogger Sze Li contributes helpful information about what's being done in her country to help clean the air.

To encourage Singaporeans to reduce energy usage, the National Environment Agency (NEA) organised the 10% Energy Challenge to all households. To qualify for the lucky draw, participants must prove that they have reduced 10% energy by showing their period A and period B electricity bills.

Participants of the 10% energy Challenge stand a chance to win attractive prizes like energy-efficient household items like refrigerator, fuel-efficient hybrid car and many more.

Sarah Palin is the worst VP choice for the environment, animals, and clean air

Sarah Palin lobbies against protecting the environment and animals whenever she gets a chance.

Observe.

Sarah Palin is bad for clean air, bad for the environment, and bad for climate change.

Nothing is more important to clean the air than electing effective leaders.

Palin doesn't believe man-made climate change is real. She wants to drill for oil in Alaska's wilderness with no mind for short and long-term devastation to eco-systems, with no sense to the urgency we need for renewable energy now.

John McCain is off his rocker, where he should remain.

Vote for Barack and Biden

Still recovering from identity theft and happy Barack picked Biden. I registered to vote absentee in case I'm out of the country. If you're a Californian who wants to vote absentee for Barack too, click here.

I'm no McCain fan but it's unacceptable to consider a U.S. President who like McCain is out of touch with Americans and the world; who believes the cut-off for being middle-class is an income just under 5 million dollars!

Barack.

Identity Theft

10 million Americans annually are the victim of identity theft.

10 million and one.

Welcome back to civilization. For the second time this year, I've been the victim of identity theft. The first time it was an employee at my bank who stole many people's personal information. Yesterday, it was as a result of doing business with Paypal.

How To Vote In The Presidential Election - Obama

"This election is about you the American people," Obama said.

Obama's acceptance speech confirmed for me that he is the choice for President of the United States of America.

You can watch his speech here. 

I do feel that he needs better informed advisors when it comes to a clean energy and transportation economy, which translates to cleaner air. I wrote about it here. I feel Obama's got the brains to listen to informed advisors, whereas maverick McCain, who boasts being 5th to the bottom-of-his class does not.

With that said,

It was such a gratifying experience to listen to Obama--so presidential--and watch high spirited Americans respond.

As a little girl growing up in San Francisco, I knew the definitions of civil unrest, pepper spray, Vietnam War, segregation, and desegragation.

I knew our family was color blind.

My dad would say,

"All blood runs the same no matter one's skin color or religion."

But I grew up across the street from San Francisco State University where people fought to be heard, fought to stop the war, fought for equal rights and to integrate the public schools.

Banff and Wildlife Crossings

Banff offers pristine clean air.

It is the well-maintained first National Park in Canada.

A place that respects nature and animals, and insists on low human population.

There's a cap of 10,000 people in Banff, and right now Banff has about 8,500 year round residents. 

In the summer tourists converge on the park like these two men from the Netherlands, who walked out of the Fairmont and onto our Discover Banff Tour, which I'll tell you about in another post.

Animals must be free to move about.

You do see much wildlife while touring in Banff.  There's about 60 grizzlies, 50 black bear, 50 wolves and 2600 big-horn sheep. And many unusual and beautiful birds.

Banff is the first national park I'm aware of that built two overpasses over the Trans-Canada Highway for animals to walk across.

In 1996 at a cost of $1.8 million each, these moss-covered looking overpasses cut animal deaths by 80% and enabled wildlife to move freely between areas to exchange genes over a large area to keep biodiversity healthy.